Jim Poyser – författare

All 12 episodes featuring the comic goings-on of the Stockport-based Conroy familyGet ready to be dragged kicking and screaming into the world of family life, Stockport-style, as 15-year-old Jason introduces us to the Conroy clan. There''s dad Eddie, cabby and wannabe champion organist; mum Maureen, who''s easygoing but wasn''t born yesterday; older brother Michael, lead singer of The Sweater Girls; and sisters Colette (married to uptight bank clerk Dave) and Karen (newly returned from uni with a Sloane Ranger boyfriend).In Series 1, Italian exchange Gian-Paolo arrives - and soon makes his presence unwelcome; Eddie scores tickets to Stockport County''s biggest ever match and Dave proudly brings home his new Ford Focus (but will he ever take the protective covers off the seats?) And in Series 2, the Conroys become the subject of an academic study; meet their rich new neighbours; and welcome a visitor bringing extra branches to their family tree. Meanwhile, Jason and Michael stake their claim in cyberspace and The Sweater Girls look set for their big break - just as Eddie leaves home...Written by Murder on the Blackpool Express producer Jim Poyser, and author and actor Damian Lanigan, this light, entertaining sitcom - set in the real-life Stockport suburb of Edgeley - has a well-established sense of place and pitch-perfect local dialect. It stars Dominic Monaghan and Andrew Knott as Jason, with Jason Done as Michael, Beverly Callard as Maureen, and John McArdle and John Henshaw as Eddie. Special guests include sports commentator Alan Green and DJs Mark Radcliffe and Marc Riley.Production creditsWritten by Jim Poyser and Damian LaniganRecorded by Rex BroughMusic by Big GeorgeWith thanks to Justin Sbresni and Jon PlowmanProduced by Neil MosseyFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 August-29 September 1999 (Series 1), 4 October-8 November 2000 (Series 2)CastJason - Dominic Monaghan/Andrew KnottMichael - Jason DoneDave - Stefan EscreetEddie - John McArdle/John HenshawColette - Emma ClarkeMaureen - Beverley CallardDebbie/Karen - Jo-Anne KnowlesGian-Paolo - Stefan EscreetGran - Ann RyeFather Ryan/Hugo/Barry/Colin - Chris PavloMr Bickerstaff - Dan MaierAlan Green - HimselfBrian - Brian PoyserMr Owen - Richard DaviesLarry - Rolf SaxonClaudine - Brigit ForsythGordon - Robin BowermanYvonne - Romy BaskervilleRoddy - John JardineHelena - Marsha ThomasonJim - Jack SmethurstCarl/Stu - Damian LaniganDamian - Jim PoyserBernie - Emily FleeshmanMark Radcliffe and Marc Riley - Themselves©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Jim Poyser''s BBC radio riotous six-part comedy of time travel and delight Jason Slater is a very average twenty-first-century English teacher from Cheadle Hulme, but somehow wakes up after a few drinks in nineteenth-century Macclesfield. Apparently, he''s now Tarquin, third son of Lord Belport, with a faithful valet, a suspicious brother, a spurned ex-girlfriend (who''s now going out with his brother) - and no obvious way he''ll ever get back home again.From toasted sandwich makers and the perfect beer, to root canals and royal visits, can Jason - Tarquin, that is - change the course of history and make 1834 his playground? Or will all his modern sentiments and inventions cause total disaster for the rest of time - or at least the rest of his life)? A fun comedy of historical proportions, 1834: Time Travelling Teacher is created by the writer of Stockport: So Good They Named It Once and The Architects.CastJason Slater: Michael Begley Ned: Joe Caffery Hoskins: Kenneth Alan Taylor Lord Belfort: Mark Chatterton Henry: James NickersonLuddite/Highwayman: Toby Hadoke Millicent: Julia Rounthwaite Stubbs: Glenn Cunningham Duke of Cranmere: John CraigQueen Victoria: Caroline Harding First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:11 June - 16 July 2003Production creditsWritten by Jim PoyserDirected by Polly Thomas©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Six quirky dramas from in and around a northern market stall

“If you want owt - go down the market... They sell everything from pins to pearl earrings, from peaches to pig''s trotters, from tripe to tiramisu. See the hanging, marbled haunches of beef down Butchers'' Row. Smell the flowers, a fragrant dream. Taste the fresh silvery fish motorwayed down from the North Sea.”

Some would say the Market is the last authentic part of the city centre. This northern city has reinvented itself as a business and financial centre, bristling with designer shops and bars. A cosmopolitan, twenty-four hour city. Yet slap bang in the centre the Victorian City Market remains what it has always been; a place where you can get anything and see anything - a place teeming with life. The market is the real face of the city - mucky, multicultural and magnificent. Listen to this immersive collection of full-cast BBC radio dramas exploring the high and lows of this unique place which bursts with stories and life.

In Loco Parentis by Garry Brown, a bittersweet empty nester comedy starring Reece Dinsdale, Jim can''t sleep because his daughter''s left for uni, his business is going belly up, and his father is going gaga. Oh, and to top it all he suspects his wife is having an affair with her boss…

Phonebreaker by Steve Sunderland is the story of Matt. He’s going off the rails. School was a washout and working on his dad''s market stall is a dead-end job. But when he hears a call for help on a stolen mobile phone, it''s a call to action. An arresting morality tale starring Stephen Hoyle, Joseph Kloska and Jessica Blake.

Sean''s family own a fish stall down the market. Except Sean doesn''t want to join them. He''s become a ''Joey'' for his best friend Darren who''s a highly paid footballer. A Joey is a ''Go to Guy''. No way is he a dogsbody… The Joey by Jim Poysner is a quirky comedy starring John Catterall and Greg Wood.

In Castaway by Michael Stewart, Kevin Eldon stars as Andrew, a man proud of his beard and his liberal attitudes. When Akram Khan, a successful businessman, buys some computers off his stall, things start looking up for Andrew. That is, until he fits a wi-fi router in Mr Khan’s impressive house…

Eclipse by Sharon Oakes is a tender romantic comedy that tells the story of Carrie, who runs a flower stall. She also has a birthmark on her face. Maybe that''s the reason she has never married? But Mrs Kaminsky knows she has a secret admirer. Starring Michelle Holmes, Andrew Westfield and Melissa Jane Sinden.

Finally, An Imam and a Rabbi by Shakeel Ahmed is a wickedly funny supernatural comedy starring Muzz Khan and David Fleeshman. Imam Jawad and Rabbi Greenberg can''t stand the sight of each other. But then something strange and spooky occurs that needs cross-cultural co-operation. Can they do it?

Available as a complete collection for the first time, Market is a series of six plays with a whiff of the fantastical about them. Each story is self-contained, quirky and best described as a ‘modern morality’ play. Compelling, compulsive and utterly delightful, this wonderful collection is not to be missed by fans of comedy and drama alike.

Produced by Peter Leslie Wild and Gary Brown

Original Music by Steven D Reid

©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd