Ed Reardon is quite the funniest creation I've heard (or seen) in some time; a writer by trade, although he has trouble making ends meet. He did once write an episode of Tenko, and had his first novel made into a blockbuster film by his friend Jaz. But now times are tough, and in between writing books to order like Pet Peeves or Jane Seymour's Household Hints, he's struggling to turn in scripts for Holby City, or write The Old Lock Keeper's column for his local free newspaper.

Quite why Radio 4 insisted on broadcasting it at 11.30am rather than the somewhat better 6.30pm slot is a question I don't entirely understand. It'll certainly get a 6.30pm repeat, but it deserves the bigger audience from the outset.

Ed is a fantastic creation, lovingly crafted. He lives with his cat, Elgar, and has a family from a previous marriage that seems a little estranged. He plays in a jazz band with his old mucker Jaz, even though he's insanely jealous of the big-time director who bastardised his novel for a movie tear-jerker.