A House in History is a new BBC Radio 4 comedy airing on Wednesday (13 April) and will be available on BBC Sounds afterwards.
The show cuts between a parody of a ‘living history’ programme, in which a family is sent back in time to live in authentic 1940s conditions, and the office of the production company tasked with making the show.
The Colchesters, the family chosen to live in the house, are made up of patriarch Phil (Alistair Green), his wife Carol (Kath Hughes) and their daughter Clementine (Jess Robinson). It soon becomes clear that this is more than a gameshow to Phil – the sort of person who regurgitates Daily Mail articles about how Britain is ‘going to the dogs’. And now, thanks to A House In History, he has a chance to return to a better time, a better England.
He can live alongside Churchill, help win the war for his country, make Britain ‘Great’, and he drags the rest of the Colchesters along with him on his personal crusade. The £100,000 cash prize on offer if the family can survive the six weeks in the house is just a bonus: he’s there to win a war, to prove he could cut it back in a time when ‘men were men’.
Meanwhile, Wingate Productions, who are producing the show, realise that they cannot afford to pay out the cash prize. And so Alex (Alex Owen) and Kelly (Emily Lloyd-Saini) ratchet up the pressure on the Colchesters in a bid to drive them out, making the living conditions and rationing even more unbearable to save themselves the bankrupting pay-out. They also race to get another show commissioned to cover their losses in case the worst happens and the Colchesters last the full six weeks.
A House in History stars Alistair Green (Ted Lasso, The Witchfinder, The Great, Death to 2021), Kath Hughes (The End Of The F***ing World, After Life, Sally4Ever, Tarot, Petrichor), Alex Owen (The Bubble, The Pin, Walliams and Friend, Stath Lets Flats, Petrichor), Emily Lloyd-Saini (Horrible Histories, Code 404, Catastrophe), Adam Drake (Lazy Susan, Capital, Bounty Hunters, Petrichor), Jess Robinson (Spitting Image, The Imitation Game, The Last Leg) and Kevin McCloud (Grand Designs).
It was co-written and co-directed by Will Farrell and Ben Rowse (Capital, Goose, Tarot), who had previously collaborated on web-series Petrichor. (“Will Farrell and Ben Rowse’s four-parter shows there’s life in the mockumentary yet” ★★★★ Guardian).
Ben Rowse, co-writer, said: “History is written by the victor. But sadly Victor was busy so the BBC asked Will and I to write it instead.”
Will Farrell, co-writer, added: “Hopefully it’s an extremely funny radio show about an extremely funny world war. It’s the best thing I’ve made since my son.”
