Deep Trouble (radio comedy series)

Deep Trouble

Genre	Sitcom
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Starring	Jim Field Smith Ben Willbond Katherine Jakeways Miranda Raison
Writers	Jim Field Smith Ben Willbond
Producers	David Tyler
Narrated by	Jonathan Ryland
Air dates	20 October 2005 to 31 May 2007
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	8
Website	BBC Homepage

Deep Trouble is a BBC radio comedy series, written by and starring Jim Field Smith and Ben Willbond, which first aired on BBC Radio 4 in October 2005.

It takes place in the year 2012, aboard HMS Goliath, a Royal Navy stealth nuclear submarine, and follows the trials and tribulations of the submarine's chaotic crew, underneath their inept commanding officer, Captain Paul Wade (played by Jim Field Smith) and his officers Lieutenant Trainor, Weapons Officer (played by Ben Willbond), Commander Alison Fairbanks, second-in-command (played by Katherine Jakeways). The series has also included a fourth regular character - in season one only this was Petty Officer Lucy Radcliffe (played by Miranda Raison) and in season two this was Alice Barry, Computer and Weapons Expert (played by Alice Lowe).

The series parodies several features of the submarine genre established by The Hunt for Red October and Crimson Tide and as such it's announcer is a version of Tom Clancy.

Series One started on Thursday 20 October 2005, and the series contains four episodes in total: "Startled Deer", "Special Relationship", "Prize Hamper", and "Crispy Duck".

Series Two started on Thursday 24 May 2007.

Writing for the Times, Chris Campling compared the programme favourably to the famous Naval radio sitcom The Navy Lark and called Deep Trouble "hilarious".^[1] It was also selected as a 'Pick of the Day' by Phil Daoust of the Guardian on 24 May 2007.^[2]

The series was produced and directed by David Tyler at Pozzitive Television for BBC Radio 4.

Cast

• Katy Brand
• Jim Field Smith - Wade
• Steve Furst
• Boris Isarov
• Katherine Jakeways - Fairbanks
• Rufus Jones
• Miranda Raison - Radcliffe (series 1 only)
• Jonathan Ryland - narrator
• Kerry Shale
• Renton Skinner
• Gareth Tunley
• Ben Willbond - Trainor
• Alice Lowe - Barry (series 2 only)

References

1. ^ Chris Campling (19 May 2007). "Radio head". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article1794502.ece. Retrieved 19 February 2011. 
2. ^ Phil Daoust (24 May 2007). "Pick of the day". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/24/tvandradio.radio. Retrieved 19 February 2011. 

External links

• Deep Trouble at BBC Online
• Deep Trouble at epguides.com
• Deep Trouble at the British Comedy Guide