A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama

The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles: Series 1-10

An illuminating and quirky exploration of the challenges and aspirations of a young couple with learning disabilities

All ten series of the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 sitcom 
 
'A warm, menacing, funny must-listen' - The Guardian 
 
This rom-com with a difference follows the challenges and aspirations of Darleen Fyles and her partner Jamie, a young couple with learning disabilities. Over the course of 50 episodes, they struggle with the problems and frustrations of everyday life, overcome prejudice and bullying, and forge a stable relationship. 
 
High-spirited and determined, Darleen refuses to let obstacles stand in her way. She and Jamie have more than their fair share of setbacks, including financial crises, difficulties with sex, health worries and a serious row about living arrangements: but their love for each other endures. 
 
Donna Lavin and Edmund Davies, who have learning disabilities themselves, star as Darleen and Jamie, and the supporting cast includes Denise Welch, Rob Pickavance and Olwen May. We are also introduced to 17-year-old Alex Huntesmith, who plays himself, and whose parents both have learning disabilities. Through him and his real mum, Jill, a mother of four, we are given an insight into their extraordinary real-life family. 
 
The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles was shortlisted for a BBC Audio Drama Award, and transferred to BBC TV as part of Jimmy McGovern's Moving On strand. Based on true stories and created in part through improvisation, this tough, feelgood series is at once humorous, heartfelt and poignant. 
 
Written by Esther Wilson 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris 
 
Cast 
Darleen - Donna Lavin 
Jamie - Edmund Davies 
Treena - Siobhan Finneran/Lorraine Ashbourne/Lesley Nicol/Denise Welch/Sally Lindsay 
Tony - Rob Pickavance/Roger Morlidge 
Fran - Olwen May 
Colin - Lee Boardman 
Chelsea - Vicky Binns 
Becca - Victoria Connett 
Sarah - Deborah McAndrew 
Nick - Greg Wood 
Leonard - Steve Evets 
Ben - Wyllie Longmore 
Marie - Emma Hartley-Miller 
Bob - Stephen Chapman/Carl Cockram/Andrew Dunn 
Vicar/Kenny - Declan Wilson 
Marie - Emma Hartley Miller 
Bob/Jeweller - Stephen Chapman 
Stacey - Niamh Clarke/Olivia Cosgrove/Ashley Ogden/Millie Rose Kinsey 
Elsa -Judith Barker 
Pat - Janice McKenzie 
Jay - Andrew Schofield 
Mohammad - Sushil Chudasama/Peter Singh 
Woman in street/Girl on bus - Hollie-Jay Bowes 
Alex Huntesmith - Himself 
Jill Huntesmith - Herself 
Romana/Doctor/Jill/Josie/Ann/Midwife/Teacher - Ruth Worth 
Tony - Roger Morlidge 
Scott - Byron Konizi 
Jilly - Ruth Piggott 
Ged - Neil Bell 
Chemba - Dan Poyser 
Job centre advisor - Barnaby Gordon 
David/Doctor/Shop assistant - John Catterall 
Sal - Eileen O'Brien 
Karen - Kate Coogan 
Doctor Stevens - Ben Worth

a warm, menacing, funny must-listen in the process, is hugely down to the acting talents of its lead, Donna Lavin.

All ten series of the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 sitcom 
 
‘A warm, menacing, funny must-listen' - The Guardian 
 
This rom-com with a difference follows the challenges and aspirations of Darleen Fyles and her partner Jamie, a young couple with learning disabilities. Over the course of 50 episodes, they struggle with the problems and frustrations of everyday life, overcome prejudice and bullying, and forge a stable relationship. 
 
High-spirited and determined, Darleen refuses to let obstacles stand in her way. She and Jamie have more than their fair share of setbacks, including financial crises, difficulties with sex, health worries and a serious row about living arrangements: but their love for each other endures. 
 
Donna Lavin and Edmund Davies, who have learning disabilities themselves, star as Darleen and Jamie, and the supporting cast includes Denise Welch, Rob Pickavance and Olwen May. We are also introduced to 17-year-old Alex Huntesmith, who plays himself, and whose parents both have learning disabilities. Through him and his real mum, Jill, a mother of four, we are given an insight into their extraordinary real-life family. 
 
