20th Century Vampire
Encyclopedia
20th Century Vampire is a radio situation comedy
series written by Joe Turner
. It was originally broadcast in six episodes on BBC Radio
in 1993. It is repeated from time to time on the digital channel BBC 7
and on the BBC Website.
) works at the Co-op
supermarket in a town in the North of England. She feels different from the people around her, dresses in black, and is unhappy much of the time, as if some piece of her life is missing. Then her mysterious Transylvania
n Aunt Lucretia (Joanna Kanska
) reveals that she is really a vampire, a hereditary condition, and she must enter training to fulfill her destiny. Eloise eventually embraces her fate, but has to deal with her boyfriend Wayne, played by William Ivory, and her equally mystified co-workers at the store, including flatmate and best friend Debbie (Jane Hazlegrove
). She is horrified to find herself back in "school", with Lucretia as the teacher, even to the extent of sitting for three hour examination papers. Having been a miserable failure at exams in school despite her intelligence, she is convinced she will fail yet again. However, the exams have a "practical section" which saves her grade.
Later she wants to tell Wayne and others about herself, but Lucretia convinces her to test them first by telling each a different, fictitious but shocking "secret" about herself, making them promise not to tell anyone else, to see if they can in fact keep her confidence. So Wayne learns that she was once jailed for stealing, Debbie is told that she is pregnant, and she tells her boss Mr. Jenkins that she is secretly in love with him. With some nudging from Lucretia, hilarious consequences ensue.
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
series written by Joe Turner
Joe Turner (writer)
Andrew Turner is a British script writer working in the fields of radio and television. His credits include the 2006 BBC version of Robin Hood , episodes of Holby City and Casualty....
. It was originally broadcast in six episodes on BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
in 1993. It is repeated from time to time on the digital channel BBC 7
BBC 7
BBC Radio 4 Extra, formerly known as BBC 7 and BBC Radio 7, is a British digital radio station broadcasting comedy, drama, and children's programming nationally 24 hours a day. It is the principal broadcasting outlet for the BBC's archive of spoken-word entertainment...
and on the BBC Website.
Plot
Eloise (Louise LombardLouise Lombard
Louise Lombard is an English actress.-Early life and education:Lombard's parents left Dublin in the mid-1950s. Lombard was born in London, England, the fifth child of seven siblings to a family of Irish extraction.Lombard began taking drama lessons when she was eight...
) works at the Co-op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
supermarket in a town in the North of England. She feels different from the people around her, dresses in black, and is unhappy much of the time, as if some piece of her life is missing. Then her mysterious Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n Aunt Lucretia (Joanna Kanska
Joanna Kanska
Polish born Joanna Kanska is an actress, who has starred in films, television programmes, theatre and radio, predominantly in her adopted homeland of England...
) reveals that she is really a vampire, a hereditary condition, and she must enter training to fulfill her destiny. Eloise eventually embraces her fate, but has to deal with her boyfriend Wayne, played by William Ivory, and her equally mystified co-workers at the store, including flatmate and best friend Debbie (Jane Hazlegrove
Jane Hazlegrove
Jane Hazlegrove is an English actress.Jane is well known for portraying Lisa Shepherd in Families, Yvonne Bradley in London's Burning, Sue Clayton in Coronation Street in 1985 and has appeared in Jonathan Creek, The Bill, Doctors and Holby City. She is currently playing Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon in...
). She is horrified to find herself back in "school", with Lucretia as the teacher, even to the extent of sitting for three hour examination papers. Having been a miserable failure at exams in school despite her intelligence, she is convinced she will fail yet again. However, the exams have a "practical section" which saves her grade.
Later she wants to tell Wayne and others about herself, but Lucretia convinces her to test them first by telling each a different, fictitious but shocking "secret" about herself, making them promise not to tell anyone else, to see if they can in fact keep her confidence. So Wayne learns that she was once jailed for stealing, Debbie is told that she is pregnant, and she tells her boss Mr. Jenkins that she is secretly in love with him. With some nudging from Lucretia, hilarious consequences ensue.
Cast
- Eloise - Louise LombardLouise LombardLouise Lombard is an English actress.-Early life and education:Lombard's parents left Dublin in the mid-1950s. Lombard was born in London, England, the fifth child of seven siblings to a family of Irish extraction.Lombard began taking drama lessons when she was eight...
- Lucretia - Joanna KanskaJoanna KanskaPolish born Joanna Kanska is an actress, who has starred in films, television programmes, theatre and radio, predominantly in her adopted homeland of England...
- Wayne - William Ivory
- Debbie - Jane HazlegroveJane HazlegroveJane Hazlegrove is an English actress.Jane is well known for portraying Lisa Shepherd in Families, Yvonne Bradley in London's Burning, Sue Clayton in Coronation Street in 1985 and has appeared in Jonathan Creek, The Bill, Doctors and Holby City. She is currently playing Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon in...
- Mr. Jenkins - Fine Time FontayneFine Time FontayneFine Time Fontayne is an English character actor and stage director, including a successful production of Sleeping Beauty at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, Essex, UK, in December 2007 and January 2008.Fontayne has played a variety of roles in British TV series such as All...
External links
- Entry at radiohaha.com.