The BBC Radio 2 comedy inspired by every shopping channel you’ve ever seen, and every product you never wanted

Buy Me Up TV is a live, 24-hour cable channel, described by its CEO, Jacky Tanner, as ‘the crop of the top of the television shops’. Its perky presenters Angela and Bob are experts at flogging you everything you could possibly want for your home, wardrobe and lifestyle – and if the price isn’t right, the Bargain Bee will sting it right down. From ceramic hammers and a home Satanist test, to Robert Mugabe beach towels and a guitar bra (with matching banjo briefs), it’s all on special offer for a limited time only – buy now, while stocks last…

In these five episodes, we go behind the scenes at the chaotically run TV station and eavesdrop on the farcical goings-on, as the on-screen kitsch merchants and back-office crew become ever more unhinged by the demands of high-pressure selling. There’s trouble in store when Jacky decides the channel needs younger, sexier talent; an animal charity telethon sparks allegations of fraud; a jam-addicted Tanner ruffles some presenter feathers; and a team-building day out is scuppered by a self-help guru with plans for world domination. And when a computer virus sends out kinky adult emails to all the station’s customers, Tanner makes a surprising discovery that could set the channel on a whole new path…

Written by Justin Edwards and James Eldred, this lively, satirical sitcom stars Justin Edwards, Alex Macqueen, Ewen MacIntosh, Mike McShane, Katherine Jakeways and Greg Proops, with an array of stellar special guests including Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Madoc, Rich Hall, Brian Blessed, Aled Jones and Sir Terry Wogan.

Production credits
Written by Justin Edwards and James Eldred
Produced by Lucy Armitage

Cast
Bob Norton – Justin Edwards
Giles – Alex Macqueen
Ewen – Ewen MacIntosh
Tanner – Mike McShane
Angela Basset – Katherine Jakeways
Jacky Tanner – Greg Proops
With Doon Mackichan, Rosie Wilkinson and Colin Hoult, and special guests Eamonn Holmes, Ruth Madoc, Rich Hall, Brian Blessed, Aled Jones and Sir Terry Wogan

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 19 May 2007 (Pilot), 8-29 March 2008 (Series 1)