Gloomsbury

Gloomsbury was a BBC Radio 4 comedy sitcom which gently parodied the lives, loves and works of the Bloomsbury Group. It was written by Sue Limb and five series were produced, in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Cast

The character names were punning parodies of prominent members of the Bloomsbury Group and other characters of the day:

Miriam Margolyes as Vera Sackcloth-Vest, creator of the garden at Sizzlinghurst Castle.
Jonathan Coy as her husband, Henry Mickleton.
Alison Steadman as Ginny Fox and as Mrs Gosling, Vera's housekeeper, also Lady Utterline Immoral of Arsington.
Nigel Planer as Lionel Fox and Gosling, Vera's gardener, also Lytton Scratchy and Winston Churchill. In series 3, episode 5, Planer portrayed The Prince of Wales using an impression of Prince Charles.
John Sessions as D. H. Lollipop, author of Lady Hattersley's Plover; also T. S. Jellitot and Llewd George and W. B. Yikes, and in Robert Bletchley, George Gurnard Shaw, Ernest Hammingway, Gertrude Klein and James Voyce.
Morwenna Banks as the "muse" Venus Traduces. In series 3, episode 5, Banks portrayed Mrs Freda Cuddly-Broad. In series 4 and 5 she is Hilda Matthewson and in series 5 also Frieda Lollipop, Dorothy Barker, Barrington, Charlotte, Gwen Staubyn and Nancy Astor.

Each episode covered the various personal shenanigans and literary endeavours of the group, influenced by contemporary mores and events.

Theme music

The theme for all episodes was "You're Driving Me Crazy", written in 1930, which could be considered rather late in the history of the Bloomsbury Group, and performed by The Temperance Seven.

Production

The series was written by Sue Limb and produced by Little Brother Productions for the BBC.