No Commitments: Series 6-9

The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Drama

By: Simon Brett

Narrated by: Lisa Coleman, Rosemary Leach, Angela Thorne, Celia Imrie, Felicity Montagu, full cast, Bill Nighy

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's Summary

Series six through nine of the BBC Radio comedy drama following the fortunes of three 40-something sisters.

Sisters Anna, Victoria and Charlotte are back for four more series, in which relationships are forged, hearts are broken and family ties are strained - but not severed.

Older sister Anna continues to live her life on her own terms, despite her sisters' insistence on being there for her. But when she suffers a couple of knocks to her confidence and needs a shoulder to cry on, they are too self-absorbed to be any use. Fortunately, niece Emily provides moral support and Anna reciprocates with some down-to-earth advice about Emily's love life.

With their daughter away at university, Emily's parents find themselves reassessing their marriage. Roger is tempted to stray, while Victoria becomes even more insecure - and a death in the family sends shock waves rippling in unexpected directions.

Meanwhile, Charlotte's star rises and falls, as she makes her soap opera debut and finally acquires celebrity status, only to have her bubble cruelly burst. With her acting career seemingly on the decline, she embarks on a quest to find herself - and makes some surprising discoveries.

Written by Simon Brett, this much-loved sitcom stars Rosemary Leach as Anna, with Angela Thorne as Victoria, Celia Imrie and Felicity Montagu as Charlotte, Lisa Coleman as Emily and Bill Nighy as Roger.

Produced by Maria Esposito (series six through) and Simon Brett (series nine)

• Music composed by Elizabeth Parker, BBC Radiophonic Workshop
• Anna - Rosemary Leach
•  Victoria - Angela Thorne
• Charlotte - Celia Imrie/Felicity Montague
• Roger - Bill Nighy
• Eddie - James Greene
• Emily - Lisa Coleman

With Edward de Souza, Christian Rodska, Joanna Monro, Will Ing, Jane Gibson, Alan Cowan, Alison Skilbeck, Simon Brett, Tracy-Ann Obermann, Bruce Alexander, James Vaughan, Colin Starkey, Kenny Blythe, Natalie Casey, Jason Done, Michael Jayston

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 14th July-18th August 1999 (series six), 31st January-7th March 2001 (series seven), 2nd January-6th February 2002 (series eight), 1st January-5th February 2003 (series nine)

©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Misophonia sufferers, beware

This is an entertaining series following the fortunes of three sisters, Anna, Victoria and Charlotte. Anna, freed of the commitment of caring for her father, finds herself constantly dealing with the crises of her sisters, married Victoria and single actor Charlotte. Anna is presented as the sympathetic character, though they can all be pretty unpleasant from time to time. The characterisation isn't consistent - Victoria's husband, Roger, is presented as a philanderer in series 1 - 5, and segues in later series into a benign idiot usually dominated by the irredemably snobbish Victoria. Charlotte is presented as the academically insecure one wth 'no A-Levels' in series 1 - 5, a role that is taken over by Victoria later on. The performances are good, and sometimes excellent. Celia Imrie as Charlotte, Bill Nighy as Roger and Angela Thorne as Victoria stand out. Unfortunately, the cast can vary from series to series, so in listening to the whole thing, there are changes in characters' voices that can pull you out of the story. There are some very strange casting decisions like, in one series, giving Victoria's 18-year-old daughter Emily the voice of a whiny nine-year-old.

All the series are plagued by the curse of radio drama: the eating scene. If a scene is set round a table, all the characters masticate loudly and talk with their mouths full. This misophonia sufferer had to fast forward through large chunks which were rendered unlistenable to because of this. Pity.

Overall, a bit of escapist listening - if you are not misophonic.