Steve Sunderland – författare

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