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HighLites: Series 1-6
HighLites: Series 1-6
Oct 10, 2024 2:29 AM

Author:Steve Chambers,Phil Nodding,Lorraine Ashbourne,Rosie Cavaliero,Rhys Jennings,Sheila Reid,Full Cast,Adjoa Andoh,Angela Lonsdale,Adam Nagaitis,Priyanga Burford

HighLites: Series 1-6

All six series of the BBC radio comedy centred around a village hairdressing salon - plus pilot episode

Based in the little town of Bridgeford, High-Lites salon boasts the most misanthropic hairdresser in Britain: sharp-tongued, mean-minded Bev. With the help of her soft-hearted (though slightly dim) assistant Shirley, she tends to the tresses of a motley crew of local characters. As she cuts their hair, she finds out everything that's going on in their lives - and wastes no time in spreading some gossip of her own...

In the pilot episode, one of her little lies takes on a life of its own - and a dodgy dryer nearly spells disaster. Series 1 finds the salon on the brink of bankruptcy, forcing Bev to take desperate measures to keep it afloat. In HighLites: Retouched, the two stylists go mobile when their premises are shut down by Environmental Health, and in HighLites: Split Ends, Bev tries to undercut her rival, Anton, to secure a lucrative wedding hair gig.

HighLites: Wash and Blow finds the hairdressing duo heading out on a cruise, hoping to drum up a little business below deck. But it's not all plain sailing... In HighLites: Dye Another Day, Bev and Shirl are faced with a huge tax bill, and connive to inherit from a wealthy old man's will. And in HighLites: Natural Bounce, the world's worst hairdressers discover that there's money to be made in fitness, and decide to open a gym above the salon - but is this an expansion too far?

Co-written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding, this fast-paced, farcical comedy stars Lorraine Ashbourne as Bev and Rosie Cavaliero as Shirley, with a supporting cast including Marlene Sidaway, Sheila Reid, Angela Lonsdale, Adjoa Andoh, Adam Nagaitis and Joel MacCormack.

Production credits

Written by Steve Chambers and Phil Nodding

Produced by Jessica Dromgoole

Directed by Colin Guthrie and Liz Webb

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 15 December 2009 (Pilot), 13-17 February 2012 (HighLites), 8-12 October 2012 (HighLites: Retouched), 2-6 December 2013 (HighLites: Split Ends), 5-9 May 2014 (HighLites: Wash and Blow), 8-12 June 2015 (HighLites: Dye Another Day), 25-29 July 2016 (HighLites: Natural Bounce)

Cast

Beverley - Lorraine Ashbourne

Shirley - Rosie Cavaliero

Matthew - Rhys Jennings/Owen Pullar

Alice - Emerald O'Hanrahan/Marlene Sidaway

Enid - Kate Layden/Nicola Sloane/Sheila Reid/Susan Jameson

Nigel - John Biggins/Simon Bubb/John Norton/Chris Pavlo

Lois - Joannah Tincey/Stephanie Racine

Butt - Ewan Hooper/James Lailey/Robert Blythe/Sean Murray

Paramedic - Joseph Cohen-Cole

John - Carl Prekopp

Henry - Gerard McDermott

Melvin - Adam Billington

Diane - Alex Rivers/Angela Lonsdale

Wendy - Victoria Inez Hardy/Eleanor Crooks/Rhiannon Neads/Nicola Ferguson

Harriet - Adjoa Andoh/Carolyn Pickles

Hilary - Nicola Sloane

Belinda - Stephanie Racine

Satnav/Nurse/Tannoy - Sarah Thom

Antony - Adam Nagaitis

Gordon - Ben Crowe

Lucinda - Liza Sadovy

Ronnie - Michael Bertenshaw

Liz - Christine Absalom

Tess - Priyanga Burford

Captain Andersen - Joel MacCormack

Julie - Carys Eleri

Doug - Stephen Critchlow

Annabeth - Jane Slavin

Daz/Tony - Sam Rix

Beryl - Melanie Kilburn

With Adie Allen and Scarlett Brookes

©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Reviews

It's no mystery or secret how much I enjoy Lawrence Chaney.

