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Discuss your favourite podcast, radio show or The Archers episode.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme

50 replies

greenhill · 10/01/2014 20:22

Series 1 Episode 1 is now on R4 and on iPlayer.

John Finnemore is the writer of Cabin Pressure. It is very funny.

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harryhausen · 10/01/2014 20:52

Agreed. It's a little gem. No-one I know in RL knows Cabin Pressure or are prepared to even give it a go. Same with thisHmm. Frustrating, but at least we are laughing!

Cherrypi · 11/01/2014 10:42

It's brilliant. Loved the Winnie the Pooh intervention.

greenhill · 11/01/2014 12:18

I laughed a lot at the Winnie the Pooh sketch, also the "speak my mind" sketch made me cringe with laughter.

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Bluestocking · 12/01/2014 11:13

Never fear, harryhausen, I love Cabin Pressure, and so do my DM and DF! JF's Souvenir Programme is great - loved the Man Who Spoke His Mind. How do you feel about Count Arthur Strong?

LondonMother · 12/01/2014 16:03

I love Cabin Pressure and JF's SP. I can't stand Count Arthur Strong. This may not be entirely fair, as I've never got beyond the first few seconds, because by that stage it has set my teeth on edge.

We went to a recording of the latest series of the Souvenir Programme this summer. Brilliant!

Bea · 12/01/2014 16:50

LondonMother - I found radio Arthur Strong very irritating and so not funny.... but have to confess telly Arthur strong very very funny and very touching!
If it's repeated.... highly recommended for a second chance!!

LondonMother · 12/01/2014 19:26

Oh gosh, Bea, that does go rather against the grain, but I suppose it's only fair to try...

Bluestocking · 12/01/2014 19:45

I agree that you should give the telly version of CTA a go if it's repeated, LondonMother. It is quite different to the radio version, just as funny, but Arthur is not nearly as nasty in the telly version.

LondonMother · 12/01/2014 20:24

It was the voice that did for me in the radio version. If it's the same strangulated shriek on TV, I may not get more than 30 seconds in.

ComposHat · 13/01/2014 09:01

Yes I enjoyed JF souvenir programme a lot and I don't normally like sketch comedy. I liked the slightly off Disney character painter. Cabin pressure is great too.

Also I loved Fags, Mags & Bags and Ed Reardon's week.

Bea · 13/01/2014 12:25

the dc's love this episode and quote this line endlessly... wonderfully silly and full of word play!
Kids love it!!!

Go on LM! Give it a go!

The Horne section is also a great favourite... we love wordplay and puns... !

Bea · 13/01/2014 12:26

ps... I love Rory Kinnear!

NetworkGuy · 13/01/2014 15:03

Liked "Count Arthur Strong" for a while, and "Ed Reardon's Week", for a while, but sometimes I think they end up making second, third, fourth series and the comedy content fails to inspire (me, at least).

Perhaps it's a 'freshness' thing that once it gets a bit stale, similar themes are used again with minor variation. Have to say I started off liking "Fags, Mags and Bags", but after a while (and an episode where product placement rules must have been broken - the one where there were lots of complaints about someone smelling bad) it again drifted away from pleasing me, and I switch it off. I think I switched "Down the Line" off in about 45 seconds from it first airing.

"Cabin Pressure" seems capable of far more variety, perhaps because the 'destinations' are many and varied, so more possibility for different and unrepeated stories. "Deep Trouble" (set in a submarine) was great, but I guess they felt there wasn't enough to run to 5, 6, 7 series.

Loads more views, things I liked (such as "Rigor Mortis", "The Consultants", "Genius", "Museum of Everything", "Nebulous", "Old Harry's Game" and "Revolting People") and disliked - anything mentioning "Podmore" or "Shuttleworth" or National Theatre of Brent" !

Can anyone remind me of the name of the series set in a London PR firm where the clients were politicians, mostly?

greenhill · 13/01/2014 16:29

networkguy do you mean Absolute Power? It's with Stephen Fry, I listened to the first series but got fed up of SF's ubiquity.

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NetworkGuy · 14/01/2014 20:55

Seems possible, greenhill - and like you there are times when SF seems to be on many, many, things at once. Just noticed from the website that the "Horse romance" other voice is the guy from the BT Infinity ads... not that I ever listen to that series... though in this case not particularly because of SF.

greenhill · 15/01/2014 17:51

Absolute Power is back on Radio 4 Extra.

For those of you that like innuendo and silliness "Hamish and Dougal" are back on too. I tend to find it funnier after a glass of Wine.

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greenhill · 16/01/2014 11:05

networkguy Old Harry's Game series 3 is back on iPlayer too.

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ThoughtFox · 17/01/2014 09:50

You'll have had your tea!

zanz1bar · 17/01/2014 21:32

Yellow car!

It's like a secret pass word , my familywill always be playing yellow car.

FrankelInFoal · 31/01/2014 21:19

I do love Cabin Pressure, awaiting news on the final episode Sad

Anyone else a fan of really old radio shows? My dad used to give me cassette tapes of Goon Show, Navy Lark, Round The Horne and I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again to listen to. I've got loads on MP3 now and just love listening to them.

AllMimsyWereTheBorogroves · 01/02/2014 18:09

We listened to an episode of Hancock's Half Hour last weekend, FrankelinFoal. Brilliant. Radio 4 Extra is good for this kind of thing.

hackmum · 02/02/2014 10:57

Haven't logged in here for a while but I love John Finnamore's Souvenir Programme - we listened to a recording of series one last year when we were on holiday, driving around in the car, and have been catching bits of the repeats. It's very clever, and much much better than 90% of the comedy on tv.

Am also a huge fan of Cabin Pressure and Ed Reardon.

FrankelInFoal · 03/02/2014 18:36

Details for the last ever Cabin Pressure recording Sad

AllMimsyWereTheBorogroves · 03/02/2014 19:55

Thank you, Frankel! I had checked this morning and am astonished how excited I'm feeling now. I hope the BBC keep the bookings open for more than a couple of hours and do a proper randomised draw...

ummingandahhing · 03/02/2014 19:57

He's a top bloke in real life too. I worked with him a few years ago.