| Genre | Historical comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Lucy Speed (series 1) Sheridan Smith (series 2) |
| Writers | Tom Jamieson Nev Fountain |
| Producers | Jan Ravens |
| Air dates | 12 February 2003 to 24 May 2004 |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
Elephants to Catch Eels was an historical situation comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2003 and 2004. It was written by Tom Jamieson and Nev Fountain and produced by Jan Ravens.
Set in the fictional Drumlin Bay, Cornwall, during the 1790s, Elephants To Catch Eels follows the smuggling exploits of the resourceful Tamsyn Trelawney (Lucy Speed (series 1); Sheridan Smith (series 2)) and her drunken innkeeper father Jago (John Bowe). The new preventive officer Major Falconer (Cameron Stewart) finds it difficult to believe a woman could be involved in smuggling, unlike his deputy Captain Marriot (Andrew McGibbon). Other characters include Squire Bascombe (Martin Hyder) and the gullible Dewey (Mark Felgate) with other parts played by Mark Perry and India Fisher. Anachronistic allusions, such as a “Smuggling personality of the year” contest, are part of the comedy.
It was broadcast in two series, each of six half-hour episodes, from February to March 2003 and April to May 2004, and has been repeated on BBC Radio 7.