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Old Harry's Game
The cover of the first volume collection of Old Harry's Game.
Genre	Sitcom
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4
Starring	Andy Hamilton James Grout (Series 1-Christmas Special) Jimmy Mulville Steve O'Donnell (Series 1) Robert Duncan (Series 2 onwards) David Swift (Guest appearances) Annette Crosbie (Series 6)
Creators	Andy Hamilton
Writers	Andy Hamilton
Producers	Paul Mayhew-Archer
Air dates	27 November 1995 to 1 November 2007
No. of series	6 (up to 2007)
No. of episodes	36 (up to 2007)
Website At BBC Radio 4

Old Harry's Game is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary (or rather, underworld-weary) Satan. "Old Harry" was one of many names for the devil. The title is a humorous play on the title of the 1982 TV series Harry's Game. Beginning in 1995, four series of six half-hour episodes each were aired by 2001 and a two-part Christmas special followed in 2002. A fifth full series was frequently delayed because of a cast member's illness, but recording of the four episodes of series five took place in April 2005 (postponed from January). The first episode of that series was broadcast on 20 September 2005 on BBC Radio 4. James Grout (the Professor during the first four series) did not take part. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954) is a British comedian, game show panelist, director and comedy scriptwriter for television and radio. ... James Grout (born 22 October 1927 in London) is an English television and radio actor. ... James Thomas Mulville (born January 5, 1955) is a British comedian, comedy writer, producer and television presenter. ... Steve ODonnell is an actor. ... Robert Duncan (born 27 July 1952 in St. ... David Swift (born 1933) is a British actor, best known for his role in the sitcom, Drop the Dead Donkey. ... Annette Crosbie, OBE (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish character actress, best known for her many television appearances. ... Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954) is a British comedian, game show panelist, director and comedy scriptwriter for television and radio. ... Paul Mayhew-Archer is a writer and script editor for the BBC. His most notable works have been The Vicar of Dibley and My Hero though he also wrote for Spitting Image and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Radio comedy, or comedic radio programming, is a radio broadcast that may involve sitcom elements, sketches, and many other forms of comedy found on other mediums. ... Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 1954) is a British comedian, game show panelist, director and comedy scriptwriter for television and radio. ... Satan is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harrys Game by Andy Hamilton based on the concept of Satan from various religions. ... This is an overview of the Devil. ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Harrys Game is a British television series made by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1982. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... James Grout (born 22 October 1927 in London) is an English television and radio actor. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: [1]) varies. ...

Series 6 (six episodes) began on BBC Radio 4 on 27 September 2007[1]. old Radio 4 logo BBC Radio 4 is a UK domestic radio station which broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes including news, drama, comedy, science and history. ... is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Plot

The series is mainly set in Hell and the plot usually centres on the relationships and conflicts between Satan, his various minions and the damned. It regularly features famous historical figures and celebrities, most of which are portrayed as being less likeable or different from the version recorded by history. This includes a foul-mouthed Jane Austen, sexual predator Florence Nightingale (who took advantage of wounded soldiers) and a vacuous Helen of Troy (and her plain looking friend "Daphne"). This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... Robin Shoots with Sir Guy by Louis Rhead. ... “Dammit” redirects here. ... 1870 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait commissioned by her nephew for his 1870 Memoir of Jane Austen Jane Austen (16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose works include Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. ... Embley Park, now a school, was the family home of Florence Nightingale. ... Helen was the wife of Menelaus and reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the world, and her abduction by Paris brought about the Trojan War. ... This article is about the Greek mythological character. ...

This subversive approach also applies to God (first name Nigel), who makes the occasional appearance and is played by David Swift. God is usually portrayed as being quick-tempered and vengeful; in the series God says that he accidentally created the universe, when he was messing about with some matter and energy, he put in down to have a sip of his drink and then ka-boom, he had a universe on his hands. Life on earth was created for a bet, as earth was dull viewing. God, for a bit of fun, sprinkled some mutating bacteria into the oceans, and ran a book with the other angels to see which one would evolve into a creature that would develop a language first. God seems rather annoyed that things 'got out of hand'. In later series, we learn that God also sends emails, but refuses to read any he receives as he once got taken in by a scam from Nigeria. This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ... David Swift (born 1933) is a British actor, best known for his role in the sitcom, Drop the Dead Donkey. ... A confidence trick, confidence game, or con for short, (also known as a scam) is an attempt to intentionally mislead a person or persons (known as the mark) usually with the goal of financial or other gain. ...

