Comedy drama set in Hardacre''s, the worst advertising agency in LondonFor three decades, Rupert Hardacre was one of the big beasts of advertising: he worked hard, played hard, and lived hard. But he fell harder...Driven out of every reputable agency in town for drinking all their whiskey and sleeping with all their wives, he used the remains of his fortune to found Hardacre''s, the best (and only) advertising agency on the M25. Now he''s so confident that his name alone will take him back to the top, he''s happy to leave all the actual work to the creative department.But for the Hardacre organisation, there''s more chaos than creativity. The entire creative team is made up of two fresh-faced and utterly clueless graduates, the new accounts chief Amanda is terrifying everyone, and their permanently disengaged receptionist Laura doesn''t appear to know (or care) what''s going on.On a good day, Rupert and the Hardacre team will be coming up with ads for industrial adhesives, cast iron stoves, and jewellery for dogs. But can they beat the competition and rebuild their reputation to crawl back up the greasy ladder to success? Will old friends in the industry be their saving grace - or their downfall? And most importantly, can Rupert ever get a decent glass of whiskey?Starring Nigel Havers (Downton Abbey, Coronation Street), Josie Lawrence (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Eastenders) and Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, The Wrong Mans), the charming and hilarious Reluctant Persuaders won Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2016, and is perfect for fans of In and Out of the Kitchen and Fags, Mags and Bags.Written by Edward RowettProduced by Gordon KennedyDirected by Alan NixonAn Absolutely Production for BBC Radio 4Cast Rupert Hardacre - Nigel HaversAmanda Brook - Josie LawrenceJoe - Mathew BayntonTeddy (Series 1, 3 and 4) - Rasmus HardikerTeddy (series 2)/Frederick - Kieran HodgsonLaura/''Gram Woman - Olivia NixonCharles Blackwell - Martin JarvisLaurie Patterson - Frances BarberLake - Rebekah StatonAce - Oliver ChrisDoctor/WPC/Crystal/Client/Waitress - Holly MorganJordan - Richard GouldingBill Lessing - Mark EvansBarista - Andrew NolanElgin - James NorthcoteMikey - Esh AlladiChristmas Ad Voice Over - Gordon KennedyMC/Narrator - Victoria RigbyWaitress - Olivia PenhallowBartender - Mark EvansTube Announcer - David FairsBook Launch Host - Edward RowettFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 15 September - 6 October 2015 (Series 1), 6 April - 27 April 2017 (Series 2), 4 October - 8 November 2018 (Series 3), 2 March - 6 April 2021 (Series 4)©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Comedy drama set in Hardacre''s, the worst advertising agency in LondonFor three decades, Rupert Hardacre was one of the big beasts of advertising: he worked hard, played hard, and lived hard. But he fell harder...Driven out of every reputable agency in town for drinking all their whiskey and sleeping with all their wives, he used the remains of his fortune to found Hardacre''s, the best (and only) advertising agency on the M25. Now he''s so confident that his name alone will take him back to the top, he''s happy to leave all the actual work to the creative department.But for the Hardacre organisation, there''s more chaos than creativity. The entire creative team is made up of two fresh-faced and utterly clueless graduates, the new accounts chief Amanda is terrifying everyone, and their permanently disengaged receptionist Laura doesn''t appear to know (or care) what''s going on.On a good day, Rupert and the Hardacre team will be coming up with ads for industrial adhesives, cast iron stoves, and jewellery for dogs. But can they beat the competition and rebuild their reputation to crawl back up the greasy ladder to success? Will old friends in the industry be their saving grace - or their downfall? And most importantly, can Rupert ever get a decent glass of whiskey?Starring Nigel Havers (Downton Abbey, Coronation Street), Josie Lawrence (Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Eastenders) and Mathew Baynton (Ghosts, The Wrong Mans), the charming and hilarious Reluctant Persuaders won Best Scripted Comedy at the BBC Audio Drama Awards 2016, and is perfect for fans of In and Out of the Kitchen and Fags, Mags and Bags.Written by Edward RowettProduced by Gordon KennedyDirected by Alan NixonAn Absolutely Production for BBC Radio 4Cast Rupert Hardacre - Nigel HaversAmanda Brook - Josie LawrenceJoe - Mathew BayntonTeddy (Series 1, 3 and 4) - Rasmus HardikerTeddy (series 2)/Frederick - Kieran HodgsonLaura/''Gram Woman - Olivia NixonCharles Blackwell - Martin JarvisLaurie Patterson - Frances BarberLake - Rebekah StatonAce - Oliver ChrisDoctor/WPC/Crystal/Client/Waitress - Holly MorganJordan - Richard GouldingBill Lessing - Mark EvansBarista - Andrew NolanElgin - James NorthcoteMikey - Esh AlladiChristmas Ad Voice Over - Gordon KennedyMC/Narrator - Victoria RigbyWaitress - Olivia PenhallowBartender - Mark EvansTube Announcer - David FairsBook Launch Host - Edward RowettFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra on 15 September - 6 October 2015 (Series 1), 6 April - 27 April 2017 (Series 2), 4 October - 8 November 2018 (Series 3), 2 March - 6 April 2021 (Series 4)©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd