The Complete Series 1-3

Beauty of Britain

Christopher Douglas (Author) 
 Christopher Douglas is the author of Jardine, the biography of England test cricketer Andrew Jardine. With Andrew Nickolds, he is the co-creator of Ed Reardon, and stars in Ed Reardon’s Week. He also teamed up with Nigel Planer to create the character of ‘Nicholas Craig’, a classical actor who starred in the BBC Four series How to be Old with Nicholas Craig and whose autobiography I, An Actor, was published by Methuen in 2001. 
 
Nicola Sanderson (Author) 
 Nicola Sanderson is an actress and writer who played S.O.C.O. Joy Ackroyd in Law and Order: UK. She has also appeared in numerous other TV series including EastEnders, The Bill, Coronation Street and Holby City. With Christopher Douglas, she co-wrote the BBC Radio 4 comedy Beauty of Britain.

The complete series 1-3 of the BBC Radio 4 narrative comedy featuring Beauty Oolonga's adventures as a care worker, starring Jocelyn Jee Esien. 
 
Beauty of Britain breaks the embarrassed silence about what happens to us when we get old and start to lose our faculties. It shows the process in all its chaotic tragi-comedy but it does so from the point of view of a migrant worker, Beauty, whose Zimbabwean Shona background has taught her to respect age. Beauty sees Britain at its best, its worst and also sometimes without its clothes on running the wrong way down the M6 with a toy dog shouting 'Come on!' 
 
In first series Beauty discovers the glories of Weston-super-Mare's charity shops, has a disastrous crush on worship leader Wayne and looks after the elderly Mr Easterby, who has a new girlfriend and is behaving like a love-struck teenager. 
 
In the second series, Beauty’s employer, the Featherdown Agency, sends her to provide care for those who need it - and some who don't, but all of whom have relatives with guilty consciences. 
 
In the third and final series Beauty's mother pays her a visit, finds herself on the receiving end of a surprising proposal and wonders is Stephen, a charming English gent, is just like Hugh Grant in those movies. 
 
Jocelyn Jee Esien heads up a starry cast that includes Jenny Agutter, Felix Dexter, Pippa Haywood, Paterson Joseph, Julia Mackenzie, Felicity Montagu, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift. 
 
Written by Christopher Douglas and Nicola Sanderson, 
Produced by Tilusha Ghelani.

Christopher Douglas

Full Cast

A BBC Radio 4 Sitcom

Author, curmudgeon and master of the complaining letter and the abusive email, Ed Reardon is back for a 16th series of this award-winning BBC Radio comedy.

Christopher Douglas

Books by Christopher Douglas

Series by Christopher Douglas

Ed Reardon's Week

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter