His Master's Voice: BBC Radio Comedy Drama
BBC Radio 4
Media mogul Lord Malan is the billionaire owner of The Blue Touch Paper, an old-fashioned, hard-right weekly magazine with traditional Conservative values. But the paper is so true blue, it’s losing its touch. Sales are falling and circulation is down - mainly because its core readers are either on the brink of death or foam-flecked with rage. It’s time for a new editor, and political commentator Anna is sure she’s a shoo-in for the position. Much to her disappointment, however, Malan picks a different candidate: Keith, the Guardian’s token Tory, who champions compassionate Conservatism. Nicknamed ‘Toynbee’, he’s tasked with turning the paper around. If he doesn’t succeed, he’ll be out of a job - and Anna and her friends on the Tory back bench are determined to make sure he fails… With the help of the rest of his team - PA Katrina and posh gossip columnist Giles, a.k.a. ‘Louche’ - can Keith set The Blue Touch Paper alight, or will his career fizzle out like a damp squib? Lord Malan ...... Robert Hardy Keith ...... Tony Gardner Anna ...... Amelia Bullmore Giles ...... Michael Maloney Katrina ...... Rachel Atkins Beverly ...... Saskia Wickham with Beth Chalmers, Simon Treves, Eve Webster and Stephen Critchlow Written by Mark Tavener and Steve Punt Produced and Directed by Dawn Ellis First broadcast BBC Radio 4 in July 2007
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.
Reviews
RIP Mark Adrian Tavener
mramshaw
Political satire - and from 2007 so perhaps mainly for those who can remember the political issues of that time. But like most satire, probably very much relevant to current affairs also. Some timeless themes. It looks as if Tavener died before the completion of this series... I think he gets solo credit for the first 2 episodes and then afterwards Punt gets listed as a co-writer. Fair play to Punt for what must have been a difficult task. The actors carry things but the plots get slightly weaker. I listened to all of these episodes at one sitting, so they must be entertaining. I recognized some of the voice actors from "Old Harry's Game" so I felt right at home. Some strange noises on the recordings but easy to ignore. Thanks uploader!