DescriptionRam Mohammad Thomas has been arrested for answering 12 questions correctly on "Who Will Win A Billion?". Because a poor orphan who has never gone to school cannot name the smallest planet in the solar system, or the plays of Shakespeare...unless he has cheated. Ram prepares his defence by reviewing TV footage of the show, and takes us on an amazing tour of his life. From the day he is rescued from a dustbin, to his encounter with a security-crazed Australian colonel, and a spell as an over-creative guide at the Taj Mahal, Ram's survival instincts are infallible. Stunning an audience of millions, he draws on a store of street wisdom and trivia to provide him with the essential keys, not only to the quiz show, but to life itself.
DescriptionMichael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know? is a comedy/quiz/interview show that opens with Feldman's signature monologue of political and social satire. Feldman then invites callers and audience members to compete for "useless prizes" such as pink flamingo lawn ornaments. Contestants answer questions drawn from Feldman's seemingly limitless store of insignificant (but also somehow important) information. Other program elements include an interview with someone not making the headlines; "Thanks for the Memos", actual memos from listeners; and a visit to "The Place To Be", an unusual or interesting site selected for reasons known only to Feldman. Throughout the broadcast, listeners are treated to jazz with program regulars John Thulin and Jeff Hamman, and banter with sidekick Jim Packard.
DescriptionThe show that holds a mirror up to nature and then proceeds to give it a rather embarrassing haircut. The unflappable Humphrey Lyttelton presides over panelists Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rushton, Graeme Garden, and Barry Cryer who bring their own brand of wickedly improvised fun to the proceedings. It's the authentic antidote to panel games. They're game. Are you?
DescriptionA seventh helping of inspired ad-libbery from the multi award-winning BBC Radio 4 series. Chairman Humphrey Lyttelton presides over regulars Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer, and Graeme Garden in another four shows from the antidote to panel games. This time round the guest players include Harry Hill, Sandi Toksvig, Jeremy Hardy, and Tony Hawks. Accept no substitutes.
DescriptionThe show that grabs listeners by the waist, swirls them round in time to a Strauss waltz, and then trips over the banana skins of convention. Laugh yourself silly with some of the most mind-stretching games ever to grace a quiz show: Cheddar Gorge, Gargle Gargle, Bedtime Stories, Good News Bad News, Tag Wrestling, and Mornington Crescent. The unflappable Humphrey Lyttelton presides over panelists Tim Brooke-Taylor, Willie Rushton, Graeme Garden, and Barry Cryer who bring their own brand of wickedly improvised fun to the proceedings.
DescriptionA small prison cell in India holds an 18-year-old penniless waiter from a Mumbai slum. But Ram Mohammad Thomas isn't a criminal. He is under arrest for correctly answering 12 tricky trivia questions on the show Who Will Win a Billion? Reluctant to part with the jackpot of one billion rupees, the show directors bribe the police to arrest Ram, accusing him of cheating. For how else could a poor, uneducated orphan know so much: the name of the smallest planet, global capitals, and diplomatic policy? Ram is rescued by a lawyer who draws from him the always compelling, touching, and sometimes comic story of his life, explaining the source of his knowledge. An inspired performance by reader Kerry Shale captures the spirit of this off-beat novel, a blend of high comedy and touching melancholy.
