Down The Line, 2006
It’s The Late Night Phone In
Down The Line was the hugely popular BBC Radio spoof phone-in. It originally ran for five series over seven years, notching up twenty seven episodes on the way.
When the show was first broadcast, back in 2006 the pre-show publicity gave no indication that the show was in fact a pre-recorded comedy, The show was billed as a live phone-in featuring “award winning” DJ Gary Bellamy.
However, initially listeners failed to spot it was a spoof, leading to a barage of complaints. It did however give the show a massive publicity boost. The matter was quickly resolved when it was announced that the show was written and performed by several familiar figures in British comedy, including Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson.
In 2009, there was a TV spin Off featuring DJ Gary Bellamy, entitled: Bellamy’s People. The synopsis was that award winning DJ Gary Bellamy goes to the streets of the UK to meet ‘real’ people and get their opinions on a wide range of topics.
Summary
Although pre-recorded, the show spoofs the popular late night phone-ins found on commercial radio stations around the country.
Everything you would expect is here: the regular presenter and a whole host of characters that make up the regular contributors.
Clips
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Cast
Rhys Thomas
Amelia Bullmore
Simon Day
Felix Dexter
Charlie Higson
Lucy Montgomery
Paul Whitehouse
Details
Channel: BBC Radio 4
Written and Produced By: Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse
Original Transmission Dates: 2nd May 2006 – 23rd June 2013