Robin And Wendy's Wet Weekends

Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends is a Radio 4 sitcom which follows the lives of four main characters: middle-aged couple Robin and Wendy and their next door neighbours and best friends Derek and Maureen.

The idea for Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends was hatched by Simon Greenall and Kay Stonham on a family trip to Legoland. They thought it would be fun to write a sitcom about a childless couple obsessed with their model village and with living the good life in miniature.

Around that time they were asked by Channel 4 to take part in a show called Barking which was to feature "new" comedy writer performers working on their own material. They developed the characters together, wrote six sketches for the show, all of which were filmed and broadcast.

Channel 4 did not commission another series but the production company, Channel X, were enthusiastic about the concept and commissioned two scripts. They tried to interest both the BBC and ITV, but despite interest from both broadcasters the series was never made.

At this time Kay Stonham had a radio series on Radio 4 called Audio Diaries and had just been asked to write a fourth series. She felt it had run its course and asked BBC Radio if she and Greenall could make a new series called Robin and Wendy's Wet Weekends instead. The BBC like the scripts and agreed.

The first series was written by Simon Greenall and Kay Stonham, who also starred as Robin and Wendy. Derek and Maureen were played by Phil Cornwell and Debra Stephenson, but they departed after the first series and were replaced by Martin Trenaman and Amelia Bullmore, who continued in those roles until the final episode.

At the end of series two Simon Greenall left the series (as he had split from Stonham) and so was replaced in the role of Robin by Brian Capron, who played Robin in all the subsequent episodes. As Simon Grenall was also the joint writer of the series up to that point, Kay Stonham had to carry on writing the scripts on her own, and all of Series 3 and 4 are her work alone.

RAWWW served as a proving ground for supporting actors who have since gone on to greater things. David Mitchell and Robert Webb appeared in various roles. Craig Kelly played Sam in 'Baby Love' and Don Gilet appeared in 'Alka Salsa'. Ruth Madoc played what amounted to an almost cameo role in the same episode, which was set in a holiday camp. Sharon Horgan (Pulling) and Tracy Ann Oberman (EastEnders) appeared in various roles, as did comedienne Julia Morris.