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Beyond Our Ken: The Collected Series 5-7
Beyond Our Ken: The Collected Series 5-7
Oct 8, 2024 7:48 AM

Author:Eric Merriman,Hugh Paddick,Kenneth Williams,Betty Marsden,Kenneth Horne,Bill Pertwee

Beyond Our Ken: The Collected Series 5-7

The complete Series 5-7 of the legendary BBC radio comedy

One of the funniest and most popular series on radio between 1958 and 1964, Beyond Our Ken delighted audiences nationwide throughout its seven series and 123 episodes. Packed with sketches, songs, catchphrases and innuendo, it mixes silliness, satire and sophistication to superb effect, and continues to make us laugh today.

Kenneth Horne - 'who prefers to remain anonymous' - is our unflappable host in these 46 episodes, presiding over an array of fabulous characters such as camp duo Charles and Rodney, celebrity chef Fanny Haddock and countryman Arthur Fallowfield (for whom the answer always lies in the soil, regardless of the question).

Regular documentary spoof 'Hornerama' returns, with a look at topics including the arts, the countryside, travel and television; and Kenneth Horne's weeks become increasingly extraordinary and eventful. Plus, the team tackle the Siege of Troy, present a new interpretation of 'Horne In Wonderland' (or 'Beyond Our Looking Glass'), offer their take on Caesar and Cleopatra's story and revel in a Regency romp through Beau Brummel's Brighton. Accompanying them for some musical interludes are Jill Day, Edwin Braden, the Fraser Hayes Four, Eileen Gourlay and the BBC Variety Orchestra.

Written by Eric Merriman, these wonderful, whimsical shows star Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick, Betty Marsden and Bill Pertwee.

Episode guide

First broadcast on BBC Light Programme on the following dates:

Series 5 - 12 October 1961-22 February 1962

Series 6 - 27 December 1962-21 March 1963

Series 7 - 24 November 1963-16 February 1964

These episodes have been restored to their fullest versions using both Home (BBC Light Programme) and Overseas (BBC Transcription Service) recordings. Whilst every attempt has been made to clean up and remaster these recordings using the latest technology, the sound quality may at times reflect the age and off-air nature of certain source material.

Episodes restored and remastered by Ted Kendall and Keith Wickham.

(p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Reviews

An unputdownable, utterly delightful stroll through British amateur theatre and why it has a vital place for us all

—— Shappi Khorsandi

Landreth's charming book is both a cultural history of amateur theatre and a loving look at am-dram and its role in British life

—— Sarah Hughes , i

This funny and interesting book makes you yearn for a long-lost sense of community, and then realise it’s been there all along. Jenny Landreth, take an Am Dram style bow

—— John O’Farrell

Amateur is not a dirty word, but implies disinterested love, dedication and a clubbable, community feeling . . . Landreth reminds us, importantly, that the word amateur includes student and community theatre, vital seed corn and support to the professional world

—— Libby Purvis , The Times

With spot-on injections of humour and a frequently raised sardonic eyebrow, joy and warmth shine from this fascinating and funny book

—— Jo Brand

[An] honest account of the modest ambitions of most amateur theatre... entertaining... [and] her narrative feels completely authentic

—— Martin Vander Weyer , Spectator

[Landreth] affirms, overall, that we are a theatre-loving people. For that sentiment alone right now, it's worth shoving a copy of this under the Chancellor's door.

—— Dominic Cavendish , The Telegraph

An honest, educational and downright hilarious memoir. It’s a deeply affectionate look at a much-maligned bit of Britishness that we simply couldn't live without

—— Angela Barnes

A gorgeously funny, deeply affectionate and fully costumed swallow-dive into the great – and historic – amateur theatrical tradition. I loved it

—— Alistair Petrie

A hilarious, informative amdramoir – a love-letter to her father and a fascinating insight into the much maligned minority: the amateur

—— Doon Mackichan

Highly entertaining... [Landreth] has cleverly - and wittily - conflated memoir with the history of am-dram, its practical application and a close look at some of our most venerable companies."

—— Nick Smurthwaite , Sardines Magazine

I thoroughly enjoyed this beguiling ensemble of memoir, social history, interviews and manifesto, which tells the story of am-dram in Britain

—— Caroline Sanderson , Bookseller

Phillip Schofield has spoken candidly about his coming out process and his current mental health struggles in his autobiography

—— Pink News

Takes readers on the journey Phillip has taken to get to where he is today. Fans will delight at a nostalgic look back at Phillip's life, relish the behind the scenes stories, and feel touched by the emotional honesty in his writing

—— Northern Life Magazine

Dazzling

—— Evening Standard

Full of anecdotes about onscreen mishaps and meeting the famous

—— Daily Mail

The silver-haired overlord of daytime TV . . . Schofe's candour is admirable

—— Evening Standard

In this soul-bearing autobiography, Phillip looks back on his broadcasting career . . . A frank and highly readable life story

—— Sunday Express

O'Connor brings everything to this memoir

—— Financial Times

Incendiary

—— i

Astonishingly good, wise and hilarious

—— Louise Nealon

Candid, open-hearted . . . a lot of self-deprecation, a lot of laughs, and a measure of honesty that would put most of us to shame

—— Anglo-Celt

Genuinely incredible . . . [Rememberings is] suffused with humour and forgiveness

—— Guardian

There's nothing conventional about Sinéad O'Connor and there's little conventional about her memoir either. . . She writes with searing honesty and plenty of wit

—— Independent

Her complicated life makes for riveting reading. From ripping up photographs of the Pope on prime time US television and her mental health struggles to a rollercoaster spiritual quest, she has never been afraid to be fearless

—— iNews

A deliciously decadent tale of sex, tragedy, celebrity, surfboards and tanned skin in 1980s Malibu.

—— The Times

I absolutely loved her book.... It's an absolute blast to read

—— Alice- Azania Jarvis

JACKIE COLLINS, BUT BETTER Sacrilege to say "better", I know, but there we are. Set in the 1980s, Taylor Jenkins Reid's Malibu Rising is wonderfully written, intensely evocative and concerns the model/ surfer children of a rock star. Tons of glamour, tons of sharply observed insights about sibling relationships, plus a massive party. Beach read par excellence. See also her brilliant Daisy Jones & the Six, which is heaven (more rock stars).

—— Anonymous

When we picked up Malibu Rising, the new novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, we could barely put it down

—— That's Life

You'll never want this book to end, it will suck you in and spit you out!

—— Muddy Stilettos
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