Reluctant Persuaders
BBC Radio 4 sitcom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Reluctant Persuaders is a BBC Radio 4 sitcom, written by Edward Rowett.[3] It stars Nigel Havers, Josie Lawrence, Mathew Baynton, Rasmus Hardiker, Olivia Nixon and Kieran Hodgson,[4][7] and was produced by Absolutely Productions.[8] It ran for four series, with a Christmas special, between September 2015 and April 2021.[4][9]
GenreSituation comedy
Running time30 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
| Genre | Situation comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Nigel Havers Josie Lawrence Mathew Baynton Rasmus Hardiker Olivia Nixon Kieran Hodgson[1][2] |
| Written by | Edward Rowett[3] |
| Original release | 15 September 2015[4] – 6 April 2021[5] |
| No. of series | 4[6] |
| No. of episodes | 20[6] |
| Website | Reluctant Persuaders at BBC Radio 4 |
Plot
Reluctant Persuaders follows Hardacre's, 'the worst advertising agency in London'.[3]
Cast
- Nigel Havers as Rupert Hardacre[4]
- Josie Lawrence as Amanda Brook[4]
- Mathew Baynton as Joe Starling[9]
- Rasmus Hardiker as Teddy (series 1, 3, 4 and Christmas special)[4]
- Kieran Hodgson as Teddy (series 2)[7]
- Olivia Nixon as Laura[4]
Episodes
Series One
| Episode number | Title | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lemon" | 15 September 2015 | |
|
London's worst advertising agency plans to re-launch with a guerrilla marketing campaign.[10] | |||
| 2 | "We Try Harder" | 22 September 2015 | |
|
Hardacre enlists Amanda's help to win back one of his old accounts.[11] | |||
| 3 | "The Best A Man Can Get" | 29 September 2015 | |
|
Things are getting desperate for the staff of Hardacre's - the work is not coming in and accounts chief Amanda Brook finds herself reduced to pleading for the business of India.[12] | |||
| 4 | "Vorsprung Durch Technik" | 6 October 2015 | |
|
The team are set to be featured in advertising industry magazine Campaign, but unfortunately the entire staff is trapped in a lift.[13] | |||
Series Two
| No. | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | "Live Young" | 6 April 2017 |
| 6 | 2 | "Just Do It" | 13 April 2017 |
| 7 | 3 | "Give a Man a Fish" | 20 April 2017 |
| 8 | 4 | "Think Different" | 27 April 2017 |
Series Three
| No. | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "Ideas For Life" | 4 October 2018 |
| 10 | 2 | "Happiest Place on Earth" | 11 October 2018 |
| 11 | 3 | "Connecting People" | 18 October 2018 |
| 12 | 4 | "Because She's Worth It" | 25 October 2018 |
| 13 | 5 | "The Appliance of Science" | 1 November 2018 |
Special
| Episode number | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | "Holidays Are Coming" | 8 November 2018 |
Series Four
| No. | Episode No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | "If You Like A Lot Of Chocolate On Your Biscuit..." | 2 March 2021 |
| 16 | 2 | "Because Change Happenz" | 9 March 2021 |
| 17 | 3 | "At Your Side" | 16 March 2021 |
| 18 | 4 | "Ask The Man Who Owns One" | 23 March 2021 |
| 19 | 5 | "Have A Break" | 30 March 2021 |
| 20 | 6 | "Join Our Club" | 6 April 2021 |
Broadcast history
Reluctant Persuaders was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Repeats have since aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Awards
Reluctant Persuaders won the award for Best Scripted Comedy (Studio Audience) at the 2016 BBC Audio Drama Awards.[14]
