Brian Gulliver's Travels

Brian Gulliver's Travels
Genre Satire/Sitcom
Running time 30 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Languages English
Home station BBC Radio 4
Starring Neil Pearson
Mariah Gale
Paul Bhattacharjee
Creators Bill Dare
Writers Bill Dare
Producers Steven Canny
Air dates 21 February, 2011 to 28 March, 2011
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 6
Website At BBC Radio 4

Brian Gulliver's Travels is a satirical sitcom on BBC Radio 4 created and written by Bill Dare, first broadcast on 21st February, 2011. The series is a modern pastiche of the Jonathan Swift novel Gulliver's Travels. The series revolves around the character Brian Gulliver, played by Neil Pearson. Gulliver is a travel documentary presenter who at the beginning of series is revealed to have been missing for six years, claiming to have travelled to the previously undiscovered continent of Clafenia. His stories lead him to being put in psychiatric hospital where they believe that he is suffering some sort of delusion. In each episode he is visited by his daughter Rachel (Mariah Gale), who writes about the countries that he claims to have visited.[1]

Contents

Production

Brian Gulliver's Travels is created and written by Bill Dare. According to the BBC website: "For years Bill Dare wanted to create a satire about different worlds exploring [Rudyard] Kipling's idea that we travel, 'not just to explore civilizations, but to better understand our own'. But science fiction and space ships never interested him, so he put the idea on ice. Then Brian Gulliver arrived and meant that our hero could be lost in a fictional world without the need for any sci-fi."[2]

The BBC website also says that the original Gulliver's Travels was the only book that Dare read whilst he was at university.[2]

Reception

Gillian Reynolds, radio critic for The Daily Telegraph, praised Brian Gulliver's Travels saying that Gulliver was a "marvellous character" and that the series was "allusive, relevant, full of surprises, satirical in the true spirit of Swift. And very funny."[3] Talking about the first episode, which was a satire on health and doctors, she said: "A nimbler reflection on achieving a national state of health is hard to imagine."[4]

A review of the first episode in The Stage said that, "the point of Bill Dare's highly original format was to both satirise and issue a warning about the nanny state" and that, "The series began on an amusing and thought-provoking note."[5]

Merchandise

The first episode of Brian Gulliver's Travels is to be made available on the BBC's "Comedy of the Week" podcast on 28th February, 2011.[6] The entire first series was released by AudioGo on 8 August, 2011.[7]

Episodes

Series 1

# Title Original airdate
1 - 1 "Gelbetia" 21 February 2011 (2011-02-21)
Brian talks about his adventures in Gelbetia, a country run by the medical profession.[8] 
1 - 2 "Juradia" 28 February 2011 (2011-02-28)
Brian tells Rachel about his travels in Juradia, a country where every other person is a lawyer.[8] 
1 - 3 "Osminia" 7 March 2011 (2011-03-07)
Brian talks about the country of Osminia, a land which has a different understanding of the family.[8] 
1 - 4 "Sham" 14 March 2011 (2011-03-14)
Brian discusses his travels in Sham, a place which believes strongly in alternative therapies.[8] 
1 - 5 "Erosia" 21 March 2011 (2011-03-21)
Brian talks about the country of Erosia, a country which has unusual sexual politics.[8] 
1 - 6 "Jampoa" 28 March 2011 (2011-03-28)
Brian talks about his time in Jampoa, a country which is obsessed with fame.[8] 

References

  1. ^ Wolf, Ian. "Brian Gulliver's Travels". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/radio/brian_gullivers_travels/. Retrieved 21st February, 2011. 
  2. ^ a b "Brian Gulliver's Travels: Episode 1". BBC Radio 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yqhrk#synopsis. Retrieved 21st February, 2011. 
  3. ^ Reynolds, Gillian (21st February, 2011). "Today's radio highlights". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/gillianreynolds/5603194/Todays-radio-highlights.html. Retrieved 21st February, 2011. 
  4. ^ Reynolds, Gillian (22nd February, 2011). "Classic Serial: Show Boat, Brian Gulliver's Travels, Private Passions, radio review". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8338549/Classic-Serial-Show-Boat-Brian-Gullivers-Travels-Private-Passions-radio-review.html. Retrieved 22nd February, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Radio review - drama". The Stage. 25th February, 2011. http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/31393/radio-review-drama. Retrieved 27th February, 2011. 
  6. ^ Sykes, Jaine (10th January, 2011). "New Radio 4 Comedy of the Week podcast: Launches Today". BBC Comedy Blog. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/comedy/2011/01/new-radio-4-comedy-of-the-week.shtml. Retrieved 22nd February, 2011. 
  7. ^ "'Brian Gulliver's Travels' Merchandise". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/radio/brian_gullivers_travels/buy/. Retrieved 9 August, 2011. 
  8. ^ a b c d e f Wolf, Ian. "Brian Gulliver's Travels - Episode Guides". British Comedy Guide. http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/radio/brian_gullivers_travels/episodes. Retrieved 21st February, 2011. 

See also

External links