Little Blighty on the Down
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin |
 United Kingdom
|
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Jo Kendall John Baddeley Jonathan Kidd |
| Written by |
John O'Farrell Mark Burton Mike Coleman |
| Produced by | Lissa Evans |
| Original release | 2 September 1988 – 31 December 1992 |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 28 (including 3 Christmas editions) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
Little Blighty on the Down was a satirical radio comedy series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1988 and 1992. It was a parody of contemporary life in Britain as seen in the small village of Little Blighty. (Blighty being an old affectionate nickname for Britain; a down is a chalk hill, such as in England's South Downs; the village's name is thus suggestive of a Britain which is "little" rather than "great" in terms of importance or governance, and which shouldn't be described as being "on the up").
Comedian Jo Kendall starred as Mrs Roberts, domineering leader of the Parish Council, who engaged in rather one-sided battles with her tongue-tied rival, Working Men’s Club president Mr Blandish.
Each of the weekly half-hour episodes would lampoon a particular political theme, usually from a left-wing point of view, e.g. party politics, the environment, health care, privatisations, the Cold War, the European Union, the criminal justice system, glasnost and perestroika, South Africa under apartheid. Current events would be used for some plot elements, e.g. the release of Nelson Mandela, the election of Solidarity in Poland, or the England football team versus West Germany.
Roberts's ruling party on the council are the Rotarians, in other words they are from the powerful and privileged sections of society but see themselves as being benevolent politicians, and are a satire on the Conservative Party. The series regularly lampooned Margaret Thatcher's perceived domineering attitude towards her Cabinet, through Mrs Roberts's heavy-handed management of her fellow councillors, accompanied by withering one-liners at their expense (delivered in Jo Kendall's foghorn-like vocal imitation of "Mrs T").
...
Wikipedia