Series 1-4

The first four series centred on the philosophical arguments between Satan and the somewhat idealistic main human character, Professor Richard Whittingham (James Grout), although the character was referred to as "Professor Richard Hope" in a later series, probably in error. This is also what he is called in series 1, episode 5/6 where he publishes the Theory of Everything. Generally, Satan wishes to prove to the Professor that mankind is inherently base or flawed, with the Professor taking an opposing position. Usually Satan will travel to the human world to display the more contemptible sides of human nature, such as snipers shooting old ladies in Bosnia or prostitution in Thailand to a generally horrified Professor. Other times, he introduces the Professor to historical personages now languishing in Hell that the Professor holds in high esteem, such as Leonardo da Vinci or William Shakespeare, showing him how petty and mendacious they really are. However, the Professor's idealism is usually shown to have some validity as well and more often than not the Professor wins the argument, although Satan always insists he hasn't. For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... Professor Richard Whittingham is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harrys Game by Andy Hamilton who is portrayed by James Grout. ... James Grout (born 22 October 1927 in London) is an English television and radio actor. ... For other uses, see Human nature (disambiguation). ... This article is about the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Whore redirects here. ... This article is about the theological or philosophical afterlife. ... “Da Vinci” redirects here. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ...

The other main human in the series is Thomas Quentin Crimp (Jimmy Mulville), an execrable character with few (or no) morals, held up by Satan as an example of all that is detestable about humanity. In the first episode, it is demonstrated that Thomas caused the car crash which landed him and the professor in Hell. The Professor, despite his moral idealism, was sent to Hell because of his atheism. The fact of the afterlife has not changed his views. Despite (or perhaps because of) this, the Professor and Thomas are often placed together by Satan. Thomas Quentin Crimp is a fictional character from the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Old Harrys Game by Andy Hamilton who is portrayed by Jimmy Mulville. ... James Thomas Mulville (born January 5, 1955) is a British comedian, comedy writer, producer and television presenter. ... This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedias quality standards. ... Atheist redirects here. ... For other uses, see Afterlife (disambiguation). ...

Regular plot elements involved the Professor visiting, or being shown, his beloved wife, Deborah, as she got on with her life after his death. His widow's eventual marriage to an Irish jockey and her near-fatal coma were important plot strands in series 3 and 4. These plot strands ended when the Professor was accepted into heaven a short time after the events of the Christmas special. (The incident itself is not covered in the series). For information on the name Deborah, see Debbie For information on the nurse of Rebeccah, mentioned in Genesis, see Deborah (Genesis) Deborah or Dvora (Hebrew: , Standard  Tiberian  ; Bee) was a prophetess and the fourth Judge and only female Judge of pre-monarchic Israel in the Old Testament (Tanakh). ... For other uses, see Death (disambiguation). ... The racecourse in Chester. ... For other uses, see Coma (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Heaven (disambiguation). ...

Other characters featured are Satan's minions. Satan's most venomous demon, Gary (Steve O'Donnell) was featured in the first series, as Thomas was on his list of tormentees. Thomas later convinced Gary to rebel against Satan, with a distinct lack of success. Gary is mentioned only once in later series and his absence is never explained. Scumspawn (Robert Duncan), featured from the second onwards, appears to have a job similar to Gary's and applies to become Satan's personal assistant. Though Satan initially refuses, he later relents, and Scumspawn proves to be a surprisingly effective assistant. His subplots usually involve attempts to become a better demon (with help from Thomas). Much of the humour surrounding Scumspawn derives from his sensitive and caring personality, a constant irritant to Satan, who often complains that Scumspawn does not act very much like a demon. // Place name Several places in the United States of America are called Gary (in decreasing population order): Gary, Indiana Gary, West Virginia Gary, Minnesota Gary, South Dakota There are other similarly-named towns: Gary City, Texas Garysburg, North Carolina Garyville, Louisiana GNIS also lists the following tiny (or uninhabited) towns... Steve ODonnell is an actor. ... Robert Duncan (born 27 July 1952 in St. ... A personal assistant, personal aide, or PA for short, is someone who assists in daily personal tasks. ...

