The Bigger Issues was a half-hour comedy drama series about an over-ambitious and incompetent fringe theatre company for BBC Radio 4 and was written and performed by Dave Lamb (as Keith Daniels), Jim North (as Francis), Nick Walker (as Dan), and Richie Webb (as each episode's guest musician). It ran for three series from 2000 to 2003. It was produced by Gareth Edwards.
There were three series, though only Series 1 has ever been repeated on BBC Radio 4e (or its previous incarnation, BBC Radio 7).
Episodes:Series 1 (2000)
Series 2 (2002)
Series 3 (2003)
Craig Joseph Charles is an English actor, presenter, comedian, author, and DJ. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom Red Dwarf and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera Coronation Street. He presented the gladiator-style game show Robot Wars from 1998 to 2004, and narrated the comedy endurance show Takeshi's Castle. As a DJ, he appears on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.
Douglas Noel Adams was an English author, screenwriter, essayist, humorist, satirist and dramatist. Adams was author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which originated in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy, before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold more than 15 million copies in his lifetime and generated a television series, several stage plays, comics, a video game, and a 2005 feature film. Adams's contribution to UK radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.
Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973, and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. From 1983 to 2010, Alan J. W. Bell produced and directed all episodes of the show. The BBC confirmed on 2 June 2010 that Last of the Summer Wine would no longer be produced and the 31st series would be its last. Subsequently, the final episode was broadcast on 29 August 2010. Since its original release, all 295 episodes, comprising thirty-one series—including the pilot and all films and specials—have been released on DVD. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on BBC One, Gold, Yesterday, and Drama. It is also seen in more than twenty-five countries, including various PBS stations in the United States and on VisionTV in Canada. Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.
Richard David Briers was an English actor. His fifty-year career encompassed film, radio, stage and television.
Dame Penelope Anne Constance Keith, is an English actress and presenter, active in all genres, including film, radio, stage and television and primarily known for her roles in the British sitcoms The Good Life and To the Manor Born. She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors' Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989, and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to the arts and to charity.
To the Manor Born is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written by Peter Spence, the creator, while the final episode in 1981 was written by script associate Christopher Bond. The title is a play on the phrase "to the manner born," from Shakespeare's Hamlet
Robert Brydon Jones is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He played Dr Paul Hamilton in the Australian/British comedy series Supernova, Bryn West in the BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey and Keith Barret in the BBC comedy series Marion and Geoff and its spin-off The Keith Barret Show.
Kudos is a British film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Amazon and Netflix and its productions include Tin Star, Humans, Broadchurch, The Tunnel, Grantchester, Apple Tree Yard, Utopia,Spooks (US:MI5), Hustle and Life on Mars. In 2007 it was voted Best Independent Production Company by Broadcast magazine. Formed in 1992, since 2007 it has been part of the Shine Group. In 2007 it also set up the film unit, Kudos Pictures. In 2011, the Shine Group was 100% acquired by News Corporation and was part of the 50-50 joint-venture Endemol Shine Group. On 3 July 2020, France-based Banijay Group bought the studio through former's acquisition of Endemol Shine Group.
Baby Cow Productions Ltd is a British comedy television production company based in London and Manchester, founded by Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. Since its establishment it has diversified into radio, animation and film. According to their website, Baby Cow "produces bold, high-quality scripted entertainment across all genres for television, film and radio." The company's name is a reference to Coogan's early characters Paul and Pauline Calf.
Philip William Daniels is an English actor, most noted for film and television roles playing Londoners, such as the lead role of Jimmy Cooper in Quadrophenia, Richards in Scum, Stewart in The Class of Miss MacMichael, Danny in Breaking Glass, Mark in Meantime, Billy Kid in Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, Kevin Wicks in EastEnders, DCS Frank Patterson in New Tricks, and Grandad Trotter in the Only Fools and Horses prequel Rock & Chips. He is also known for featuring on Blur's 1994 hit single "Parklife".
Annette Badland is an English actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who, Mrs. Glenna Fitzgibbons in the first season of Outlander, and Babe Smith in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. She was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 1993 for her performance in Jim Cartwright's play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.
Keith Barron was an English actor and television presenter who appeared in films and on television from 1961 until 2017. His television roles included the police drama The Odd Man, the sitcom Duty Free, and Gregory Wilmot in Upstairs, Downstairs.
Keith Andrew Topping is an author, journalist and broadcaster. He is most well known for his work relating to the BBC Television series Doctor Who and for writing numerous official and unofficial guide books to a wide variety of television and film series, particularly Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Philip Jackson is an English actor, known for his many television and film roles, most notably as Melvin "Dylan" Bottomley in Porridge and Chief Inspector Japp in the television series Agatha Christie's Poirot and as Abbot Hugo, one of the recurring adversaries in the cult 1980s series Robin of Sherwood.
Lee Williams is a Welsh actor and former model from Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. Williams was the face of French Connection TV, Calvin Klein jeans, Sisley, and has worked as a model for designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Calvin Klein.
Not in Front of the Children is a BBC television situation comedy, which ran for four series from 1967 to 1970.
Vernon Charles Kay is an English television and radio presenter, and former model. He presented Channel 4's T4 (2000–2005) and has presented various television shows for ITV, including All Star Family Fortunes (2006–2015), Just the Two of Us (2006–2007), Beat the Star (2008–2009), The Whole 19 Yards (2010), Splash! (2013–2014), and 1000 Heartbeats (2015–2016).
Him & Her is a British television sitcom about a lazy twenty-something couple: Steve and Becky, who live in Walthamstow, London. It was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Three on 6 September 2010. It is written by Stefan Golaszewski and stars Russell Tovey and Sarah Solemani. The theme tune is the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" by Lulu.
Alex Shearer is a British novelist and scriptwriter. He was born in Wick, in the north of Scotland. Alex Shearer sold his first TV script at the age of 29, after a varied career of some 30 odd jobs.
Jade Williams is a British actress.