In the Balance
BBC Audio cassette cover (1998)
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| Genre | Comedy-drama, Crime |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin |
 United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Michael Williams Barry Foster |
| Created by | Mark Tavener |
| No. of series | 4 |
| Written by | Mark Tavener Peter Baynham |
|---|---|
| Edited by | Scott Cherry |
| Produced by | Paul Schlesinger |
| Original release | 5 January 1995 – 16 February 1995 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Opening theme | Paul Mottram |
| Written by | Mark Tavener |
|---|---|
| Edited by | Scott Cherry |
| Produced by | Paul Schlesinger |
| Original release | 6 February 1997 – 13 March 1997 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Written by | Mark Tavener |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Paul Schlesinger |
| Original release | 5 June 1998 – 10 July 1998 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Written by | Mark Tavener |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Paul Schlesinger Dawn Ellis |
| Original release | 18 November 1999 – 23 December 1999 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
In the Red is the first in a sequence of four black comedy-crime drama series created for BBC Radio 4 by Mark Tavener featuring Michael Williams as BBC Reporter George Cragge and Barry Foster as Police Superintendent Frank Jefferson.
The first seven-part series (BBC Radio 4, 1995), was adapted by Tavener and comedy-writer Peter Baynham from Tavener's novel of the same name (Hutchinson, 1989), which had been inspired by the writer's early experiences working for the BBC and the Liberal Party.
The subsequent series, In the Balance (BBC Radio 4, 1997), In the Chair (BBC Radio 4, 1998), and In the End (BBC Radio 4, 1999), were all six-parts each and followed the same format, with the two lead characters investigating a series of murders often linked to British politics and media. There was also a three-part television series based on the original novel (BBC Two, 1998), adapted by Malcolm Bradbury, featuring Warren Clarke as Cragge and Alun Armstrong as Jefferson.
Following the conclusion of the final series, the characters of Charles Prentis, played by Stephen Fry, and Martin McCabe, played by John Bird, who appeared in In the Red (BBC Radio 4, 1995), In the Chair (BBC Radio 4, 1998), and In the End (BBC Radio 4, 1999), as well as the TV production of In the Red (BBC Two, 1998), were featured in their own spin-off series Absolute Power (BBC Radio 4, 2000-2006/BBC Two, 2003-2005), which was also created and written by Tavener.
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