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Old Harry's Game

The cover of the first volume collection of Old Harry's Game.
Genre Sitcom
Running time 30 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Languages English
Home station BBC Radio 4
Starring Andy Hamilton
James Grout (Series 1-Christmas Special)
Jimmy Mulville
Steve O'Donnell (Series 1)
Robert Duncan (Series 2 onwards)
David Swift (Guest appearances)
Annette Crosbie (Series 6)
Creators Andy Hamilton
Writers Andy Hamilton
Producers Paul Mayhew-Archer
Air dates 27 November 1995 to 1 November 2007
No. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954 is a British Comedian, Game show panellist director, and Comedy Scriptwriter James Grout (born 22 October 1927) is an English Actor of Radio and Television. James Thomas Mulville (born 5 January 1955 in Liverpool) is an English Comedian, comedy writer producer and Television presenter Steven O'Donnell (born 1962 is an actor Before O'Donnell became an actor he worked for 5 years in Charing Cross Hospital as a Scientific Officer in a medical laboratory Robert Duncan (born 27 July 1952 in St Austell, Cornwall) is a British Actor. David Swift may refer to David Swift (director (1919-2001 American director David Swift (actor (b Annette Crosbie, OBE (born 12 February 1934 is a Scottish character actress. Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954 is a British Comedian, Game show panellist director, and Comedy Scriptwriter Paul Mayhew-Archer is a Writer and Script editor for the BBC. Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.  of series 6 (up to 2007)
No.  of episodes 36 (up to 2007)
Website
At BBC Radio 4

Old Harry's Game is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary (or rather, underworld-weary) Satan. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Radio comedy, or comedic Radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve Sitcom elements sketches, and many other forms of comedy found Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954 is a British Comedian, Game show panellist director, and Comedy Scriptwriter Satan is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harry's Game by Andy Hamilton based on the concept of Satan "Old Harry" was one of many names for the devil. The Devil is the The title is a humorous play on the title of the 1982 TV series Harry's Game. A television program (US television programme (UK or television show (U Harry's Game is a British Television series made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. Beginning in 1995, four series of six half-hour episodes each were aired by 2001 and a two-part Christmas special followed in 2002. A fifth full series was frequently delayed because of a cast member's illness, but recording of the four episodes of series five took place in April 2005 (postponed from January). The first episode of that series was broadcast on 20 September 2005 on BBC Radio 4. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. James Grout (the Professor during the first four series) did not take part. James Grout (born 22 October 1927) is an English Actor of Radio and Television. The meaning of the word professor ( Latin: professor, person who professes to be an expert in some art or science teacher of highest rank) varies

Series 6 (six episodes) began on BBC Radio 4 on 27 September 2007[1]. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again

Contents

Plot

The series is mainly set in Hell and the plot usually centres on the relationships and conflicts between Satan, his various minions and the damned. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering The word henchman (Germanic irregular plural hench men) referred originally to one who attended on a horse that is a Horse groom. Dammit redirects here to see the Opeth album see Damnation (album. It regularly features famous historical figures and celebrities, most of which are portrayed as being less likeable or different from the version recorded by history. This includes a foul-mouthed Jane Austen, sexual predator Florence Nightingale (who took advantage of wounded soldiers) and a vacuous Helen of Troy (and her plain looking friend "Daphne"). Jane Austen (16 Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC (in her own pronunciation ˈflɒɾəns ˈnaɪtɪŋgeɪl 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910 who came to be known as "The This article is about the mythological figure Helen of Troy For other uses see Helen (disambiguation and Helen of Troy (disambiguation. DAPHNE is an Arcade emulator application that emulates a variety of Laserdisc video games with the intent of preserving these games and making

This subversive approach also applies to God (first name Nigel), who makes the occasional appearance and is played by David Swift. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. David Swift may refer to David Swift (director (1919-2001 American director David Swift (actor (b God is usually portrayed as being quick-tempered and vengeful; in the series God says that he accidentally created the universe, when he was messing about with some matter and energy, he put it down to have a sip of his drink and then ka-boom, he had a universe on his hands. Life on earth was created for a bet, as earth was dull viewing. God, for a bit of fun, sprinkled some mutating bacteria into the oceans, and ran a book with the other angels to see which one would evolve into a creature that would develop a language first. God seems rather annoyed that things 'got out of hand'. In later series, we learn that God also sends emails, but refuses to read any he receives as he once got taken in by a scam from Nigeria. A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, scam, scheme Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal

Series 1-4

The first four series centred on the philosophical arguments between Satan and the somewhat idealistic main human character, Professor Richard Whittingham (James Grout), although the character was referred to as "Professor Richard Hope" in a later series, probably in error. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Professor Richard Whittingham is a Fictional Character from the BBC Radio 4 Comedy Series Old Harry's Game by James Grout (born 22 October 1927) is an English Actor of Radio and Television. This is also what he is called in series 1, episode 5/6 where he publishes the Theory of Everything. Generally, Satan wishes to prove to the Professor that mankind is inherently base or flawed, with the Professor taking an opposing position. Usually Satan will travel to the human world to display the more contemptible sides of human nature, such as snipers shooting old ladies in Bosnia or prostitution in Thailand to a generally horrified Professor. Human nature is the concept that there are a set of logical characteristics including ways of thinking feeling and acting that all 'normal' human beings have in common Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Other times, he introduces the Professor to historical personages now languishing in Hell that the Professor holds in high esteem, such as Leonardo da Vinci or William Shakespeare, showing him how petty and mendacious they really are. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer William Shakespeare ( baptised Deception (also called beguilement or subterfuge) is the act of convincing another to believe Information that is not true or not the whole truth as in However, the Professor's idealism is usually shown to have some validity as well and more often than not the Professor wins the argument, although Satan always insists he hasn't. In Western civilization, Idealism is the philosophy which maintains that the Ultimate nature of reality is ideal or based upon ideas values essences The so-called

The other main human in the series is Thomas Quentin Crimp (Jimmy Mulville), an execrable character with few (or no) morals, held up by Satan as an example of all that is detestable about humanity. Thomas Quentin Crimp is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harry's Game by Andy Hamilton who is portrayed by Jimmy James Thomas Mulville (born 5 January 1955 in Liverpool) is an English Comedian, comedy writer producer and Television presenter In the first episode, it is demonstrated that Thomas caused the car crash which landed him and the professor in Hell. The Professor, despite his moral idealism, was sent to Hell because of his atheism. In Western civilization, Idealism is the philosophy which maintains that the Ultimate nature of reality is ideal or based upon ideas values essences The so-called Atheism The fact of the afterlife has not changed his views. AfterLife is a film drama set in Scotland directed by Alison Peebles made in 2003 about an ambitious Scottish journalist forced to choose between Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the Professor and Thomas are often placed together by Satan.

Regular plot elements involved the Professor visiting, or being shown, his beloved wife, Deborah, as she got on with her life after his death. See also Biblical judges Book of Judges List of women warriors in folklore literature and popular culture Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific His widow's eventual marriage to an Irish jockey and her near-fatal coma were important plot strands in series 3 and 4. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate In Sport, a jockey is one who rides Horses in Horse racing or steeplechase racing primarily as a profession In Medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep is a profound state of Unconsciousness. These plot strands ended when the Professor was accepted into heaven a short time after the events of the Christmas special. Heaven may refer to the physical heavens the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the Universe beyond (The incident itself is not covered in the series).

Other characters featured are Satan's minions. Satan's most venomous demon, Gary (Steve O'Donnell) was featured in the first series, as Thomas was on his list of tormentees. Steven O'Donnell (born 1962 is an actor Before O'Donnell became an actor he worked for 5 years in Charing Cross Hospital as a Scientific Officer in a medical laboratory Thomas later convinced Gary to rebel against Satan, with a distinct lack of success. Gary is mentioned only once in later series and his absence is never explained. Scumspawn (Robert Duncan), featured from the second onwards, appears to have a job similar to Gary's and applies to become Satan's personal assistant. Robert Duncan (born 27 July 1952 in St Austell, Cornwall) is a British Actor. A personal assistant, or personal aide, is someone who assists in daily personal tasks Though Satan initially refuses, he later relents, and Scumspawn proves to be a surprisingly effective assistant. His subplots usually involve attempts to become a better demon (with help from Thomas). Much of the humour surrounding Scumspawn derives from his sensitive and caring personality, a constant irritant to Satan, who often complains that Scumspawn does not act very much like a demon.

