The 'radio' comedy you'll have to buy
Fantasy series won't be broadcast
The BBC's commercial arm is making a new fantasy comedy series to be released straight on to CD.Robert Rankin's Brightonomicon book is being made into a 13-part programme, described as being in the style of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and The Mighty Boosh.
The cast includes Kevin Eldon, Ben Miller, The IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson and Rich Fulcher and stand-up Ricky Grover.
But while such a show might be expected to air on Radio 4 or BBC7, it is actually being made for BBC Worldwide, to sell as a download and seven-CD box set from February.
Executive producer Neil Gardner said: ‘The market in comedy sci-fi and fantasy is huge, and radio is the only current medium that doesn't embrace it.
‘This shows that you don't have to rely directly on the BBC for commissions - you can do it through BBC Worldwide through audiobooks or downloads.’
The show’s main stars are David Warner and Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings, pictured. Also appearing are Michael Fenton-Stevens and Martin Jarvis, character comedians Steve Oram and Tom Meeten, radio presenter Iain Lee plus Mark Wing-Davey, who played Zaphod Beeblebrox in the original Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
Preorder the CD set here, while below Rankin briefly describes the plot:
Published: 8 Oct 2007
