Anyone who has visited Glasgow will know what a seductive city it is. I was there for the Comedy Festival a couple of weeks ago and even though I’ve got a partner and family in London I still thought about moving there. So I can totally relate to Josie Long’s new slightly autobiographical four-part comedy about a Londoner relocating.
If the title and premise is familiar that’s because there's been a show with that name and a radio pilot went out a couple of years ago. Long also made (with Douglas King) and starred in two independent films also following the travails of a wistful Sassenach in Scotland, which this version is based on. You can probably still find bits lurking online, but Long creates strong enough visual images here in her new radio version.
For those recent converts who have discovered Long through her angry anti-Tory writing this is a throwback to her more innocent dreamy days. It’s mostly D-I-Y music, fanzines, coffee shops and swimming in the open air, but there is also a political thread. Long's character has moved to Scotland because she has lost her job as a librarian due to the cuts and the rents are too high in London as well as the fact that all her English friends are either having babies or moving to Margate.
In episode one Josie turns up at her friend Mona’s house expecting a warm welcome and a permanent bedroom only to find that Mona is only expecting Josie to stay for a few days on a sofa. And Mona’s partner seems a bit right wing. It’s not the socialist welcome she expected (I think I heard Snow Patrol playing in the background during the scene in their flat, hinting at their dull, mainstream sensibility, but I could be wrong).
Things start to look up when she meets nice, friendly Darren. OK, it’s not the same as bumping into someone from Mogwai but they do go for a drink where Barry from Slumber is working behind the bar. Josie has soon fallen for the city, which for her seems to encapsulate the indie ethic she has always embraced. As her character says, everyone has either been in a band, is in a band or is about to be in a band.
Things are soon looking up and a nice cast helps this flow as well. Darren is played by Darren Osborne, Roddy by Sanjeev Kohli, Kerry by Hatty Ashdown, Eleanor by Clare Grogan, Chris by Michael Bertenshaw, Mona by Rebecca Hamilton and Fraser by Chris Pavlo.
The 11.30am trad-comedy slot is odd though. This would have made lovely late night listening. But, of course there’s always the download option for that. If you are a boring square like Mona’s other half have a listen in your lunch break - you might decide not to go back to your tedious conventional job. And if you live in England you might decide to pack your bags and head north too.
Romance & Adventure, R4, Fridays from April 1, 11.30am. Listen to it here.
