The Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue

James Grout stars as a hapless vicar who discovers that life behind suburbia's net curtains is more exciting than he'd expected.

After being mugged by a pair of pensioners outside the Darby & Joan Club, the Reverend Timothy Carswell has had enough of his rough, tough inner-city parish. Convinced that someone so meek would be better suited somewhere quieter, the Bishop packs him off to a nice, sedate residential neighbourhood where nothing ever seems to happen.

However, unbeknownst to the vicar, his apparently respectable new parish is a hotbed of passion, paranormal experimentation and geriatric prostitution. Under the thumb of his dour Scottish housekeeper, Mrs Muir, who keeps him busy writing long, tedious sermons, he fails to notice the many crimes being committed under his very nose—including burglary, arson and even murder. But when his congregation is stolen by the charismatic American preacher, Elijah Hornblower, he finally realises that something is afoot—and he'll have to fight fire with fire if he wants to keep his flock....

Written by acclaimed dramatist Stephen Sheridan, this dry, darkly funny sitcom stars James Grout as Rev Carswell, with Sarah Thomas and Elizabeth Mansfield as Mrs Muir.

Production credits:

Written by Stephen Sheridan.

Produced by Lissa Evans.

Cast:

Rev Timothy Carswell - James Grout

Miss Tilling - Margaret Courtenay

Miss Tapp/Emily Ford - Jean Heywood

Dr Warlock/Bishop - Christopher Good

Mrs Muir - Sarah Thomas/Elizabeth Mansfield

Mrs Knatchbull - Maxine Audley

Cudlipp/Mugger/Critchley - Fraser Kerr

Mugger's accomplice/Miss Shaw - Auriol Smith

Edwin - Robert Lang

Jeremy - Christian Robinson

David - Tobias Best

Mr Rainbird - David Bannerman

Constable/Eric - Ian Lindsay

Mrs Garland - Rosemary Martin

Arnold - Cyril Shaps

Captain Van Thal - Donald Pickering

Hilary - Jacqueline Tong

Miss Willow - Patricia Hayes

Keith - Brian Bowles

Maria - Sarah Souster

Guy/Jehovah's Witness - Angus Wright

Simon Garland - Daniel Strauss

Mr Vaughan - Michael Turner

Mr Shaw - Ronald Herdman

Rev Hornblower - Garrick Hagon

Mr Widlake - Brian Miller

Mrs Widlake - Bernadine Corrigan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26th February - 2nd April 1991.