Three semi-autobiographical plays by Victor Pemberton telling the story of one family across the 20^th century

Novelist and playwright Victor Pemberton was best known for scripting Doctor Who and working on Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock. His many plays for BBC Radio included The Slide, Kill the Pharaoh. and this three-part family saga, a love story inspired by the lives of his own parents and starring Nerys Hughes, Nigel Anthony, Sheila Grant and Wendy Richard.

The Trains Don’t Stop Here Any More – 1916. When 18-year-old Letty Edginton goes to work in a munitions factory, she meets and falls for Oliver Hobbs, a young man whose leg was severely wounded at the Somme. Despite their different backgrounds and her snobbish mother’s objections, they marry and set up home – but married life proves more challenging than Letty had expected.

Don’t Talk to Me About Kids! – It’s 1939, and, like so many other Londoners, Letty and Ollie find themselves living through the horrors of another world war. As German bombs begin to fall on the city, their kids Eddie and Mick are evacuated to the countryside, and their eldest son Ron is called up to fight in the Royal Navy. But Letty is determined that whatever troubles and tragedies lie ahead, her family should survive and be reunited.

Down by the Sea – 1963. Letty and Ollie have always dreamed of living by the sea and, having reached their sunset years, they’ve retired to a seaside bungalow bought for them by their children. After a long and happy marriage, they celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary in the company of family and friends, but back at home, they must face the problems of old age alone...

Production credits
Written by Victor Pemberton
Pianist: Mary Nash

1. The Trains Don’t Stop Here Any More
Letty Edginton – Nerys Hughes
Beatrice, her mother – Sheila Grant
William, her father – Malcolm Hayes
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony
Violet – Wendy Richard
Tom – Derek Seaton
Frank O'Malley – Bill Monks
Nicky/Bugle Boy – Adam Godley
Bill Brooks – Kenneth Shanley
Amy Lyall – Eve Karpf
Mr Cotton – Eric Allan
Mr Pearson/Gateman – Robert Trotter
Directed by John Tydeman
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 July 1978

2. Don’t Talk to Me About Kids!
Letty Hobbs – Nerys Hughes
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony
Beatrice – Sheila Grant
Sam – Philip Sully
Violet – Wendy Richard
Ron/Malcolm/Train Guard – Jonathan Tafler
Florrie – Eva Stuart
Colonel Meecham – Laurence Payne
Bill Brooks/Warden – Michael Tudor Barnes
Tilly Brooks – Emily Richard
Mother Superior – Julie Berry
Mick – Rickey Coombes
Eddie – Nicholas Delve
Janey/Doreen – Zelah Clarke
Directed by David Spenser
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14 January 1989

3. Down by the Sea
Letty Hobbs – Nerys Hughes
Oliver Hobbs – Nigel Anthony
Beatrice – Sheila Grant
Mick – Spencer Banks
Eddie – Sean Barrett
Mary – Karen Archer
Jonathan – Rory McNicholl
Bill Brooks – Michael Tudor Barnes
Tilly Brooks/District Nurse – Emily Richard
Fred Golding – Norman Bird
Gladys Golding/Alice – Joan Matheson
Cypriot man/Newsreader – John Baddeley
Cypriot woman – Julie Berry
Reporter/Charlie – Kim Wall
Doctor/Brian – Steven Harrold
Guests at the Golden Wedding played by members of the cast
Dance band: Les Brown Trio
Directed by David Spenser
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 January 1989

© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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