Ectoplasm (radio show)

Ectoplasm (radio show)

Infobox Radio Show
show_name = Ectoplasm


imagesize =
caption =
other_names =
format = Situation comedy
runtime = 30 minutes
country = flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
language = English
home_station = BBC Radio 4
syndicates =
television =
starring = Dan Freedman
Nick Romero
Sophie Aldred
Peter Donaldson
Owen Oakeshott
Colin Guthrie
creator =
writer = Dan Freedman
Nick Romero
director =
producer = Helen Williams
executive_producer =
narrated =
record_location =
first_aired = 11 July 2000
last_aired = 01 August 2000
num_series = 1
num_episodes = 4
audio_format = Stereophonic sound
opentheme =
endtheme =
website =
podcast =

"Ectoplasm" was a BBC Radio 4 comedy series written by and starring Dan Freedman and Nick Romero. Unlike the other radio work of Freedman and Romero, this series features single, coherent stories in each episode; it may even be possible to describe the four episodes as part of a continuous story, linked by Theremin's murder attempts.

Plot

The stories follow the adventures of Lord Zimbabwe (Romero), a "walker in the ether", or occult investigator; his friend and collaborator Doctor Lilac (Freedman), a German scientist who has invented various machines, including a time machine and a teleporter, and who breaks into megalomaniacal ravings at inopportune moments; Theremin (Donaldson), Zimbabwe's butler, an abusive, murderous, incompetent servant who refuses to carry out any of Zimbabwe's instructions; and Schrödinger, a semi-corporeal cat that exists in a superposition of quantum states of life and death (cf Schrödinger's Cat), and who is sexually attracted to women. Each adventure is initiated by a request by a different woman (all played by Aldred) for Lord Zimbabwe to help her.

Humor

As is characteristic of Freedman and Romero's work, much of the humour is derived from puns, although Theremin's abuse, Doctor Lilac's experiments (he is about to perform a bizarre experiment when Lord Zimbabwe first approaches him in each show; for example giving a woodlouse PMT) and interrupted diatribes, and Lord Zimbabwe's use of strange similes ("The secret to success, my dear Doctor, is like the aftermath of a Bombay banquet: one must keep going.") all contribute. Recurrent motifs include telephone calls from Sherlock Holmes seeking advice, and references to evil shape-changing pixie creatures (Agatha Christie's character Hercule Poirot appears in one episode; he blames all crimes on these pixie creatures.)

Each show ends with Lord Zimbabwe saying "I think we handled that rather well," and Theremin answering "I couldn't agree less, Sir."

Episode list

External links

* [http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/ectoplasm.html radiolistings.co.uk]
* [http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/comedy/ectoplasm.html britishcomedy.org.uk]


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