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Down the Line (radio series)#Series 2

{{About|the radio show|other uses|Down the Line (disambiguation)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}

{{Infobox radio show

|show_name = Down the Line

|image = DownTheLine.jpg

|imagesize = 130x130px

|caption = Cover of audio recording of Down the Line

|other_names =

|format = Spoof phone-in show

|runtime = 30 minutes

|country = United Kingdom

|language = English

|home_station = BBC Radio 4

|syndicates =

|television = Bellamy's People

|presenter = "Gary Bellamy" (Rhys Thomas)

|starring = Amelia Bullmore
Simon Day
Felix Dexter
Charlie Higson
Lucy Montgomery
Paul Whitehouse
Rhys Thomas

|announcer =

|creator =

|writer = Charlie Higson, Paul Whitehouse

|director =

|senior_editor =

|editor = Tom Jenkins

|producer = Charlie Higson, Paul Whitehouse

|exec_producer = Lucy Armitage – Series 1 & 2

|narrated =

|rec_location =

|first_aired = 2 May 2006

|last_aired = 23 June 2013

|num_series = 5

|num_episodes = 29 + 4 specials

|audio_format =

|opentheme =

|othertheme =

|endtheme =

|sponsor =

|website = [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy1y Down the Line homepage]

|podcast =

}}

Down the Line is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, which satirises popular radio phone-in shows. The show, hosted by "Gary Bellamy" (Rhys Thomas), is semi-improvised{{Cite web|title = Stephen Moss on spoof phone-in show, Down the Line|url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/may/12/bbc.radio|website = The Guardian|location=London|accessdate = 2015-12-31|first = Stephen|last = Moss}} and is written and performed in a style of heightened realism.

Down the Line was first broadcast in May 2006. The pre-show publicity did not indicate that the show was a pre-recorded comedy, describing it as a live phone-in featuring "award winning" DJ Gary Bellamy, and led to many complaints from listeners who apparently failed to spot it was a spoof,Holmwood, Leigh (3 May 2006), [https://www.theguardian.com/media/2006/may/03/bbc.radio "Radio 4 gets a wrong number"], The Guardian, retrieved 24 July 2012 generating considerable publicity for the programme. It was subsequently revealed that the show is written and performed by several familiar figures in British comedy, including Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.

Regular 'callers' include:

  • Christopher Nibbs (Charlie Higson) from Pevensey Bay; a jokey character who refers to himself in the third person as 'Nibbsy' or 'The Nibbster'. Bellamy finds him amusing.
  • Khalid, (Paul Whitehouse) who only repeats topics of the show followed by the phrase 'what is point?' and responds to any subsequent remarks by Gary with the same question. Bellamy's attitude changes towards him as the series progresses.
  • The Pearly King, (Simon Day) a cheery cockney who talks about the 'pearly way'.
  • Humphrey Milner, (Charlie Higson) an elderly gentleman who uses endless examples to illustrate his point.
  • Graham Downs, (Paul Whitehouse) a morbidly obese man who has a sinus problem and is an archetypal loser. Often says he would "really like to get married".
  • Chuck Perry, (Paul Whitehouse) who laughs continuously and maniacally at his own feeble jokes and most other things.
  • The military man (Paul Whitehouse) (who gives the alias Clive Russetter in Series 1 Ep 5) responds to every topic stating that he is from a military background and that he would drive a van packed with explosives into the "issue" - be it education or global warming.
  • Early D (Felix Dexter) begins his calls speaking with a very 'street' sounding "Jafaican" accent which gradually morphs into full-blown, barely decipherable Jamaican dialect. Bellamy never seems to notice.
  • Colin Williamson, who confesses to be a computer expert and general technology buff, viewing most conventional ways of doing things as "antiquated" but whose technical knowledge usually turns out to be useless.
  • Adam Frankel from Basingstoke, (Dave Cummings) who will phone in to comment on a subject to insist things were fine as they were and "Why must they keep mucking about with everything? (also called 'Dave from Crawley' in later series).

Recording for the third series commenced on Monday 12 November 2007 and transmission began on 10 January 2008.

A television spinoff on BBC Two was announced on 2 April 2009.{{cite news|last=Holmwood|first=Leigh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2009/apr/02/down-the-line-bbc2|title=Radio 4 spoof phone-in featuring Fast Show duo to move to BBC2|work=The Guardian|date=2 April 2009|accessdate=2009-04-02}} in which Gary Bellamy goes to the streets of the UK to meet 'real' people and get their opinions on a wide range of topics. The series is entitled Bellamy's People and was inspired by "all the television series of 'famous people exploring Britain' that have been made over the last few years". The series features improvisation by the cast.{{cite news|author= Horn, Caroline|date= 30 July 2009|url= http://www.thebookseller.com/books/author-profiles/92949-charlie-higson.html|title= Charlie Higson interview|work= The Bookseller|accessdate= 2009-09-20|url-status= dead|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090911090349/http://www.thebookseller.com/books/author-profiles/92949-charlie-higson.html|archivedate= 11 September 2009}}

Series 1

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! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Freedom of speech

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|5|2|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

|ShortSummary = The episode discusses whether free speech is acceptable or not as it may offend. However, there are a large number of callers who discuss parking restrictions in their town instead.

