Gloomsbury

Gloomsbury is a BBC Radio 4 comedy sitcom which gently parodies the lives, loves and works of the Bloomsbury Group. It is written by Sue Limb and four series have currently been produced, in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.^[1]

Cast

The character names are punning parodies of prominent members of the Bloomsbury Group and other characters of the day:

• Miriam Margolyes as Vera Sackcloth-Vest (Vita Sackville-West).
• Jonathan Coy as her husband, Henry Mickleton (Harold Nicolson).
• Alison Steadman as Ginny Fox (Virginia Woolf) and as Mrs Gosling, Vera's housekeeper, also Lady Utterline Immoral (Lady Ottoline Morrell).
• Nigel Planer as Lionel Fox (Leonard Woolf) and Gosling (in series 1, 3 and 4 - both played by Roger Lloyd-Pack in series 2), also Lytton Scratchy (Lytton Strachey). In series 3, episode 5, Planer portrayed The Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VIII) using an impression of Prince Charles.
• John Sessions as DH Lollipop (DH Lawrence), also TS Jellitot (T.S. Eliot) and (in series 4, episode 1) Llewd George (David Lloyd George).
• Morwenna Banks as the 'muse' Venus Traduces (Violet Trefusis). In series 3, episode 5, Banks portrayed Mrs Freda Cuddly-Broad (Freda Dudley Ward, mistress of The (then) Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII). In series 4 she is Hilda Matthewson (Hilda Matheson).

Each episode covers the various personal shenanigans and literary endeavours of the group, influenced by contemporary mores and events.

Theme Music

The theme for all episodes is You're Driving Me Crazy, written in 1930, rather late in the history of the Bloomsbury Group, and performed by The Temperance Seven.

Production

The series is written by Sue Limb and produced by Little Brother Productions for the BBC.^[1]

References