On Mardle Fen: Series 1-6

The Complete BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas

By: Nick Warburton

Narrated by: full cast, Helen Longworth, John Rowe, Kate Buffery, Sam Dale, Trevor Peacock

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Trevor Peacock (The Vicar of Dibley) stars as inspired chef Warwick Hedges, in this comedy drama set in an idiosyncratic restaurant in the Cambridgeshire Fens. Warwick’s son Jack works alongside his father, which makes him permanently anxious. They are assisted by Samuel, an earthy odd-job man "who crawled out of the slime with the eels", and Zofia the Polish waitress.

Whether hosting unusual guests, dealing with flooding, fuelling father-son rivalry, or moving strange stones from the edge of the Fen to his restaurant 'at his own peril', Warwick certainly keeps Mardle Fen on its toes.

The mixture of food, family relationships and Fenland legend is handled with Nick Warburton's characteristic deft comic touch.

Cast:
Warwick Hedges.....Trevor Peacock
Jack Hedges.....Sam Dale
Zofia.....Helen Longworth
Samuel.....John Rowe
Marcia Hedges.....Kate Buffery

Other parts played by Chris Pavlo, Liza Sadovy, Christine Kavanagh, Liz Sutherland, Lizzy Watts, Victoria Inez Hardy, Malcolm Tierney, Paul Rider, Lauren Mote, Claire Rushbrook, Tony Bell, Adam Billington, Ben Crowe, Tilly Tremayne, Paul Bazely and Gyles Brandreth.

Produced and directed by Claire Grove.

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

wonderful characters

after listening for only a short while, you become fully invested in these characters and are eager t find out what happen next.

One of the best books I've listened to

I've been an Audible member for many years but this is the first time I've felt compelled to leave a review. On Mardle Fen completely ticks all the boxes from an amazing cast to a compelling series of stories that link on to each other. What a read! I got into trouble for laugh out loud moments in bed whilst my husband was sleeping. Not sure about the rest of Nick Warburton but, based on this, I'm about to download another of his books in the hope that his writing theme continues. Helen Longworth and the cast are to be congratulated. Sad I've finished it.

Excellent, but by *no* means is this a Brit-Com.

Excellent performances and compelling plot-lines, but how this got classified as a "BBC Comedy" is a mystery. The description--'Kooky dad and his zany family contend with colorful guests and eccentric employees'--seems designed to entice fans of 'Fawlty Towers', which is inaccurate and does a great disservice.

Superb!

‘On Mardle Fen’ is a delight from start to finish with outstanding performances all around. I was especially taken with Helen Longworth’s Zofia! Enjoy!

Luke

Absolutely delightful. A comedic, relational family drama with a touch of fairy magic and mafia-style danger! You may have trouble categorizing this one as it flits between mystery, fairytale, comedy, and a classic revenge story. Once you realize it’s all of these things, it’s much easier to enjoy. Fantastic performances from the entire cast. I could keep listening to this one. Great series!

You may fall in love with these characters

You will have to stay with these stories, and it may be easy to stop listening. Please keep listening. If you're lucky like me you'll fall in love with the characters presented in these stories. I first fell in love with Marcia's voice and character and the way she interacts with Warwick and Jack. As the stories progress Zofia and Samuel come out as wonderful characters as well. By the end of the last story I was wanting more of these stories. Watch out for Chapter 6, as it may get under your skin like it did mine.

disappointing

The series is very good for four episodes, then it loses one of its main characters and changes course. The remainder is repetitive and banal.