Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | Show Me You Care | 20070926 | 20080708 (R4) | Simon McGrath likes to think of himself as a good citizen. He donates blood, recycles his newspapers and has adopted two tigers. He just also happens to be an arms dealer... Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. First of three series of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Ben Onwukwe First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2007. Guilt-ridden arms dealer Simon McGrath cares about the world and his needy girlfriend. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon McGrath likes to think of himself as a good citizen. He donates blood, recycles his newspapers and has adopted two tigers. He just also happens to be an arms dealer... Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. First of three series of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Ben Onwukwe First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2007. Guilt-ridden arms dealer Simon McGrath cares about the world and his needy girlfriend. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 01 | 02 | A Wanting Man | 20071003 | 20080715 (R4) | Simon wonders whether to stay faithful to his girlfriend, when he suspects a friend of his sister may be attracted to him. Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Catherine Shepherd First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Arms dealer Simon struggles to understand why other people hold his job against him. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon wonders whether to stay faithful to his girlfriend, when he suspects a friend of his sister may be attracted to him. Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Catherine Shepherd First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Arms dealer Simon struggles to understand why other people hold his job against him. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 01 | 03 | Loose Lips Sink Ships | 20071010 | 20080722 (R4) | Simon discovers Judith's new boyfriend is not the man everyone thought he was. Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Nicholas Boulton First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Will Simon blow the whistle on his murky world of international arms dealing? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon discovers Judith's new boyfriend is not the man everyone thought he was. Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Nicholas Boulton First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Will Simon blow the whistle on his murky world of international arms dealing? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 01 | 04 | Whatever Happened To The Unlikely Lad? | 20071017 | 20080729 (R4) | Arms dealer Simon dreads his school reunion, but could he be the coolest kid in class? Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Nicholas Boulton First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Arms dealer Simon dreads his school reunion, but could he end up the coolest kid in class? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Arms dealer Simon dreads his school reunion, but could he be the coolest kid in class? Starring Darren Boyd as Simon McGrath. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. With: Joanna Page Lewis MacLeod Sarah Smart Brigit Forsyth Nicholas Boulton First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2007. Arms dealer Simon dreads his school reunion, but could he end up the coolest kid in class? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 02 | 01 | Brothers In Arms | 20090401 | 20100812 (R4) | Darren Boyd is back as reluctant arms dealer Simon McGrath. He's generally a nice chap - he just happens to work as an arms dealer, or 'Defence and security equipment system solutions broker' as he prefers to call it. Whilst battling with his conscience he justifies to himself why five years on he's still in a job he just fell into - after all, what he really wants is to pursue is his career in electronic music. But until that takes off he'll stay where he is, and as his mother so eloquently puts it, "any job where you get your own desk and a hot dinner can't be all bad". And so as we renew our acquaintance with Simon we find him, using his 'flair for original ideas' to go to extreme lengths to prove to everyone just how badly he feels about doing the job he does. The return of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon Mcgrath - Darren Boyd Anna Grieg - Joanna Page Boris Kemal - Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath - Sarah Smart Angela McGrath - Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull - Rachel Atkins Peter - Gus Brown Paramedic - Philip Fox First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Simon uses his 'flair for ideas' to prove how bad he feels about being an arms dealer. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Darren Boyd is back as reluctant arms dealer Simon McGrath. He's generally a nice chap - he just happens to work as an arms dealer, or 'Defence and security equipment system solutions broker' as he prefers to call it. Whilst battling with his conscience he justifies to himself why five years on he's still in a job he just fell into - after all, what he really wants is to pursue is his career in electronic music. But until that takes off he'll stay where he is, and as his mother so eloquently puts it, "any job where you get your own desk and a hot dinner can't be all bad". And so as we renew our acquaintance with Simon we find him, using his 'flair for original ideas' to go to extreme lengths to prove to everyone just how badly he feels about doing the job he does. The return of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon Mcgrath - Darren Boyd Anna Grieg - Joanna Page Boris Kemal - Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath - Sarah Smart Angela McGrath - Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull - Rachel Atkins Peter - Gus Brown Paramedic - Philip Fox First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Simon uses his 'flair for ideas' to prove how bad he feels about being an arms dealer. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 02 | 02 | I Draw The Line | 20090408 | 20100819 (R4) | When faced with a particularly tricky moral issue at work Simon finally decides enough is enough and quits his job. It's not great timing though as he and Anna find themselves contemplating having a baby. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Marcus ....... Dan Mersh First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Reluctant arms dealer Simon decides to quit when he has to sell uniforms to child soldiers Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. When faced with a particularly tricky moral issue at work Simon finally decides enough is enough and quits his job. It's not great timing though as he and Anna find themselves contemplating having a baby. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Marcus ....... Dan Mersh First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Reluctant arms dealer Simon decides to quit when he has to sell uniforms to child soldiers Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 02 | 03 | If A Job's Not Worth Doing | 20090415 | 20100826 (R4) | Simon is totally convinced that he is in the right job and has a duty not only to stay there, but to do his job sloppily. His reasoning for this is that if he wasn't there doing the job badly then someone else would be doing it well and that would be a much worse scenario. Then he has the awful, soul shattering realisation, and one which is something every person in Britain would be ashamed to admit, that he actually loves his job. Boris of course is in heaven at the thought of a soul-mate at work, but Simon decides the only way he can go on is to learn to hate again. