Radio Memories – Rubbish.

Rubbish (BBC Radio 4, 2006-2007)

While I put some more ideas for TV pieces together, I thought that I would review another radio comedy, if you don’t mind. I don’t know if this show got its title in another attempt to try and catch out announcers who would this introduce this by saying “the next programme on Radio 4 is Rubbish“, but this is another one that I came across during the many repeat runs on BBC Radio 4 Extra (which might be closing soon…).

Rubbish starred Reece Dinsdale, who among other things has appeared in sitcom Home To Roost, and he was also one of the many unfortunate men to have been married to Gail in Coronation Street (and he also directed a few episodes in more recent years). When I first heard this, I noticed his voice, and this made me want to pay a little more attention to what was happening, which was rather unusual at times.

Martin Christmas (what a great name) is a local government officer, who works in the sanitation department. If you thought that this wouldn’t be an area featuring too much bureaucracy, well you would be wrong. He has to determine things like what colour the bins should be, and what people should put in them, plus all kinds of strategies. It feels like he ends up having meetings about when he is going to have meetings.

But his aim to be try and remain focused, and be top of the various tables, this is a place where it really is about targets, tests, and scores. His aim is to move up the ladder and eventually be the deputy head of office, that’s the dream. But he has an attitude that makes it seem that he is frustrated with his work, and he is also having to deal with the situation in his love life, which is rather bad.

He ends up pushing himself into awkward situations so often that he realises that there is actually a fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse called Embarrassment who pays him regular visits, why does he do it to himself. There were 12 episodes of Rubbish in two series. And there was plenty of other comic talent taking part, including Kevin Eldon, so that’s good isn’t it. So I didn’t think that this was that rubbish, really.