The Castle

Radio review: The Castle

This series about a lord and his lady-daughters is a bit funny, a bit peculiar and very enjoyable, writes Zoe Williams.

Hard to imagine why Kim Fuller's nimble comedy is going out here when, nightly at 6.30pm, there's mainly preaching and screeching. Here's the start of a new series of medieval goings-on, with wonderful James Fleet as Sir John, bewildered by his children, at the mercy of twists of fate which sound very familiar to modern ears. It's the age of dungeons but everything (apart from Merlin's talking sausages) is pretty much like today, from WAGs being forbidden to go with their knights on Crusades, to Sir John Chilcot's enquiry into Dragons of Mass Destruction.

Another radio sitcom starring James Fleet - how does he find the time? Hinting at modernity from the perspective of medieval Britain is a nice idea, but I have to say that the laughs are a little thin on the ground. The best bits tend to be the quick musical interludes, where a selection of pop hits and rock classics are performed on medieval instruments.

Did they have estate agents in the Middle Ages? Central heating, junk mail and double-glazing? They did according to The Castle, a six-part comedy from Kim Fuller.

Deep in ye olde countryside, 18-year-old Lady Anne Woodstock is looking for a husband. Or rather, her father is trying to find her a husband, while Anne drools over a strapping young commoner. More suitable suitors come and go - but none looks like he's in with a chance till Sir William De Warrene arrives back from the Crusades. Can Anne turn down a man voted one of the most eligible bachelors in the kingdom by Esquire magazine?