A light soap opera on BBC Radio 4 that is set inside the British equivalent of the American Senate, the Houses of Parliament (hence the name). This topical series, which opens with a monkey chanting "Auchter! AUCHTER!" in a satirical mimickery of the actual British Speaker of The House, follows real life events such as the Foot and Mouth epidemic, and uses superb acting talents to accurately impersonate the politicians such as the nasal Yorkshire tones of William Hague.
Recent plots have included the birth of the Tony Blair's son, the marriage of two back benchers and pederasty.
Tragically, ratings have fallen of late, with the show being pushed into later and later slots by other soap operas like Newsnight and The Today Programme. Not even the new General Election plot seems likely to restore its former days of glory, and there are sad reports that the planned homosexual orgy plot has been canned due to lack of interest.
However, just as one door closes, another opens, and in this case this has been the increasing popularity of a new insightful political analysis programme, The Archers. |
