New radio series to tell the story of sitcom phenomenon

The BBC is dramatising the story of how pioneering 1950s comedy series I Love Lucy came to conquer the American airwaves.

Anne Heche will play Lucille Ball in the Radio 4 series, based on a book by Gregg Oppenheimer, whose father Jess was a writer and producer on the show

 Lucy Loves Desi: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Sitcom tells how the comedian and her husband, bandleader Desi Arnaz, created a sitcom that would be watched by up to 44million viewers – despite executives at CBS fearing audiences would not believe a marriage between an all-American girl and a Latin man.

Venezuelan-American actor Wilmer Valderrama will plat Arnaz in a cast that also features Jared Harris, Alfred Molina, Stacy Keach and Mike McShane..

The four-part series is being directed by actor Martin Jarvis, and starts on Radio 4 at 10.45am on August 17.

Published: 7 Aug 2020