The BBC Radio 4 comedy

Alison and Maud: The Complete Series 1 and 2

All 12 episodes of the BBC Radio 4 comedy about two sisters running a bed and breakfast in Norwich

Sisters Alison and Maud are joint landladies of the Abbeyfield Guest House, dispensing hospitality to a variety of demanding clients while also looking after their irascible, bedridden father downstairs in the granny flat. Dreamy ornithologist Alison has just moved back from Bloomsbury, while Maud ran a 3000-acre farm in Africa - but neither sibling is really up to the task of managing a B&amp;B, and chaos generally ensues. 
 
In these two series, Alison has the hots for their accountant, Bernard - and is the reluctant object of a courtship display from a fellow bird-fancier; Maud comes up trumps in the middle of the night (but what will the guests make of what's in the saucepan?) and handyman Mr Mullet and the Bishop of Norwich get a little too close for comfort over tea. Meanwhile, the landladies' daddy complains about his new orthopaedic mattress, battles with hallucinogenic fungus and chips and prepares for his 85th birthday party - but what form will the celebrations take? 
 
Sue Limb's sitcom stars Denise Coffey as Alison and Miriam Margolyes as Maud, with Joss Ackland as Father and Geoffrey Whitehead as Bernard. 
 
 
Written by Sue Limb 
Produced by Jonathan James-Moore 
 
Starring Denise Coffey as Alison and Miriam Margolyes as Maud 
 
Cast 
Father - Joss Ackland 
Mr Mullett/Brian - Chris Emmett 
Bernard/Mr Ducket - Geoffrey Whitehead 
Marina - Phyllida Nash 
Leslie - Nickolas Grace 
Mrs Ducket - Judy Flynn 
The Bishop of Norwich - Nicholas Le Provost 
Jane - Jane Sellars 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 13 December 2002-17 January 2003 (Series 1), 15 March-19 April 2004 (Series 2)

The complete BBC Radio 4 comedy series

Four Joneses and a Jenkins

An everyday story of sheep, sin and scholarship under the shadow of the Long Mynd

Sue Limb is a British writer and broadcaster. Her work includes novels – many of them for young adults – and a sitcom for ITV television and BBC Radio 4, Up the Garden Path. For Radio 4, she has written a number of comedy series: The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere , The Sit Crom, Four Joneses and a Jenkins and Alison and Maud; and also Growing Pains (a documentary about ageing), Hilaire Belloc, and Cities (six programmes of literary anthology).

An everyday story of sheep, sin and scholarship under the shadow of the Long Mynd 
 
Written by Sue Limb (Gloomsbury, Skeletons in the Cupboard), this pastoral sitcom follows six months in the life of the Jones family, who live on a small farm in rural Wales. 
 
We join them in September - the start of the farming year - as daughter Megan, a brainy 'plain Jane', sets her sights on Mr Bootle - only to find he's really just interested in birdwatching. December brings 'Goose-Feathering Night' - but Megan's determined to save Gudrun from a plucking. February finds her desperate to get into Oxford University but fearing rejection: could the creepy Mr Jenkins offer a solution? There are ructions in April, as her desire to escape the farm and become a student leads to a confrontation; while June sees a storm descend on the village, and the talk turns electric. And, as August arrives and the harvest is gathered in, Megan spurns the Carnival Queen contest in favour of a visit to Nana... 
 
BAFTA-winning actress and comedian Rebecca Front (The Thick of It, Lewis, Avenue 5) stars as Megan, with Geoffrey Whitehead as Mr Jones, Lisbeth Miles as Ma Jones, Matthew Morgan as Owen, Michael Fenton Stevens as Mr Bootle and Nickolas Grace as Mr Jenkins. 
 
In addition to Four Joneses and a Jenkins, this release includes a bonus programme: From Gorsemere to Gloomsbury: The Literary Lunancy of Sue Limb. In a three-hour guided tour through the worlds that flow from the pen of dramatist Sue Limb, Shaun Ley discusses the ideas and inspiration behind Sue's writing with the author herself, and chats with regular cast members including Nigel Planer and Miriam Margolyes. Featuring episodes from Sue's hit series The Wordsmiths of Gorsemere, Gloomsbury, The Sit Crom and Alison &amp; Maud. 
 
Four Joneses and a Jenkins was produced by Jonathan James-Moore 
 
Cast 
Mr Jones - Geoffrey Whitehead 
Ma Jones - Lisbeth Miles 
Megan - Rebecca Front 
Owen - Matthew Morgan 
Mr Bootle - Michael Fenton Stevens 
Mr Jenkins - Nickolas Grace 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 11 August-15 September 2000

The Sit Crom

A six-part historical sitcom set during the time of Oliver Cromwell

Autumn, 1646. The English Civil War is raging, and there’s trouble ahead for Sir John and Lady Anne Firebasket. There’s a Roundhead platoon camping out in the barn, a perplexed priest hiding behind the panelling and, unbeknown to the Firebaskets, their scullery maid Mercy is actually a disguised aristocrat (and Royalist spy) named Melissa Fortescue-Bottomley. 
 
