Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music
| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country of origin |
 United Kingdom
|
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Mitch Benn Robin Ince Alfie Joey |
| Written by |
Mitch Benn Robin Ince Adam Bromley |
| Produced by | Adam Bromley |
| Original release | 19 February 2004 – 4 July 2006 |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
Mitch Benn's Crimes Against Music is a BBC Radio 4 comedy series, taking a satirical look at popular music. It is written by and stars Mitch Benn and Robin Ince. It also features Mitch's group The Distractions (Kirsty Newton and Tash Baylis) and in the first two series Alfie Joey. It began in 2004, and has run for three series so far.
The first two series had a discussion format in which, every week, the presenters would talk about some aspect of the music industry, inevitably tying into whatever songs Mitch had prepared (something Robin would comment sarcastically upon). Running gags included regular appearances by Satan (Robin Ince) complaining that heavy metal was getting soft; Robin's obsession with The Smiths and talking head clip shows he had appeared in; Alfie's obsession with Lindisfarne; and, in the first series, Mitch's paranoia that Richard Stilgoe is a better musical satirist.
In both series the final episode was a "format-buster" with a special guest star. The last episode of series one started out as a discussion of manufactured bands, but was derailed when Richard Stilgoe appeared and attempted a coup, with Robin taking his side. The series two finale, Journey to the Centre of Rick Wakeman, a parody of 1970s progressive rock "concept albums", was set in the near future (2009, to be exact), when England and Wales are on the point of war and the Crimes team must reform to bring Rick Wakeman out of a coma so he can bring peace.
The third series worked the musical satire into a sitcom format. The concept was that Mitch and Robin were taking the show on tour, but consistently failing to arrive at their destinations and performing wherever they ended up. The first two episodes were set in fictional small towns in Canada and Wales, respectively. In the third they were trapped at London Stansted Airport, trying to get to Australia. This led directly into the final episode, in which their plane crashed on a mysterious island, in a parody of Lost.
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