The Kit Curran Radio Show


The Kit Curran Radio Show is a British sitcom created and initially written by Andy Hamilton, and screened on ITV in 1984. A second series in 1986 was co-written with Guy Jenkin, the title reduced to simply Kit Curran.
Set in the fictional UK location of 'Newtown', it stars Denis Lawson as devious radio DJ Kit Curran, Paul Brooke as his assistant, Les Toms, and Clive Merrison as newsreader Damien Appleby. The first series saw Kit clashing with new station boss Roland Simpson, while the second series saw Kit attempt to start his own pirate radio station, while fighting for the affection of Pamela Scott.

Cast

Two semi-regular cast members were Philip Dunbar, who played George, a caller to the station in every episode of the first series, and Joseph Marcell, who played Constantine, a security worker at the station. Notable guest cast members included Barbara Lott and Angus Mackay as BBC Radio Executives, Stephen Frost as a robber, Noel Coleman as a judge, Geoffrey Whitehead as a bank manager, Kevin Lloyd as an ambulance driver and Ray Burdis as 'Ray', a talent show entrant.

Situation

In the first season, Kit is a DJ on Newtown Radio, in the fictional location of Newtown. Episodes revolve around him trying to outwit the new station manager, Roland Simpson, and avoiding being fired. The second season saw Kit finally sacked from the station, along with studio engineer Les Toms and newsreader Damien Appleby. The three go into business together, setting up a pirate radio station in hired offices in Brentford. While there, Kit tries to woo Pamela Scott, the manager of a neighbouring business.

Episodes

There were two series, each of six episodes, as follows:
Series 1: The Kit Curran Radio Show
  1. "End of an Era"
  2. "The New Broom"
  3. "Bread and Circuses"
  4. "P Is for Positive"
  5. "Election Fever"
  6. "The Big Break"
Series 2: Kit Curran
  1. "One Door Closes"
  2. "The Lucky Break"
  3. "The Street of Shame"
  4. "A Sick Society"
  5. "Blind Date"
  6. "Doctors Can Seriously Damage Your Health"

    Theme tune

The theme tune, Ultra Fantastico, was composed by David Mackay with lyrics by Ian La Frenais. Sung by Denis Lawson, it was released as a single on EMI in 1984, though failed to chart.

Commercial release

Both seasons of the programme were repeated on UK Gold in the 1990s. Although the series has yet to be released on DVD, in December 2011 the second season was released as downloads from ITunes and is still commercially available. However, the episodes are erroneously listed both as a drama and as season one. The complete series will be released on DVD on 10/09/2018.

Legacy

It appears that the programme is often forgotten today, receiving little attention on the web, save for occasional mentions in unrelated articles, such as The Guardian citing radio sitcoms with 'Hence the comedy spoofs – Smashie and Nicey, Alan Partridge, or the 1980s Channel 4 sitcom The Kit Curran Radio Show – all bonhomie and smooth on air, but with a weird, desperate edge as soon as the red studio light goes off.'
James Rampton, writing for The Independent in 1994, slated the series, stating 'DJs have never been much fun on TV. Remember The Kit Curran Radio Show with Denis Lawson? Exactly.'
The first season was suggested as being something of a failure for producer Derrick Goodwin in the book On The Buses: The Complete Story by Craig Walker. Walker describes the series as a 'short-lived affair' and that 'six episodes later the sitcom ended.'