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Religion and the decline in Anglican congregations

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|5|9|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

|ShortSummary = The episode discusses whether God is real or not and what is acceptable to say about religion. It also asks the listeners for the name of a new primary colour found by Koreans.

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Animals at war

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|5|16|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Crime

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|5|23|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Healthy eating

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|5|30|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Equality and why men won't go to the doctors

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2006|6|6|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|LineColor =

}}

Series 2

A second series started on 16 January 2007 for another 6-week run until 20 February 2007. "Guests" this series includes characters played by: Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Lucy Montgomery, Amelia Bullmore, Matt Lucas, Felix Dexter, Mark Gatiss, Catherine Tate, Arabella Weir, Robert Popper, Louis Vause, Simon Godley, Phoebe Higson, Sam Ward, Dave Cummings, and Fiona Whitehouse.

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! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = War and Chocolate

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|1|16|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Bullying and Property Sales

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|1|23|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Immigration and Love

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|1|30|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Plastic Surgery and Natural Disasters

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|2|6|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Global Warming

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|2|13|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Education and Ghosts

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|2|20|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|LineColor =

}}

Series 3

Series 3 of Down The Line started its run on Thursday 10 January 2008, according to trailers broadcast in the preceding weeks. One trailer referred to the show as "DTL", spoofing BBC radio's tendency to call long-running programmes by their acronyms (as in 'FOOC' – From Our Own Correspondent, "WATO" – The World at One, etc.). "Guests" this series were played by Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Lucy Montgomery, Amelia Bullmore, Simon Day, Felix Dexter, Dave Cummings, Louis Vause, Matt Lucas, Lee Mack and Omid Djalili.

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! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Liberal Agenda of Media

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|1|10|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = String Theory and Popular Science Fiction

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|1|17|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Communications and Technology

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|1|24|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = The Elderly, Consumer Rights and The Countryside

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|1|31|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Olympics and Can We Trust the Media?

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|2|7|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Bad Manners and Modern Liberal Parenting

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2008|2|14|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|LineColor =

}}

Series 4

Recording for a fourth series of Down The Line commenced in January 2011. "Guests" this series includes characters played by: Paul Whitehouse, Charlie Higson, Simon Day, Lucy Montgomery, Amelia Bullmore, Felix Dexter, Arabella Weir, Robert Popper, Adil Ray (who becomes a regular cast member from this series onwards), Rosie Cavaliero, Kevin Eldon, Julia Davis, Lee Mack, Louis Vause, Dave Cummings, and Fiona Whitehouse. The seven-episode series commenced broadcast on Tuesday 15 March 2011 at 6.30pm.

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! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Coalition Government

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|3|15|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Fertility, Death and James Bond

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|3|22|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Poetry

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|3|29|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Male and Female Sexuality

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|4|5|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Alcohol, Drugs and 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|4|12|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 5

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = TV Chefs and Astronomy

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|4|19|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 6

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Conspiracy Theories and Are We Mollycoddling Our Children?

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2011|4|26|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber2 = 7

|LineColor =

}}

Series 5

Series 5 began broadcast on 1 May 2013, and consists of 4 episodes

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! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Horse Meat and Background Music

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|5|1|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Death of the High Street and British Wildlife

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|5|8|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Gay Marriage and Hothousing

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|5|15|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Europe and Fracking

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|5|22|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

One-off editions

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#

! Subject

! Original airdate

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Tony Blair Special

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|6|27|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 1

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Credit Crunch Special

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2009|4|21|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 2

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Olympic Legacy Special

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|6|23|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 3

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = A Tribute to Felix Dexter

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2013|12|23|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 4

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Lockdown Special

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|05|14|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 5

|LineColor =

}}

{{Episode list/sublist|Down the Line (radio series)

|Title = Lockdown Special – Sounds Exclusive

|OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2020|05|14|df=y}}

|EpisodeNumber = 6

|LineColor =

}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{BBC programme|b006qy1y}}
  • {{British Comedy Guide|radio|down_the_line|Down the Line}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Down The Line (Radio Series)}}

Category:BBC Radio 4 programmes

Category:BBC Radio comedy programmes