Delve Special
Delve Special was a UK BBC Radio 4 comedy starring Stephen Fry as investigative reporter David Lander. It ran for four series from 1984 to 1987, each series being four episodes long. It was written by Tony Sarchet and produced by Paul Mayhew-Archer. The first series was wiped by the BBC but has since been found and consisted of a four-part investigation into the proposed building of London's third airport in Shifton, a small village situated 'just to the north east of Birmingham', and the alleged bribery and corruption that accompanied the choice of location and building contractor.
David Lander's investigative technique was usually somewhere between the questionable and the illegal - during each episode he also displayed some degree of ineptitude or lack of understanding in the subject matter he was reporting on. As a result, he usually found himself being set upon physically by those concerned. The programme heavily spoofed the style of topical radio reporters such as John Waite of Face the Facts and Roger Cook, a Radio 4 presenter who went on to television work such as The Cook Report.
Actors appearing in Delve Special included: Tony Robinson, Felicity Montagu, Stephen Frost, Mark Arden, Jack Klaff, Harry Enfield, Dawn French, Brenda Blethyn, Arthur Smith, Janine Duvitski, Philip Pope and Andrew Sachs.
A follow-up television series ran for two series : This is David Lander (starring Stephen Fry) in 1988, and This is David Harper (starring Tony Slattery) in 1990 - Fry being unavailable for the second series due to other commitments.
Episodes
Series 1
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Shifton Scandal (1)" | August 3, 1984 |
| 2 | "The Shifton Scandal (2)" | August 10, 1984 |
| 3 | "The Shifton Scandal (3)" | August 17, 1984 |
| 4 | "The Shifton Scandal (4)" | August 24, 1984 |
Series 2
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Archibald Gallery Robbery" | September 6, 1985 |
| 2 | "Whose Baby?" | September 13, 1985 |
| 3 | "The Secret Dis-Service" | September 20, 1985 |
| 4 | "The Nicholson Story: Red Faces at MI5" | September 27, 1985 |
Series 3
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "A Rocket for Defence" | September 5, 1986 |
| 2 | "Cowboys" | September 12, 1986 |
| 3 | "Food for Thought" | September 19, 1986 |
| 4 | "City Limits" | September 26, 1986 |
Series 4
| Episode # | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "There's One Born Every Minute" | August 28, 1987 |
| 2 | "Bitter Harvest" | September 4, 1987 |
| 3 | "The Not-So-Supergrasses" | September 11, 1987 |
| 4 | "The Resurrection of St Jerome" | September 18, 1987 |