According to Andy Hamilton in an interview broadcast April 5, 2008 on BBC Radio 7's "I Did It My Way", one episode in series 3 was partially re-recorded due to a tragic confluence of events. In the episode, Satan disrupts Deborah's wedding to an Irish jockey by taking the form of BBC reporter Jill Dando. Jill Wendy Dando ( 9 November 1961 &ndash 26 April 1999) was an English journalist and television presenter who worked Later in the episode, Satan reveals that Jill Dando never existed at all, and was just a disguise that he used to stir unrest in the realm of the living. After the episode was originally broadcast, the 37-year-old reporter was murdered outside her home. The episode was partially re-recorded for repeats, with Satan manifesting himself as another BBC reporter, Gaby Roslin instead of Dando. Gaby Roslin (born July 12 1964) is an English Television presenter and Actress.

Christmas Special

In a double-bill special broadcast on New Year's Eve 2002 and New Year's Day 2003, Hope, an extraordinarily beautiful Salvation Army worker and tambourine player, was killed and sent to Hell by accident. New Year's Eve is on December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year and the day before New Year's Day. New Year's Day is the first day of the Year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1, as it was also in ancient Rome (though The Salvation Army is a Christian charity and church that is internally organised like a military service. The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles This resulted in Satan's trying to bring her back to life by bringing her to Death, although he only got as far as meeting the Welsh Death, and contacting the Head Death on his mobile. In English Death is often given the name the " Grim Reaper " and shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large Scythe, and wearing a midnight black gown robe After Death refuses to bring her back, Satan travels to Heaven, now protected with barbed wire, CCTV and Rottweilers. Barbed wire, also known as barb wire (and frequently in dialect form spelled bob or bobbed) is a type of fencing Wire constructed Closed-circuit television ( CCTV) is the use of Video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place limited set of monitors After talking to Saint Peter (who Satan implies actually had sex with call girls in Rome, as well as stealing the other 100 pieces of silver that had been contracted by Judas but went missing), Hope gets into Heaven. A call girl or escort is a Sex worker who (unlike a street walker) is not visible to the general public Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Judas Iscariot, יהודה איש־קריות Yəhûḏāh ʾΚ-qəriyyôṯ was according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original apostles

Series 5

Series 5 kept many of the themes of the earlier series; however, most of the action did not revolve around Satan's relationships with his minions and the damned. A theme, from Old French tesme, is a broad idea in a story or literary work or a message or lesson conveyed by a written text Instead, the episodes focused on Satan's efforts to reduce overcrowding in hell.

Much of the action was split between Hell and various locations on Earth. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 The basic plot of an episode involved Satan taking on the guise of a leading figure (and thus meeting and trying to convince people like Queen Elizabeth II and Condoleezza Rice) in order to lead more of mankind to heaven by encouraging them change their way of life. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II Condoleezza Rice (born November 14 1954 is the 66th United States However, he was usually unsuccessful in his attempts.

The rest of the episodes focused on Scumspawn's ineffective attempts to run hell in Satan's absence. This normally involved him trying to find ways to cope with a strange new arrival in hell, unionised demons and overcrowding. He would often enlist Thomas' help in trying to find a solution, which usually failed. At the end of the episode, Satan would return and sort out whatever new problem Scumspawn had managed to create.

The last two episodes of the series also featured a new arrival (Geoffrey Whitehead), who tried to organise a rebellion of demons in Hell with exactly as much success as Gary and Thomas had in series 1. Geoffrey Whitehead (born 1 October 1939 in Sheffield) is a highly regarded English Actor. In the end, Satan decided that he need not worry, because humans would soon be extinct anyway. In order to hasten mankind's extinction, he turned into Jeb Bush and plotted to tell his brother George Bush to launch a nuclear strike on the polar icecaps. John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American Politician and was the 43rd Governor of Florida George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Earth's polar regions are the areas of the globe surrounding the poles also known as frigid zones.

Series 6

For series 6, the writers returned to the style of the original series, with most of the action taking place in hell. They also introduced a new member of the damned, Edith, an academic and historian who recently died and was sent to hell. Edith is a female given name derived from the Old English words ead meaning 'rich or Blessed ' and gyð meaning 'war' and is in common usage in this form She is also Thomas' former mother-in-law and Edith and Thomas have a mutual hatred of each other, so Satan decides they should be perfect room mates. A person's mother-in-law is the Mother of his or her Spouse. A person is a son-in-law or daughter-in-law to the mother-in-law Edith apparently died of suicide while watching Midsomer Murders. Midsomer Murders is a British television Drama that has aired on ITV1 since 1997

Edith is not pleased with this situation (Thomas subjected her daughter to emotional abuses, divorce and then tried to take custody of her breast implants). Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the termination of a Marriage. A breast implant is a Prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a woman's Breasts (known as breast augmentation, breast enlargement, mammoplasty She agrees to write a definitive biography of Satan in return for new accommodation. A biography (from the Greek words bíos (βίος meaning "life" and gráphein (γράφειν meaning "to write" is an account She also insists that she did not commit suicide and Satan grudgingly agrees to help her find out how she died.

