The Richest Man in Britain

All-star comedy about an ageing rock star and his search for fulfilment, written by Nick Hornby and Giles Smith

Dave Mabbutt is having a crisis. He’s the richest man in Britain, a bona fide rockstar with fans, fame and fortune. He even has a personal assistant called Mr. Tumble, who is in fact an elephant - but he’s not happy. When you have more money than sense life can have hilarious consequences. And how rock and roll does it really feel to have your mum at every gig?

Dave’s crisis begins when he is persuaded to preview his 'drums-only' version of 1970s classic album, ‘Temple of the Human Mind’. Things don’t go to plan when he introduces ex-lead singer Andy to his new best friend and personal assistant, Mr Tumble the elephant. However, this is nothing compared to the drama that is unleashed when Dave’s mum is kidnapped. On the plus side, the international crisis does provide the perfect excuse to get rid of shed-loads of cash and take a trip overseas. Yet when the richest man in Britain buys some last-minute holiday Euros it promptly brings down the entire global monetary system…

Written by Nick Hornby and Giles Smith, this radio comedy series stars Mark Williams (best known as Mr Weasley in the Harry Potter films) and Russell Tovey (star of TV’s Being Human) with a stellar line up of supporting cast members including Lydia Bellingham, Noddy Holder and Rosamund Pike, this is a laugh-out-loud comedy not to be missed.

Writer Nick Hornby is a best-selling author with many of his books being adapted for film, including High Fidelity, About a Boy and Fever Pitch. Giles Smith is a Sunday Times journalist, New Statesman columnist and the writer of three books including Lost in Music, about life and growing up with music.

Episode list:

· The Interview

· The Elephant in the Room

· The Kidnap

· The African Village

· The Cultural Attache

· The Meltdown

Cast and credits

Written by Nick Hornby and Giles Smith

Produced by Lucy Armitage

Dave Mabbutt - Mark Williams

Dom - Russell Tovey

Dave's Mum - Lynda Bellingham

Jane the Guardian Journalist - Kerry Fox

Andy - Noddy Holder

The Lawyer - Gus Brown

Mr Green the Banker - Geoff McGivern

Dimitri the Kidnapper/Ken the Maintenance Man - Phil Cornwell

Sophie/Waiter - Matt Addis

Naomi, the Charity Worker - Ayesha Antoine

Francesca, The Cultural Adviser - Rosamund Pike

First Broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 Nov-11 Dec 2009

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