Part of a Radio 4 series about turning points in history

The groundbreaking comedy show Beyond The Fringe is to be recreated in a new drama about the start of Britain’s satire boom.

Comedy writer Jeremy Front – who previously created and starred in the Radio 4 series Incredible Women with his sister Rebecca – has penned the new one-off.

It will air on Radio 4 on August 5, although the cast who will play Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Jonathan Miller and Dudley Moore have not yet been announced.

The BBC’s description of the show reads: ‘In 1961, Beyond the Fringe not only transformed the style of British comedy, lighting the fuse of the satire boom, it also fired a broadside at The Establishment and sent a blast of fresh air through the fusty corridors of power.

‘Before the Beatles made the 60s swing, the Fab Four of comedy, Bennett, Cook, Miller and Moore opened the door to social change through their iconic comedy.  This drama takes listeners behind the scenes, examining what made Beyond the Fringe so significant.’

It is one in a new series of dramas for Radio 4 exploring  turning points in history.

Another, entitled Never Mind the Ballocks, stars impressionists Jon Culshaw and Alistair McGowan as Johnny Rotten and John Mortimer QC respectively  to recreated the notorious Sex Pistols obscenity trial.

In 1977, Mortimer – who went on to write the  Rumpole of the Bailey books – defended Virgin record shops over posters advertising the  punks’s Never Mind The Bollocks album.

During the case, expert testimony from an academic stated that ‘bollocks’ was not obscene, and was actually a legitimate Old English term formerly used to refer to a priest, and which, in the context of the title, meant nonsense, not testicles.

Radio 4’s commissioning editor for drama and fiction, Alison Hindell, said: ‘Drama has a unique ability to cast new light on the world around us, and I hope Radio 4 listeners will find these stories illuminating.

‘Through drama, we can experience stories from within, rather than observing from a distance – and that’s what makes these fresh takes on historical turning points so fascinating.

‘The BBC has been at the forefront of audio drama for the past 100 years, and I’m proud to continue that tradition of championing new and original writing with these commissions.’ 

The monthly series starts at 3pm tomorrow with First Of Millions, about the first IVF baby; while in June’s drama, Wasps In A Jam Jar   Penelope Wilton plays Elspeth Howe, the wife of Geoffrey, who caused ructions in the Conservative party over Europe when he resigned as Margaret Thatcher’s deputy. The Prime Minister will be played by Harriet Walter.

Published: 12 May 2023