Dead Ringers: Series 15-19 Plus Specials

Five fantastic series of the award-winning impressions show – plus 13 superb Specials Serving up razor-sharp caricatures and explosively satirical truth-bombs since January 2000, Dead Ringers is one of Radio 4’s most popular and critically acclaimed comedy shows. In these five series, first broadcast between 2015 and 2019, media mauling and celebrity savaging are once more the order of the day, as Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Lewis MacLeod, Debra Stephenson and Duncan Wisbey poke fun at the worlds of politics and entertainment. In the wake of the Brexit vote, the team give us their in-depth analysis of the highs, lows and madness of the EU referendum campaigns. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are the targets of some post-election skewering; Donald Trump has a ‘dino-mite’ idea; and there’s terror in store as a haunted Boris Johnson meets the Mr Hyde to his Mr Hyde. Plus, Morrissey, Pam Ayres and Chas n’ Dave gives us their best James Bond theme tunes; David Sedaris and Alan Bennett have a biscuit-off; Joan Bakewell explains Love Island to Radio 4 listeners – and British superheroes the National Treasures welcome their newest member: Lorraine Kelly... Also featured are 13 sparkling Specials, including a wealth of tinsel-topped Christmas editions; 2016’s speculative ‘A Look Back at the Year 2020’; the one-off drama ‘An Alien Has Landed’, imagining what would happen if an extra-terrestrial visited Earth; and the 2019 Election Special, examining every twist, turn and embarrassing face-saving platitude from the candidates.

Cast and credits

Starring John Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, Lewis MacLeod and Debra Stephenson

Produced and created by Bill Dare

With Sanjeev Bhaskar (An Alien Has Landed)

Guest cast: Josh Berry (Series 18, Episode 5)

Production Coordinator: Beverly Tagg

Music composed by John Whitehall Written by Nev Fountain, Tom Jamieson and Laurence Howarth with: Simon Alcock, Ed Amsden, Liam Beirne, Jack Bernhardt, Catherine Brinkworth, James Bugg, Sarah Campbell, Tom Coles, Lewis Cook, Max Davis, Sarah Doran, Sara Gibbs, Alex Hardy, Alex Harvey, Danielle Harvey, Laura Major, Jane McCutcheon, Charlotte Pearson, Vivienne Riddoch, Mike Shephard, Edward Tew, Duncan Wisbey First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 14 August-11 September 2015 (Series 15), 25 December 2015 (Christmas Special), 1 January 2016 (New Year Special), 18 June-22 July 2016 (Series 16), 23-30 December 2016 (Christmas Specials), 16 June-21 July 2017 (Series 17), 22-29 December 2017 (Christmas Specials), 17 February 2018 (An Alien Has Landed), 8 June-13 July 2018 (Series 18) 7-21 December 2018 (Christmas Specials), 7 June-12 July 2019 (Series 19), 13-27 December 2019 (Election Special & Christmas Specials)