In the Red (radio series)

In the... Series

BBC Audio cassette cover (1998)
Genre	Comedy-drama, Crime
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Starring	Michael Williams Barry Foster
Created by	Mark Tavener
No. of series	4

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'searly 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.