According to Andy Hamilton in an interview broadcast April 5, 2008 on BBC Radio 7's "I Did It My Way", one episode in series 3 was partially re-recorded due to a tragic confluence of events. In the episode, Satan disrupts Deborah's wedding to an irish jockey by taking the form of BBC reporter Jill Dando. Later in the episode, Satan reveals that Jill Dando never existed at all, and was just a disguise that he used to stir unrest in the realm of the living. After the episode was originally broadcast, the 37-year-old reporter was murdered outside her home. The episode was partially re-recorded for repeats, with Satan manifesting himself as another BBC reporter, Gabby Roselyn instead of Dando. Jill Dando (9 November 1961 – 26 April 1999) was a British television presenter who worked for the BBC for over fifteen years. ...

Christmas Special

In a double-bill special broadcast on New Year's Eve 2002 and New Year's Day 2003, Hope, an extraordinarily beautiful Salvation Army worker and tambourine player, was killed and sent to Hell by accident. This resulted in Satan's trying to bring her back to life by bringing her to Death, although he only got as far as meeting the Welsh Death, and contacting the Head Death on his mobile. After Death refuses to bring her back, Satan travels to Heaven, now protected with barbed wire, CCTV and Rottweilers. After talking to Saint Peter (who Satan implies actually had sex with call girls in Rome, as well as stealing the other 100 pieces of silver that had been contracted by Judas but went missing), Hope gets into Heaven. For other articles with similar names, see New Year (disambiguation). ... This article is about the date January 1 in the Gregorian calendar. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organisation. ... “Buben” redirects here. ... Grim Reaper redirects here. ... This article is about the country. ... Cell phone redirects here. ... Typical modern agricultural barbed wire. ... This article refers to a surveillance system. ... This article is about the dog breed. ... St Peter redirects here. ... A call girl is a prostitute who is not visible to the general public, like a street walker, and who does not usually belong to an institution like a brothel. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Judas. ...

Series 5

Series 5 kept many of the themes of the earlier series; however, most of the action did not revolve around Satan's relationships with his minions and the damned. Instead, the episodes focused on Satan's efforts to reduce overcrowding in hell. In literature, a theme is a broad idea in a story, or a message or lesson conveyed by a work. ...

Much of the action was split between Hell and various locations on Earth. The basic plot of an episode involved Satan taking on the guise of a leading figure (and thus meeting and trying to convince people like Queen Elizabeth II and Condoleezza Rice) in order to lead more of mankind to heaven by encouraging them change their way of life. However, he was usually unsuccessful in his attempts. This article is about Earth as a planet. ... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... Condoleezza Rice (born November 14, 1954) is the 66th United States Secretary of State, and the second in the administration of President George W. Bush to hold the office. ...

The rest of the episodes focused on Scumspawn's ineffective attempts to run hell in Satan's absence. This normally involved him trying to find ways to cope with a strange new arrival in hell, unionised demons and overcrowding. He would often enlist Thomas' help in trying to find a solution, which usually failed. At the end of the episode, Satan would return and sort out whatever new problem Scumspawn had managed to create.

The last two episodes of the series also featured a new arrival (Geoffrey Whitehead), who tried to organise a rebellion of demons in Hell with exactly as much success as Gary and Thomas had in series 1. In the end, Satan decided that he need not worry, because humans would soon be extinct anyway. In order to hasten mankind's extinction, he turned into Jeb Bush and plotted to tell his brother George Bush to launch a nuclear strike on the polar icecaps. Geoffrey Whitehead is an English actor born 1 October 1939 in Sheffield. ... John Ellis Jeb Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician, and was the 43rd Governor of Florida. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001 and re-elected in the 2004 U.S. presidential election. ... The Titan II ICBM carried a 9 Mt W53 warhead, making it one of the most powerful nuclear weapons fielded by the United States during the Cold War. ... Location of the polar regions Northern Hemisphere permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in purple. ...

Series 6

For series 6, the writers returned to the style of the original series, with most of the action taking place in hell. They also introduced a new member of the damned, Edith, an academic and historian who recently died and was sent to hell. She is also Thomas' former mother-in-law and Edith and Thomas have a mutual hatred of each other, so Satan decides they should be perfect room mates. Edith apparently died of suicide while watching Midsomer Murders. Edith is a female given name, derived from the Old English words ead, meaning rich or blessed, and gyð, meaning war, and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. ... A persons mother-in-law is the mother of his wife or her husband. ... For other uses, see Suicide (disambiguation). ... Midsomer Murders is a British television drama that has aired on ITV1 since 1997. ...

