Radio review by Steve Bennett

If there was any doubt Dave Johns has made it, here comes the definitive proof: his Daniel Blake film character is being mocked on Radio 2.

Teasing from Cardinal Burns is entirely affectionate as the simple joiner ‘I, Daniel Blake’ – as he’s forever known – is portrayed as cheerily battling with such modern technology as a water fountain.

It’s part of a surreal, sprawling narrative from Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns…In the latest Radio 2 Comedy Showcase pilot, they depict a bleak, post-industrial Britain that would be familiar to fans of Ken Loach’s movies. But in this reality the only work available to down-on-their luck drifters is in the gargantuan Ken Loach industry itself – and the director proves himself to be a tyrannical boss.

This extended flight-of-fantasy takes a little attuning to, and kudos for mainstream Radio 2 for taking a punt on something so offbeat. At first, the comedy duo’s alter egos of spaced-out rave casualties Dean and Murf seem to have a little in common with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore’s Derek And Clive in the odd, meandering, nasal dialogue they share on their dilapidated canal boat – though without the c-bombs, naturally.

But once the imaginative narrative gives the pair something to anchor to, the listener is coaxed into their world.  Dean and Murf sounds distinctive too – thanks no doubt to director Julian Barratt – with an unhurried pace and atmospheric soundscape (with occasional rave tune) to evoke the gently parodic fantasy they are playing out.

For those in the know, there are lots of in-joke pop-culture references along the way, from Lou Diamond Phillips to a Snow Patrol spoof, but the adventure is entertaining and enjoyable on its own terms, while being probably the most interesting and distinctive of this season’s pilots.

• Cardinal Burns present Dean and Murf is on Radio 2 at 10.30pm tonight.

Review date: 22 Mar 2017
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett