New sitcoms for Radio 4
Esien and Bhaskar star
Jocelyn Jee Esien and Sanjeev Bhaskar are to star in two new Radio 4 sitcoms.Little Miss Jocelyn star Esien is to star as African care worker Beauty Olonga in Beauty Of Britain, which promises a look at the ‘chaotic, tragic-comedy’ of elderly care in Britain through the eyes of an outsider.
The cast also includes Felix Dexter, Liz Fraser, Pippa Haywood, Doon Mackichan, Felicity Montagu, Geoffrey Palmer, Leslie Phillips and Alison Steadman.
It has been created by Christopher Douglas, who previously co-wrote Ed Reardon’s Week for Radio 4, and actress Nicola Sanderson. A BBC spokesman said they both ‘have first-hand knowledge of live-in care and have conceived with an original, warm and funny way to tackle an often-difficult subject’.
The show begins at 11.30am on October 5.
Meanwhile, Bhaskar plays a police IT expert in Boyle’s Law, where he is subordinate to his ex-girlfriend – played by Anna Chancellor – and ‘lorded over by his roommate from training school, who made it to commander’.
Boyle’s Law is written by written by Suk Pannu, whose credits include Goodness Gracious Me, and will be recorded in front of an audience in BBC Broadcasting House next week (see our Free Tickets page for details). It will be transmitted as part of a pilot season in October.
Published: 18 Sep 2009
