| Genre | Radio situation comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Home station | BBC Radio 3 |
| Starring | Lewis Fiander Judy Parfitt Richard Vernon Maureen Lipman John Barron Richard O'Callaghan Hugh Thomas Maggie Steed Leueen Willoughby Jack May Frances Jeater |
| Written by | Malcolm Bradbury Christopher Bigsby |
| Produced by | Geoffrey Perkins |
| Recording studio | Paris Studio, London |
| Original release | 19 February – 9 April 1981 |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Opening theme | Jester's Jig by Gordon Giltrap |
Patterson is a BBC Radio sitcom about a hapless university lecturer. It was billed as a comedy series in eight parts, written by Malcolm Bradbury and Christopher Bigsby[1] but strictly speaking, it is a serial. The show was produced by Geoffrey Perkins and tells the tale of Doctor Andrew Patterson (Lewis Fiander) who is cajoled by his wife Jane (Judy Parfitt) into accepting a job in the dysfunctional English department of a provincial red-brick university. This is the catalyst for a catalogue of unfortunate events, which sees his life rapidly crumble around him, bit by bit.
Patterson is unusual amongst BBC Radio sitcoms in that it was originally broadcast on BBC Radio 3, and it appears to be the first ever sitcom broadcast on that station. Later examples include Broomhouse Reach (1984), Blood and Bruises (1988) and Such Rotten Luck (1989).[2][3][4]
The series was repeated on the BBC World Service in 1986[5] and on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2020.[6][7]
- ^ "Radio Times issue 2988". BBC Genome. 12 February 1981. p. 56. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "Search - BBC Programme Index".
- ^ "Search - BBC Programme Index".
- ^ "Search - BBC Programme Index".
- ^ "August Preview: Music & Drama". London Calling. BBC External Services. August 1986.
- ^ "Patterson". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC Radio 4 Extra. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Cooke, Rachel (20 September 2020). "Sasha Swire's indiscretions show how Britain became so dysfunctional". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
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