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Richard ....... Dan Mersh Julius ....... Nyahsa Hatendi First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Can apathy salve Simon's conscience, or must he simply accept that he loves selling arms? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon is totally convinced that he is in the right job and has a duty not only to stay there, but to do his job sloppily. His reasoning for this is that if he wasn't there doing the job badly then someone else would be doing it well and that would be a much worse scenario. Then he has the awful, soul shattering realisation, and one which is something every person in Britain would be ashamed to admit, that he actually loves his job. Boris of course is in heaven at the thought of a soul-mate at work, but Simon decides the only way he can go on is to learn to hate again. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Richard ....... Dan Mersh Julius ....... Nyahsa Hatendi First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Can apathy salve Simon's conscience, or must he simply accept that he loves selling arms? Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 02 | 04 | There Will Be Paint | 20090422 | 20100902 (R4) | Simon decides it's about time he and his colleagues prove they understand the true horrors of war by getting out there and actually fighting. So it is that team Heathcote Sanders go paintballing. Okay, so it's not quite the same as fighting in an actual war, but you can't expect Simon to take part in one of those - I mean, people actually die in those things. Will he manage to find the hero inside himself? Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Roger/Dave ....... Philip Fox Guide ....... Gus Brown First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Simon and his arms-selling colleagues go paintballing to better understand the art of war. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon decides it's about time he and his colleagues prove they understand the true horrors of war by getting out there and actually fighting. So it is that team Heathcote Sanders go paintballing. Okay, so it's not quite the same as fighting in an actual war, but you can't expect Simon to take part in one of those - I mean, people actually die in those things. Will he manage to find the hero inside himself? Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality. Simon is essentially a nice man who also happens to be an arms dealer. Simon McGrath ....... Darren Boyd Anna Grieg ....... Joanna Page Boris Kemal ....... Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath ....... Sarah Smart Angela McGrath ....... Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull ....... Rachel Atkins Roger/Dave ....... Philip Fox Guide ....... Gus Brown First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2009. Simon and his arms-selling colleagues go paintballing to better understand the art of war. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. |
| 03 | 01 | Better The Devil You Know | 20101105 | Reluctant arms dealer Simon McGrath finally has the opportunity to leave his dubious line of employment when an American company puts in a takeover bid. Starring Darren Boyd. The return of Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality sees Simon going to some bizarre lengths to excuse his profession. Simon is a generally nice chap who just fell into arms dealing and he needs to pay his mortgage just like everyone else. His real love is electronic music so this is just a stop gap until he finds the perfect outlet for it. Okay the gap has lasted five years, but that's not the point. His personal life with Anna is as unsatisfactory as his work life... Simon McGrath - Darren Boyd Anna Grieg - Joanna Page Boris Kemal - Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath - Sarah Smart Angela McGrath - Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull - Rachel Atkins Charles - John Schwab First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010. Reluctant arms dealer Simon has a chance to leave during an American takeover bid. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. | |
| 03 | 02 | What's My Motivation | 20101112 | Simon decides it's finally time to get self-motivated and starts composing his electronic music, self-motivation isn't as easy as he'd thought. To make life even more difficult his mother decides to get a job at Heathcote Sanders. As Judith eloquently puts it, to have one member of the family working in the arms trade may be regarded as misfortune, to have two looks like genetic wickedness. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon McGrath - Darren Boyd Anna Grieg - Joanna Page Boris Kemal - Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath - Sarah Smart Angela McGrath - Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull - Rachel Atkins First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010. Simon decides it is time to get self-motivated and starts composing his electronic music. | |
| 03 | 03 | Uncomfortably Numb | 20101119 | Simon is appalled that his boss thinks it's inappropriate for him to empathise with the world's persecuted and oppressed and should stop worrying. But when his family generally agree that worrying gets you nowhere, he sets out to give himself compassion fatigue so that he can he can stop worrying and not feel guilty about all the bloodshed in the world. Unfortunately his new outlook doesn't seem to change Anna's parents view of him when they come to visit. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon McGrath - Darren Boyd Anna Grieg - Joanna Page Boris Kemal - Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath - Sarah Smart Angela McGrath - Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull - Rachel Atkins Glenys - Di Botcher Hugh - Mike Hayward First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010. When told by his boss to stop empathising, Simon tries to give himself compassion fatigue. | |
| 03 | 04 | Unforgiveable, That's What You Are | 20101126 | Heathcote Sanders are under the microscope when some of the weapons they sold to a hostile government are turned against the British. This prompts Simon to wonder if he should be seeking some kind of forgiveness, although of course, he has absolutely nothing to seek forgiveness for... does he? Meanwhile, his personal life is going fantastically well, until he and Anna realize that they don't know why they love each other. Starring Darren Boyd. Laurence Howarth's black comedy of modern morality set in the world of arms dealing. Simon McGrath.........Darren Boyd Anna Grieg.............Joanna Page Boris Kemal............Lewis Macleod Judith McGrath..........Sarah Smart Angela McGrath........Brigit Forsyth Madeleine Turnbull........Rachel Atkins Sarah......Di Botcher Vicar.....Mike Hayward First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010. When the company's dealings become front page news, Simon wonders if he should be forgiven |