Edith is not pleased with this situation (Thomas subjected her daughter to emotional abuses, divorce and then tried to take custody of her breast implants). She agrees to write a definitive biography of Satan in return for new accommodation. She also insists that she did not commit suicide and Satan grudgingly agrees to help her find out how she died. Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse. ... A breast implant is a prosthesis used to enlarge the size of a womans breasts (known as breast augmentation, breast enlargement, mammoplasty enlargement, augmentation mammoplasty or the common slang term boob job) for cosmetic reasons; to reconstruct the breast (e. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The basic plot of an episode generally involves Satan trying to find out more about Edith's death, while Edith interviews members of the damned about Satan's past.

The series also features various sub-plots, including Scumspawn's attempts to find a 'decent' side to Thomas' personality (much in the same way as the Professor did in the earlier series).

Episodes

Series 1

1.1 Introduction (aka "Welcome to Hell") (Broadcast: 23 November 1995)

1.2 Corruption (Broadcast: 30 November 1995)

1.3 Hero worship (Broadcast: 7 December 1995)

1.4 Appearances (Broadcast: 14 December 1995)

1.5 Rebellion (Broadcast: 21 December 1995)

1.6 Redemption (Broadcast: 28 December 1995)

Series 2 is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

2.1 Assistant (Broadcast: 7 April 1998)

2.2 Chuckles (Broadcast: 14 April 1998)

2.3 Nero (Broadcast: 21 April 1998)

2.4 Computers (Broadcast: 28 April 1998)

2.5 G.U.T. (Broadcast: 5 May 1998)

2.6 Too Far (Broadcast: 12 May 1998)

Series 3 April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

3.1 This Thing Called Love (Broadcast: 24 March 1999)

3.2 Another Country (Broadcast: 31 March 1999)

3.3 A Four-Letter Word (Broadcast: 7 April 1999)

3.4 The Reasonably Fantastic Journey (Broadcast: 14 April 1999)

3.5 The Beautiful Game (Broadcast: 21 April 1999)

3.6 The Final Reckoning (Broadcast: 28 April 1999)

Series 4 is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events of 2008: (EMILY) Me Lesley and MIley are going to China! This article is about the year. ... is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

4.1 Knowledge & Ignorance (Broadcast: 29 March 2001)

4.2 Beautiful England (Broadcast: 5 April 2001)

4.3 Health & Safety (Broadcast: 12 April 2001)

4.4 Poets Corner (Broadcast: 19 April 2001)

4.5 Sleep (Broadcast: 26 April 2001)

4.6 Beauty (Broadcast: 3 April 2001)

Christmas Special 2002 is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 93rd day of the year (94th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

x.1 The Roll of the Dice (Broadcast: 31 December 2002)

x.2 Knocking on Heaven's Door (Broadcast: 1 January 2003)

Series 5 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

5.1 Moral Leadership (Broadcast: 20 September 2005)

5.2 The Crusade (Broadcast: 27 September 2005)

5.3 Power Politics (Broadcast: 4 October 2005)

5.4 I Blame The Media (Broadcast: 11 October 2005)

Series 6 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

6.1 Edith (Broadcast: 27 September 2007)

6.2 Discoveries (Broadcast 4 October 2007)

6.3 Murderers (Broadcast 11 October 2007)

6.4 Psychiatry (Broadcast 18 October 2007)

6.5 Investigation (Broadcast 25 October 2007)

6.6 Ginger (Broadcast 1 November 2007)

is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Audiobooks

There are four audiobooks made of the series available, featuring selected episodes from certain series.

• Volume One - Series 1: Episodes 1, 5 and 6. Series 2: Episodes 1, 2 and 4.
• Volume Two - Series 3: Episodes 1, 2 and 3. Series 4: Episodes 2, 3 and 4.
• Christmas Special - Both Christmas Special Episodes.
• Radio Series Five - The Complete Fifth Series.
• Radio Series Six - The Complete Sixth Series.

External links

• Episode Guide: Old Harry's Game
• Review of Old Harry's Game: Radio Series 5 CD at www.sci-fi-online.com
• Old Harry's Game on the BBC website.