Bleak Expectations
- Radio sitcom
- BBC Radio 4
- 2007 - 2012
- 30 episodes (5 series)
Radio comedy following the adventures of Pip Bin as he struggles against the cruel plotting of his evil guardian Mr Gently Benevolent. Stars Tom Allen, Anthony Head, Richard Johnson, James Bachman, Susy Kane and more.
Episode menu
Series 4, Episode 1 - A Tolerable Life De-Happified
Further details
In Volume Four Chapter the First "A Tolerable Life De-Happified", our hero Pip sees his former nemesis - the badly named Gently Benevolent - thwarted and locked up in a prison within a jail within a gaol spelled the other way, and apparently repentant of his crimes. But late one foggy night when Pip is attacked with a bowl of sinister custard he realises a new form of evil is stalking the streets of London, and he is obliged to ask for help from his erstwhile foe. Can Benevolent now be trusted? And who is the sinister evil figure?
Meanwhile, Pip's wife Ripely has become obsessed with cutlery, and the purchase of some diamond-handled dodo knives looks likely to force Pip into bankruptcy. And his best friend Harry Biscuit claims to be having terrible problems with an angry badger, but is it all as it seems?
Broadcast details
- Date
- Thursday 11th November 2010
- Time
- 6:30pm
- Channel
- BBC Radio 4
- Length
- 30 minutes
Repeats
Show past repeats
Date | Time | Channel |
---|---|---|
Monday 23rd July 2012 | 11:30am | Radio 4 |
Monday 21st January 2013 | 9:00am | Radio 4 Extra |
Tuesday 22nd January 2013 | 2:00am | Radio 4 Extra |
Sunday 27th January 2013 | 7:30am | Radio 4 Extra |
Sunday 27th January 2013 | 10:00pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Tuesday 9th September 2014 | 11:00pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Tuesday 29th March 2016 | 10:30pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Thursday 31st May 2018 | 11:30pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Monday 10th February 2020 | 10:30pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Wednesday 27th October 2021 | 11:00pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Saturday 30th October 2021 | 2:00pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Sunday 31st October 2021 | 2:00am | Radio 4 Extra |
Friday 5th May 2023 | 9:30am | Radio 4 Extra |
Friday 5th May 2023 | 2:30pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Friday 5th May 2023 | 7:30pm | Radio 4 Extra |
Saturday 6th May 2023 | 5:30am | Radio 4 Extra |
Cast & crew
Tom Allen | Young Pip |
Anthony Head | Mr Gently Benevolent |
Richard Johnson | Sir Philip Bin |
James Bachman | Harry Biscuit |
Susy Kane | Pippa Bin |
Sarah Hadland | Lily |
Geoffrey Whitehead | Grimpunch |
Mark Evans | Ensemble Actor |
Mark Evans | Writer |
Gareth Edwards | Producer |