Last night I went to see the recording of two new episodes from the third season of the excellent BBC Radio 4 comedy series Hut 33. It was recorded at the BBC Radio Theatre, which is inside Broadcasting House, pictured above (click for a larger view).I went along with work colleague and friend Martha, and my Mum, who stood in for Ian who was unable to go - mainly due to his forgetting he would be with wife and kids on holiday in Weymouth at the time.
Set during World War Two, Hut 33 follows the adventures of a team of code breakers at Bletchley Park. The three code-breakers are forced to share a draughty wooden hut as they try to break German ciphers. Unfortunately, as they come from very different backgrounds, they don't get along.
Archie is a stroppy Geordie Marxist, who wants a socialist revolution, Charles meanwhile is an ultra-conservative snob with a background as a university professor. Also in the hut is child prodigy and very gullible Gordon and, sometimes, the very silent Winstanley (we only know the latter exists as the other characters occasionally remark about his odd behaviour).
In theory, 3rd Lieutenant Fanshawe-Marshall is in charge of the hut, but he is so dim he struggles to exercise any authority, or indeed remember his own name.
There's also Mrs Best, their lascivious local pub landlady who is on the prowl for a man (or men!) and the hut's psychopathic Polish secretary Minka, the one competent member of the team - although her answer to virtually everything unfortunately involves extreme violence.
The show has become a cult hit - the queue outside Broadcasting House was huge. I would not be surprised if it transfers to television soon. I highly recommend the show, the second series of which is being repeated both on BBC Radio 4, and on the BBC iPlayer website too.
Anyway, on a somewhat trashier note, friend Damien sent me the following clip from Britain's Got Talent, of the Hooded Fingerer, who hails from Belvedere. Heaven help us...
