Synopsis

author：	Guy Jenkin, Jon Canter
readBy：	Martin Jarvis, Miriam Margolyes, Imelda Staunton, full cast, Joss Ackland
inLanguage：	english

Martin Jarvis stars in this BBC radio satire set in the competitive world of advertising.

Happiness...is a career in advertising. Or is it? Activist turned Ad Writer Ken Handley isn't so sure. Back in the day, he used to hitch-hike and attend peace protests. Now, he finds himself writing copy for the Conservative Party and extolling the virtues of products he hates - while also coping with a drunken boss, strait-laced colleagues and an overactive mind.

Over three series, we follow his exploits and moral dilemmas as he grapples with the challenges of winning accounts, presenting to clients and dealing with the women in his life. A pitch for a motorway services chain drives him round the bend, a seven-foot squirrel nearly sends him nuts and he faces his own emergency when he's coerced into a Samaritans campaign. On the domestic front, Ken's got a divorce and a new home to contend with - but things start looking up when leggy model April comes on the scene....

Written by Guy Jenkin (Drop the Dead Donkey) and Jon Canter (Posh Nosh), this sardonic advertising sitcom stars Martin Jarvis as Ken, with a cast including Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Joss Ackland and Miriam Margolyes.

Production credits:

Script and commercial concepts by Guy Jenkin.

Commercials by Jon Canter.

Produced by Geoffrey Perkins (Series 1) and Pete Atkin (Series 2 and 3).

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18th January-22nd February 1982 (Series 1), 7th February-13th March 1984 (Series 2), 7th October-11th November 1986 (Series 3).

Cast:

Ken Handley - Martin Jarvis

Sarah - Sheila Steafel

Sandy - Christopher Godwin

Freddie - Lockwood West

Hitchhiker - Vincent Brimble

Portley - Richard Bebb

Runcie - Simon Jones

June - Wendy Richard

Johnnie - Patrick Barr

Murray - Gary Cady

The General - Bill Fraser

Mr Sandell - John Blythe

Barman - Geoffrey McGivern

Virgil - Marc Smith

Mr Sandell:- John Blythe

Cindy- Heather Bell

Katie- Miranda Forbes

Director- David Gooderson

Ravi - Ahmed Khalil

Deborah - Rosalind Ayres

Ambrose - Paul Jesson

Janet/Receptionist/Researcher - Stacey Tendeter

Mr Cheater/Mr McCafferty - James Griffiths

Angus - Michael Jenner

Derek - David Peart

Stella - Imelda Staunton

Stella's Heavy - Jim Carter

Subjects - David Peart & Michael Jenner

Leo Gale - Glyn Owen

Christina - Jo Manning Wilson

Receptionist - Maggie McCarthy

George - Peter Tuddenham

Corners - Don Henderson

Benny - Karl Howman

Lesley - Pauline Siddle

Andy - Chris Emmett

Film director - Scott Cherry

Tone - Jeremy Clyde

Doregan - Lesley Manville

Elvira - Moir Leslie

Kip - Joseph Marcell

April - Shelley Thompson

Hedley - Robert Longden

Artiste - David Learner

Larry Childs - William Hootkins

Loretta-Jane Duff - Toni Coyne

Dawn/Masseuse - Sally Watts

Sally/Choirboy - Jane Leonard

Len - Roger Sloman

Val/Veronica - Liz Crowther

Alf - Roger Hammond

Till lady - Avril Clark

Doorman - Richard Durden

Barman - James MacPherson

Policeman - Graham Blockey

With the voices of Joss Ackland, Miriam Margolyes, James Griffiths, John Shrapnel, David Tate, James Griffiths, Sally Grace, Enn Reitel and Anton Rodgers.