A hilarious 90’s BBC Radio 4 sitcom performed by an all-star cast

Starring comedian John Fortune, best known for the satirical TV show Bremner, Bird and Fortune, and screen legend Eleanor Bron, Protesting Too Much is written by Sally Phillips and Kate Brooke. A classic comic caper that will have you in stitches.

Set on the eve of the 1997 general election, bumbling Conservative MP George Dank climbs a tree in protest at the building of a new bypass through his constituency. The protest soon draws all the wrong kind of attention as smears hit the newspaper, orchestrated by the villainous Robbins. To make matters worse, university job cuts are looming, which means George could be soon joined by his scholarly wife, Hermione. Hermione’s hero is Dante and she can’t help finding parallels between the poet and her husband. As she falls in love all over again with her formally inept, but now seemingly dashing husband, things get complicated when their daughter Anne comes to join them too… Will the disaster-prone MP ever be able to climb down from his bypass protest? Is Hermione’s instruction of fellow protestors in medieval siege tactics really the best idea? And what on earth will they do with that stuffed owl? The battle rages and George is up a tree - can he save his family, the constituency and moreover, the day?

Protesting Too Much writer Sally Phillips is an actor, comedian, and television presenter. Phillips is known for her roles in Jam & Jerusalem, I’m Alan Partridge and Miranda as well as playing the title role in the BBC Radio 4 comedy show Clare in the Community. Kate Brooke is a film and TV writer whose credits include Mr Selfridge and A Discovery of Witches. This hilarious sitcom also features cameos from broadcasting legends Brian Perkins and John Humphrys.

Cast and credits

Written by Sally Phillips and Kate Brooke

Produced by Jane Berthoud

George Dank - John Fortune
Hermione Dank - Eleanor Bron
Anne Dank - Louisa Milwood-Haigh
Robbins - Brian Bowles
Dan Richard/ Ernie 2- Chris Pavlo
Skip/Gladys/Irma/WPC Pierce - Elliott Nicholls
Jennifer/Aurora - Sally Phillips
Taxi Driver/Nigel/Peter/Ernie 1/Ken/Sarge/Security Guard - Alan Francis

Brian Perkins - as himself

John Humphrys - as himself

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 Jul – 3 Sep 1997

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