Comedian Angela Barnes has landed her first Radio 4 series commission. Based on her critically acclaimed debut show at the Edinburgh Fringe 2014, "You Can't Take It With You", Angela shares the big stuff she's thinking about: life, love, family, work and death.
The four-episode series is in part tribute to Angela's late father, an enormous character - (he was a sex shop manager, naturist, and a big fan of caravans and pranks), and a heavy influence on Angela who taught her a carpe diem approach to life. His motto: "You Can't Take It With You".
When her father died suddenly in 2008, Angela and her family proved him wrong and stuffed his coffin with sentimental keepsakes for his final journey.
In this series Angela does the same thing and asks her loved ones to nominate objects that they would choose to send on with her as mementoes of their time together, which she keeps in a “suitcase full of memories” and will act as prompts for 4 x 15 minute episodes of warm and captivating stand-up.
Angela said "I'm dead chuffed to have a series on Radio 4. I've been a BBC Radio 4 comedy geek for as long as I can remember so it means so much that they've let me have a go."
The series will be recorded in front of a live audience – free ticket details will be announced later this year – and will broadcast in Spring 2016. The series will be made by Impatient Productions and produced by Lianne Coop.
Angela Barnes is a dazzlingly funny, straight talking stand-up from Maidstone, Kent, a gloriously gifted writer performer with a maturity and perspective reflected in her subject matters. After a career in health and social care, at aged 33 Angela decided to pursue a long held ambition and give comedy a go. Within a couple of years, Angela and her witty worldview had won the ‘2011 BBC New Comedy Award’ by a public vote, secured a weekly star slot in Channel 4's ‘Stand Up For The Week’ and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows including Mock The Week (BBC 2), Russell Howard's Good News (BBC 3), Russell Kane's Whistle Stop Tour (BBC Radio 2), ‘The Now Show’ and ‘The News Quiz’ (BBC Radio 4).
