Conversations from a Long Marriage
BBC Radio 4

One can only imagine the enthusiasm with which Radio 4 greeted Jan Etherington’s spec for Conversations from a Long Marriage when it first turned up on the ­commissioning editor’s desk several years ago. A 40-year-old union kept friskily alive; two smooth-tongued old stagers (Roger Allam and Joanna Lumley) bantering gamely away; a large yet increasingly uncatered for demographic (i.e. anyone over 60) taking centre stage. No wonder the franchise has gone from strength to strength, spawned Christmas specials and newspaper features and marched triumphantly on to this, its third series.