The basic plot of an episode generally involves Satan trying to find out more about Edith's death, while Edith interviews members of the damned about Satan's past.

The series also features various sub-plots, including Scumspawn's attempts to find a 'decent' side to Thomas' personality (much in the same way as the Professor did in the earlier series).

Episodes

Series 1

1. 1 Introduction (aka "Welcome to Hell") (Broadcast: 23 November 1995)
1. Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of 2 Corruption (Broadcast: 30 November 1995)
1. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats 3 Hero worship (Broadcast: 7 December 1995)
1. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways 4 Appearances (Broadcast: 14 December 1995)
1. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people 5 Rebellion (Broadcast: 21 December 1995)
1. Events 69 - The end of the Year of the four emperors: Following Galba, Otho and Vitellius, Vespasian 6 Redemption (Broadcast: 28 December 1995)

Series 2

2. Events 1065 - Westminster Abbey is Consecrated. 1308 - The reign of Emperor Hanazono, Emperor of 1 Assistant (Broadcast: 7 April 1998)
2. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) 2 Chuckles (Broadcast: 14 April 1998)
2. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. 3 Nero (Broadcast: 21 April 1998)
2. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) 4 Computers (Broadcast: 28 April 1998)
2. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title 5 G. U. T. (Broadcast: 5 May 1998)
2. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John 6 Too Far (Broadcast: 12 May 1998)

Series 3

3. Events 1191 - Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre. 1 This Thing Called Love (Broadcast: 24 March 1999)
3. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 2 Another Country (Broadcast: 31 March 1999)
3. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor 3 A Four-Letter Word (Broadcast: 7 April 1999)
3. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor 4 The Reasonably Fantastic Journey (Broadcast: 14 April 1999)
3. Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in 5 The Beautiful Game (Broadcast: 21 April 1999)
3. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) 6 The Final Reckoning (Broadcast: 28 April 1999)

Series 4

4. Events 1192 - Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat (Conrad I King of Jerusalem, in Tyre, two days after his title 1 Knowledge & Ignorance (Broadcast: 29 March 2001)
4. Events 1461 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Towton - Edward of York defeats Queen Margaret to become King Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. 2 Beautiful England (Broadcast: 5 April 2001)
4. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop 3 Health & Safety (Broadcast: 12 April 2001)
4. Events 467 - Anthemius is elevated to Emperor of the Western Roman Empire. 4 Poets Corner (Broadcast: 19 April 2001)
4. Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer 5 Sleep (Broadcast: 26 April 2001)
4. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. 6 Beauty (Broadcast: 3 April 2001)

Christmas Special 2002

x. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. 1 The Roll of the Dice (Broadcast: 31 December 2002)
x. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. 2 Knocking on Heaven's Door (Broadcast: 1 January 2003)

Series 5

5. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 1 Moral Leadership (Broadcast: 20 September 2005)
5. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. 2 The Crusade (Broadcast: 27 September 2005)
5. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again 3 Power Politics (Broadcast: 4 October 2005)
5. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas 4 I Blame The Media (Broadcast: 11 October 2005)

Series 6

6. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed 1 Edith (Broadcast: 27 September 2007)
6. Events 489 - Odoacer attacks Theodoric at the Battle of Verona and is defeated again 2 Discoveries (Broadcast 4 October 2007)
6. Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas 3 Murderers (Broadcast 11 October 2007)
6. Events 1138 - A massive earthquake struck Aleppo, Syria. 1531 - Huldrych Zwingli is killed 4 Psychiatry (Broadcast 18 October 2007)
6. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid 5 Investigation (Broadcast 25 October 2007)
6. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a 6 Ginger (Broadcast 1 November 2007)

Audiobooks

There are four audiobooks made of the series available, featuring selected episodes from certain series. Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi

External links

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