While Mercy steels herself to carry out a deadly mission, pious steward Tobias Thynne rails against the Devil’s vegetables and Father Francis takes to the rooftops in a borrowed nightgown for a rendition of ‘Ave Maria’. With the whole household suffering from severe domestic derangement, it’s a bad time for General Cromwell to show up – and then news arrives that the fugitive King Charles has also decided to pay a visit... 
 
As confusion reigns, Sir John takes to drink, Lady Anne takes to her bed and the New Model Army take up their muskets. Will Firebasket Hall survive the hostilities? 
 
Scripted by Sue Limb (Gloomsbury, The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere), The Sit Crom features a wealth of comedy acting talent including Joss Ackland as Sir John Firebasket, Miriam Margolyes as Mercy and Alun Armstrong as Captain Arise Higgs. 
 
Produced by Jonathan James-Moore 
Music by Colin Sell 
 
Cast 
Sir John Firebasket – Joss Ackland 
Lady Anne Firebasket – Denise Coffey 
Tobias Thynne – Clive Merrison 
Mercy, alias Melissa – Miriam Margoyles 
Father Francis/Old Thomas – Nickolas Grace 
Slow Ned/King Charles – Chris Emmett 
Gazebo Fogg – Jack Klaff 
Captain Arise Higgs – Alun Armstrong 
Posthumous – Nicky Henson 
Lettice – Jane Whittenshaw 
Counter Tenor – Peter Hayward 
General Cromwell – Bert Parnaby 
Colonel Thundery – Peter Howell 
The New Model Army – The cast 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 6 October-10 November 1990

The complete series 1-5 of the hit BBC Radio 4 comedy

Gloomsbury

Miriam Margolyes, Alison Steadman and Nigel Planer star in Sue Limb's wickedly funny comedy parodying the arty and adulterous adventures of the Bloomsbury Group.

'... one of the funniest, slyest, most naughtily inventive and brilliantly performed shows on the air' - Gillian Reynolds, The Daily Telegraph 
 
'A gloriously silly show' - The Lady 
 
Miriam Margolyes, Alison Steadman and Nigel Planer star in Sue Limb's wickedly funny comedy parodying the arty and adulterous adventures of the Bloomsbury Group, who dominated the English cultural scene in the early 20th Century. 
 
The series follows the fortunes of Vera Sackcloth-Vest - writer, gardener and cross-dresser - and her urge to escape from the tranquillity of the rather cramped little castle in Kent which she shares with her doting but ambiguous husband, Harry, who is 'something in the Foreign Office'. Vera's heart is forever surging with exotic passion, either for Ginny Fox, a highly-strung novelist who adores her, or the beautiful but shallow Venus Traduces. 
 
As the scene shifts from Kent to London, and Cornwall to Monaco, this close-knit coterie is divided by misunderstandings, jealousies and rows, whilst the colourfully chaotic characters are joined by such sort-of familiar figures as D.H. Lollipop, T.S. Jellitot, Sigmund Void, George Gurnard Shaw, Dorothy Barker, Al Padrone, James Voyce and Ernest Hammingaway. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Sue Lamb. 
Produced by Jamie Rix. A Little Brother production for BBC Radio 4. 
 
Cast 
Vera Sackcloth-Vest - Miriam Margolyes 
Henry Mickleton - Jonathan Coy 
Mrs Ginny Fox / Mrs Gosling - Alison Steadman 
Venus Traduces - Morwenna Banks 
Lionel Fox / Mr Gosling - Nigel Planer (Series 1, 3-5) / Roger Lloyd Pack (Series 2) 
D H Lollipop - John Sessions 
Other parts played by members of the cast. 
 
First broadcast 28th September - 2nd November 2012 (Series 1), 2nd April - 7th May 2014 (Series 2), 29th May 2015 - 3rd July 2015 (Series 3), 7th April - 12th May 2017 (Series 4) and 12th October 2018 -16th November 2018 (Series 5). 
 
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Up the Garden Path: The Complete Series 1-3

All 3 series of the BBC Radio 4 comedy Up the Garden Path, starring Imelda Staunton

Sue Limb (Author) 
 Sue Limb is a British writer and broadcaster. Her work includes novels – many of them for young adults – and a sitcom for ITV television and BBC Radio 4, Up the Garden Path. For Radio 4, she has written a number of comedy series: The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere , The Sit Crom, Four Joneses and a Jenkins and Alison and Maud; and also Growing Pains (a documentary about ageing), Hilaire Belloc, and Cities (six programmes of literary anthology).