The Pursuits of Darleen Fyles was shortlisted for a BBC Audio Drama Award, and transferred to BBC TV as part of Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On strand. Based on true stories and created in part through improvisation, this tough, feelgood series is at once humorous, heartfelt and poignant. 
 
Written by Esther Wilson 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris 
 
Cast 
Darleen – Donna Lavin 
Jamie – Edmund Davies 
Treena – Siobhan Finneran/Lorraine Ashbourne/Lesley Nicol/Denise Welch/Sally Lindsay 
Tony – Rob Pickavance/Roger Morlidge 
Fran – Olwen May 
Colin – Lee Boardman 
Chelsea – Vicky Binns 
Becca – Victoria Connett 
Sarah – Deborah McAndrew 
Nick – Greg Wood 
Leonard – Steve Evets 
Ben – Wyllie Longmore 
Marie – Emma Hartley-Miller 
Bob – Stephen Chapman/Carl Cockram/Andrew Dunn 
Vicar/Kenny – Declan Wilson 
Marie – Emma Hartley Miller 
Bob/Jeweller – Stephen Chapman 
Stacey – Niamh Clarke/Olivia Cosgrove/Ashley Ogden/Millie Rose Kinsey 
Elsa –Judith Barker 
Pat – Janice McKenzie 
Jay – Andrew Schofield 
Mohammad – Sushil Chudasama/Peter Singh 
Woman in street/Girl on bus – Hollie-Jay Bowes 
Alex Huntesmith – Himself 
Jill Huntesmith – Herself 
Romana/Doctor/Jill/Josie/Ann/Midwife/Teacher – Ruth Worth 
Tony – Roger Morlidge 
Scott – Byron Konizi 
Jilly – Ruth Piggott 
Ged – Neil Bell 
Chemba – Dan Poyser 
Job centre advisor – Barnaby Gordon 
David/Doctor/Shop assistant – John Catterall 
Sal – Eileen O’Brien 
Karen – Kate Coogan 
Doctor Stevens – Ben Worth

Christopher Reason

Esther Wilson

Roy Williams

Eve Steele

Michael Simmons Roberts

Kathrine Smith

Tom Fry

Sharon Kelly

James O'Neill

Becky Prestwich

Fiona Evans

Glenda Jackson

Robert Glenister

Gillian Kearney

Don Gilet

Eleanor Bron

Full Cast

Mina Anwar

Rudolph Walker

Siobhan Finneran

A BBC Radio 4 drama series

Glenda Jackson stars in this compelling drama series inspired by Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, highlighting different aspects of contemporary Britain 
 
In 2015, double Oscar winner Glenda Jackson made a triumphant return to acting in Radio 4's Blood, Sex and Money, a radical reimagining of Émile Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle. Now, she reprises her role as matriarch/narrator in this eclectic mix of dramas inspired by Zola's novels, but set in modern Britain. 
 
Constance is confined to her sick bed and dying of motor neurone disease. Her body is paralysed, but her mind runs free, seeking out stories from the extended family she has long refused to acknowledge. As she delves into their lives, she uncovers dark secrets, lies and deceit. Has bad blood seeped down through the generations to corrupt them all, or is there a chink of light in the familial fault lines, where love and hope can flourish? 
 
In these three series, exploring British society through the lens of money, sex and blood, we meet the members of her flawed clan - from her son Miles, born into wealth and privilege, to her great-great-cousin Hannah and great-niece Natalie, struggling to survive in a world of zero-hours contracts, foodbanks and precarious social housing. Whether rich or poor, all have been shaped by the powerful driving forces of capitalism, desire and DNA... 
 
Written by a host of top dramatists including the award-winning Christopher Reason, Roy Williams, Eve Steele and Michael Symmons Roberts, these intimate, immersive dramas are performed by a stellar cast including Robert Glenister, Gillian Kearney, Don Gilet, Siobhan Finneran, Eleanor Bron and Rudolph Walker. 
 
Produced and directed by Pauline Harris and Gary Brown 
Sound design by Steve Brooke, Sharon Hughes and Simon Highfield 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 16-21 February 2020 (Money), 10-17 October 2020 (Sex), 18-26 January 2022 (Blood) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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