No Alternative

Drama of the Week

BBC

Drama, Fiction

3.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 16 February 2024

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Andy de la Tour stars in a new drama by Ian Billings about the politically volatile period that saw the rise of the alternative comedy movement.

Based on true events, the story follows the fate of fictionalised comedy duo, Erica and Ernie, an anarchic, free-form homage to Morecambe and Wise, who are about to make their performance debut.

Comedy Club ….. Andy de la Tour Ernie ….. James McNicholas Erica ….. Emma Sidi Tommy ….. Don Gilet Ernie’s mum ….. Rhiannon Neads Ronnie Williams ….. Samuel James Chicken Shop Owner ….. Tyler Cameron Mr Melter ….. Zachary Lowe-McAlley Anthony ….. Josh Bryant-Jones Marxist Juggler ….. Ian Billings Welsh Gwen ….. Carys Eleri TV Presenter ….. Rosie Mellett

Piano and trumpet played by Peter Ringrose

Directed by Gemma Jenkins

Andy de la Tour, one of the original performers at The Comedy Store, acts as a guide through this chaotic world.

Deftly blended into the drama are the archived voices of: Eddie Izzard, Arthur Smith, Ben Elton, Ade Edmundson, Arnold Brown, Alexei Sayle, Harry Enfield, Helen Lederer, Cliff Shaw, Tony Allen, Pauline Melville, Jenny Éclair, John Dowie, Jo Brand, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders, Nigel Planer and Rik Mayall.

This drama was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before you listen to this BBC podcast I want to tell you why I love podcasting.
0:04.6	Hi my name's Tommy Dixon and I make podcast for the BBC. I'm a big fan of stories
0:09.8	always loved a good book but when I started commuting for my first job, I discovered
0:14.0	podcasts. I was blown away about how a creative idea and the right mixture of sounds
0:18.6	could take you into a whole new world full of incredible stories. You know, the type that
0:22.4	make you go, wow. And that kind of inspired me to give it a go myself,
0:26.3	which to cut a long story short led to a BBC training scheme and a whole new career given other people that exact same feeling.
0:33.0	So if you want to hear amazing stories that make you go wow like I did, they're just a tap or a click
0:37.3	away on BBC Sounds.
0:41.1	BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.
0:45.0	Welcome to Drama of the Week.
0:52.0	Good evening. morning, afternoon, night, deleted is applicable.
0:57.0	I know what you're thinking, ladies and gentlemen, what is this? What is this that stumbled
1:02.4	into my delicate ears?
1:04.0	Hello ears. Do not panic, do not fret, simply allow me to enlighten you.
1:09.0	This is no alternative. I play for ears. hello ears, by a man called Ian Billings. I am what is
1:18.1	known in showbiz circles as the comedy club. Oh yes indeedie, you hear before your very years not a human creature, but one of bricks and or mortar.
1:28.4	Listen, that's me.
1:31.0	In a benevolent gesture of artistic indulgence, those sad Trad Daddios of BBC audio have
1:36.2	allowed me and all my internal fittings, the bar, my old smoking area and some very attractive mirrors. A little bit of architecture for you there. The
1:44.3	mirrors crack of airtime to regale you with tales of the early days of
1:48.7	alternative comedy. Yes indeed you folks I am the comedy club.
	...

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