It’s the beginning of a new school term and Izzy is dreading it... 
 
Tumbling from one love entanglement to another, 30 something teacher Izzy Comyn has a predilection for inappropriate men.Over the three hilarious series of Up the Garden Path, Izzy, played by Imelda Staunton, deals with the complicated ups and downs of her attempts to find true love. 
 
Along with Imelda Stanton as Izzy, Marty Cruickshank plays Maria, Nicholas Le Prevost is Michael and Mike Grady is Dick. 
 
Producer: Jonathan James-Moore 
Adapted by Sue Limb from her 1984 novel

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy

The Wordsmiths at Gorsemere: The Complete Series 1 and 2

A BBC Radio 4 parody of the lives of the Romantic poets by Sue Limb, writer of the hit comedy Gloomsbury

A BBC Radio 4 parody of the lives of the Romantic poets by Sue Limb, writer of the hit comedy Gloomsbury. 
 
An everyday story of towering genius, set in and around the Lakeland retreat of William and Dorothy Wordsmith. The Wordsmiths have not long settled in their sublime cottage, when they are visited by the inebriate Samuel Tailor Cholericke and the lascivious Lord Biro, followed by numerous other romantically-inclined writers and leech-pedlars who arrive at the door of Vole Cottage. Dorothy must manage the increasingly chaotic household (assisted by Stinking Iris), while William focuses on his latest masterpiece, ‘The Withered Turnip’. Set against an elegant musical background of trilling sheep. 
 
Starring Denise Coffey as Dorothy Wordsmith, Geoffrey Whitehead as William Wordsmith, Simon Callow as Samuel Tailor Cholericke, Miriam Margolyes as Stinking Iris and Tim Curry as Lord Biro. 
 
Cast: 
Dorothy Wordsmith: Denise Coffey 
William Wordsmith: Geoffrey Whitehead 
Samuel Tailor Cholericke: Simon Callow 
Stinking Iris: Miriam Margolyes 
The Leechpedlar: Chris Emmett 
Lord Biro: Tim Curry 
Teresa Sanseveria: Helen Atkinson Wood 
Percy Jelley: Hugh Thomas 
Mary Godwit: Alison Fiske 
Charles Lump: Nicholas le Prevost 
Mary Lump: Julia Hills 
Thomas de Quinine: Nickolas Grace 
Sir Walter Spott: Bill Paterson 
Mary Wordsmith: Iris-Gemma Morlay 
John Sheets: Nicky Henson 
Sara Cholericke: Angela Pleasance 
William Bloke: John Shrapnel 
Announcer: Eugene Fraser 
 
Music by Stephen Oliver, sung by Cantabile 
Produced by Jonathan James-Moore

Neal Anthony

Roger Danes

Sue Limb

David Swift

Sian Phillips

Graham Crowden

Paul Bigley

Saskia Wickham

Nick Romero

Christopher Kelham

Kim Wall

Full Cast

A BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

Comedy about the ruling family of Renaissance Italy's most inconsequential city-state 
 
In Monte Guano, a ridiculously small and penniless principality in Renaissance Italy, Prince Ludovico II finds his rule constantly undermined by those around him: his shrewd wife, his official mistress, and his three disappointing - if not outright humiliating - sons. 
 
As well as having to manage the ever-increasing tributes demanded by the Pope, Prince Ludovico must also contend with feeble conscripts in search of war booty, getting on the pilgrim map, fake currency, religious battles, and worst of all, English tourists. Can they keep their family together despite the chaos of their lives? 
 
Perfect for fans of Blackadder and The Castle, the brilliant comedy cast includes David Swift as Ludovico, Sian Phillips as Plethora, Graham Crowden as Francesco and Paul Bigley as Alessandro, as well as Saskia Wickham, Nick Romero, Christopher Kelham and Kim Wall. 
 
Production credits 
Devised by Neal Anthony 
Written by Neal Anthony, Roger Danes and Sue Limb 
Produced by Helen Williams and Dawn Ellis 
 
Cast 
 
Ludovico - David Swift 
Plethora - Sian Phillips 
Francesco - Graham Crowden 
Alessandro - Paul Bigley 
Rosalie - Saskia Wickham 
Salvatore - Nick Romero 
Guido - Christopher Kelham 
Brother Michael/Father Ignazio - Kim Wall 
Lord Luton - Nicholas Grace 
 
Series 1 First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2001 
Series 2 First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2002 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Sue Limb

The Leopard in Autumn

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