The BBC Radio 4 comedy drama

High Table, Lower Orders: The Complete Series 1 and 2

The complete first and second series of Mark Tavener’s BBC Radio 4 comedy thriller set in a crisis-ridden Cambridge college

The complete first and second series of Mark Tavener’s BBC Radio 4 comedy thriller set in a crisis-ridden Cambridge college 
 
When prominent don and celebrity TV historian Peter Devanti dies after dining at High Table, his colleague Gilbert suspects foul play and invites his former student Simon Harrison, a disillusioned health and safety officer, to investigate. Meanwhile, Simon’s former girlfriend Zoe, a freelance journalist, arrives to write an article about Devanti’s death: reopening old wounds for Simon. After another college member dies, more skullduggery is uncovered, and Simon must find out which of the many suspects is a murderer – while also trying to get back with Zoe and keep his day job... 
 
A year later, the college is recovering from the Devanti affair, but struggling for cash and riven by arguments between traditionalists and modernisers. Simon, now bereft of a job, jumps at the chance to become a don – but soon finds himself embarking on another murder investigation after a student is caught cheating and his accuser is found hanged. Can Simon unmask the killer before they strike again? 
 
Written by Mark Tavener (In the Red, Absolute Power), this brilliant black comedy stars Geoffrey Palmer as Gilbert, Samuel West as Simon and Sharon Small as Zoe, with Rebecca Front as Patricia, Michelle Fairley as Roisin, Michael Maloney as the Dean and Jonathan Coy as Bernard. 
 
Produced by Dawn Ellis

The complete BBC Radio 4 radio comedy series

Absolute Power

Stephen Fry and John Bird star as masters of spin Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe in all 22 episodes of the BBC Radio 4 series.

Stephen Fry and John Bird star in all four series of the BBC Radio 4 satirical comedy, plus the 2006 special episode. 
 
Set in the Machiavellian world of modern PR, Absolute Power introduces us to London-based 'government-media relations consultancy' Prentiss McCabe, whose partners Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe are frequently embroiled in the machinations of the British political system. Prentiss is ruthless, unscrupulous, and will go to almost any lengths to pull off a big commission, while McCabe does have a moral compass, but is too laid-back and fond of claret to use it very often. 
 
In episodes that could have been written yesterday, the duo’s targets for makeover include the Conservative Party; The Sun; the Mayor of London; the Church of England; Radio 3; English sporting success; the elderly; prisons; the Prime Minister; the Health Service; a Big Brother star; a tennis pro; men; the BBC; ‘the notion of Nation’; healthy eating and the US Presidential Campaign. 
 
This complete collection includes all 21 episodes of the four series, first broadcast between 2000 and 2004, plus the special 2006 episode. Stephen Fry and John Bird star as Charles Prentiss and Martin McCabe, with Tamsin Greig as rival spin doctor Gayle Shand.

Mark Tavener

Steve Punt

Robert Hardy

Tony Gardner

Michael Maloney

Amelia Bullmore

Full Cast

A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Comedy Drama

Robert Hardy stars in this political satire from the writer of Absolute Power and In the Red 
 
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? 
 
Created and written by Mark Tavener in collaboration with Steve Punt, this sparkling sitcom was his final radio series before his death in 2007. It stars Robert Hardy as Lord Malan, Tony Gardner as Keith, Amelia Bullmore as Anna, Michael Maloney as Giles and Rachel Atkins as Katrina. 
 
Written by Mark Tavener and Steve Punt 
Produced by Dawn Ellis 
 
Cast 
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 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4-25 July 2007 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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