The Absolutely Radio Show

Summary

Three series of surreal, fast-paced sketch comedy from the cast of the iconic TV show - plus Sketchorama: Absolutely Special and extensive never-before-heard bonus material

Described as 'Channel 4's best-kept secret', Absolutely was a cult hit on TV, running for four series between 1989 and 1993. In 2013, the original cast (minus Jack Docherty) reunited for the Sketchorama: Absolutely Special for BBC Radio 4, winning a BBC Audio Drama Award in the Best Live Scripted Comedy category. It was hugely successful, and was followed by three full series of The Absolutely Radio Show.

In this radio reboot, Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy, John Sparkes and Gus Beattie revisit some of their much-loved comic creations, and introduce some hilarious newcomers. We listen in on the meetings of the highly confused Stoneybridge Town Council; hear pearls of nonsense from Calum Gilhooley, Edinburgh's most boring man; and the Little Girl gives us her take on topics including Tonsils, Teenagers, The Truth and Time's Up.

Frank Hovis remembers his wedding day, the Reverend McMinn has a surprise encounter with Kim Jong Un in his local minimart, and we meet an angsty actor who is very concerned about the length of his co-star's credits. There's also non-stop breaking news and whooshing noises from the News News News team; the People's War, with stories from those who were nearly there; and a brand new, same-as-all-the-rest police drama about a TV detective who is always off the case.

Plus, there are sketches exploring the downside of Facebook; the perils of box-set bingeing and mobile phone zombies; and songs about the joys (or otherwise) of middle age, being a self-help junkie, and sharing your birthday with International Carrot Day.

Rounding out this collection are five in-depth interviews with the cast and crew, plus 'Absolutely Raw' (a one take no edit live show recording with all the bloopers, cock ups and retakes), deleted and seldom heard sketches. A must for Absolutely fans.

Dive into this comical collection, kicking off with Sketchorama: Absolutely Special, introduced by Thom Tuck and featuring more characters including the Commissionaire, the Old Lady Artist and dysfunctional Swansea duo Denzil and Gwynedd.

Sketchorama: Absolutely Special
Introduced by Thom Tuck
Written and performed by Pete Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy and John Sparkes
Produced by Gus Beattie
A Comedy Unit production for BBC Radio 4
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 7 August 2013

The Absolutely Radio Show
Written and performed by Peter Baikie, Morwenna Banks, Moray Hunter, Gordon Kennedy, John Sparkes and Gus Beattie
Produced by Gus Beattie and Gordon Kennedy
Production Manager: Sarah Tombling
Recording Engineer: Dave Murricane
Editor: Pete Baikie
An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6-27 September 2015 (Series 1), 25 June-16 July 2017 (Series 2), 7-28 July 2019 (Series 3)

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