—— RuPaul

Lawrence Chaney is queen of the one-liner and the funniest queen by a country mile. She has delivered the laughs a locked down nation needed in abundance. But there's much more to Chaney than her quick wit. Her vulnerability is also part of her natural gift.

—— Vogue

Gorgeous, hugely talented, funny, charismatic, adorable, Chaney is a goddess and brings us joy.

—— Lorraine Kelly

If you were obsessed with Lawrence when they were competing on Drag Race (and who wasn't?), you'll want to get yourself a copy asap

—— Cosmopolitan

Hilarious... gives a fresh perspective on the autobiographical drag queen format. Lawrence shares some of her most intricate and personal stories, as well as her extremely professional opinion on various subjects such as concocting a drag name, mental health and dating.

—— Gay Times

Our fabulous queen has arrived. Go Lawrence!

—— Douglas Scott, author of Shuggie Bain

A candid look back at Lawrence's journey so far - their difficult childhood, marred by bullying; their painfully relatable coming out story; their journey towards better mental health. It's not all serious - there are hilarious, NSFW sex stories, insights into the Drag Race UK werk room, and a practical guide on how to become - as the title suggests - a drag superstar.

—— Pink News

Tackles everything from gender identity, the thrill of a wig and why Scottish talent is often overlooked.

—— i News

Fantastic... feisty, opinionated and honest.

—— Daily Record

Full of one-liners and charm, this cheery memoir comes complete with valuable life lessons and tricks of the trade. Absolutely fabulous fun.

—— Best Magazine

With sky-high wigs and pin-sharp wit, Lawrence is one of the UK's most loved drag acts. Here the season two winner of RuPaul's Drag Race UK explains how humour is a lifesaver.

—— Daily Express

A beautifully touching and thought provoking novel interspersed with Jenkins Reid's trademark wit and humour.

—— Essential Marbella Magazine

Malibu Rising is as much an impressionistic whirl of neon sunsets, acid-wash denim and high-cut bikinis as it is a grand set piece about a glamorous party ... Jenkins Reid has an easy, breezy style that serves melodrama on a daring scale . . . Never has so much sex, tragedy, celebrity and tanned skin been crammed into one thinking person's beach read. It's 365 pages of pure exhilaration.

—— The Times

Perfect for whatever holiday you hopefully get to take this summer.

—— Irish Independent

A riveting, propulsive bookwith characters that stayed with me, not because they are complicated but because they are so vivid ... Full of warmth and tenderness ... Deliciously escapist, conjuring the sun and the sand.

—— i paper

A gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu.

—— The Skinny

Fast-paced and addictive, Reid's vivid world-building provides the ultimate in summer escapism. With touches of 1980s glamour and scandal, Malibu Rising is another thrilling read from a talented writer, sure to delight old fans, as well as winning her new ones.

—— Independent

Perfectly evoking the sun-drenched and debauched backdrop that made Daisy Jones and The Six so immersive ... Addictive and fun, it's an essential addition to your summer reading list.

—— Stylist

Hot off the success of the immensely enjoyable 1970s band story Daisy Jones & The Six comes Taylor Jenkins Reid's latest, a superfun foray into the 1980s ... Delicious.

—— Sunday Telegraph, Novel of the Week

Simmering with sexual tension, this hugely enjoyable ensemble narrative turns on a raucous party.

—— Mail on Sunday

Malibu Rising is finely crafted commercial fiction, escapism in high definition, a quintessential beach read... If Nina Riva's party is the hottest ticket of the summer, then Malibu Rising is a front-row seat at the main event.

—— Irish Times

A gorgeous, sun-soaked novel that delves into the glamour and desperate hope of 1980s Malibu, and the saga of a family that will never be the same again.

—— The Skinny

The perfect summer novel, a vibrant story filled with sun, surfing, and flawed but lovable characters.

—— Daily Beast

After a year where most people stayed home, it's a great time to escape to the beach, even if only through Reid's writing.

—— Independent

This glamourous, compulsive novel is best enjoyed from your sun lounger with a cocktail in hand.

—— Good Housekeeping

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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