Bangers and Mash

All six episodes of the BBC radio sitcom about a former nun who takes a job with a chaotic catering company

Looking for a sign from God, nun Martina leaves her convent and becomes a temporary chef – only to walk straight into a catering crisis of epic proportions. Valentine’s Viennese Patisserie supplies classy Austrian snacks for corporate events, but now their pastry cook has left, no-one knows how to make any of the delicacies they’re offering. And that’s not their only problem – they’re also being chased by clients, up to their necks in bills and cancellations, and stuck with a clapped-out delivery van that keeps breaking down.

When owner Kingsley does a runner, owing £2500, it seems like the last straw. Left in the lurch, his brother Jimmy has just six weeks to get the money together. Then Martina has a brainwave: why not rename the company Bangers and Mash, and serve up sausages and pies instead of patisserie? Helped by kitchen assistant Juan Jose, she and Jimmy are soon producing food that wows even the pickiest customers – but just as they’re turning things around, the toffee tin containing half the company’s profits goes missing. With only three days to go till they have to pay up, it’ll take a miracle to save their bacon…

Scripted by award-winning dramatist Katie Hims (Home Front, 24 Kildare Road), this flavourful comedy drama stars Catherine Harvey as Martina, with Mark Straker as Kingsley, Gerard McDermott as Jimmy and Roger May as Juan Jose.

Production credits
Written by Katie Hims
Directed by Catherine Horn

Cast
Martina – Catherine Harvey
Kingsley – Mark Straker
Jimmy – Gerard McDermott
Juan Jose – Roger May
Mrs Olney – Marlene Sidaway
Carol – Jane Whittenshaw
Health Inspector – Anthony Zaki

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 11 Jan-15 Feb 1999

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