Electric Ink
| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring |
Robert Lindsay(series 1) John Sessions (series 2) Alex Jennings Elizabeth Berrington (series 1) Polly Frame (series 2) Ben Willbond (series1) Stephen Wight (series 2) |
| Writer(s) |
Alistair Beaton Tom Mitchelson |
| Producer(s) | Sally Avens |
| Air dates | since 2009 |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Audio format | Stereophonic sound |
| Opening theme | A-Punk by Vampire Weekend |
Electric Ink is a BBC Radio sitcom written by Alistair Beaton and journalist Tom Mitchelson. It stars John Sessions as Maddox Bradley, a 50-something political journalist on a "quality" newspaper that is heading relentlessly downmarket, while also establishing an online presence. His editor persuades him to record video podcasts under the title "The Politics Minute", and also respond to online comments in a blog. Maddox wants to continue producing hard-hitting investigative pieces but is constantly frustrated by the rest of the staff who prefer to produce trendy or commercially lucrative "fluff". His "Politics Minute" turns out to be 48 seconds with a commercial, and gets shorter as time goes on. His efforts to spruce up his appearance for the video result in unfavorable comparisons with Donald Trump. The net effect is to make Maddox feel like he is surrounded by people he barely understands. From time to time, however, reality intrudes and Maddox is asked to handle the fallout, as when a "Guide to Mushrooms" wallchart includes a poisonous type on the "Edible" list, resulting in at least one reader going to hospital.
A second series began broadcasting in December 2010. Major parts were recast, with John Sessions replacing Robert Lindsay in the lead role. Other characters were replaced entirely.
Cast
- Maddox Bradley (Robert Lindsay in series 1, John Sessions in series 2), an old-school print reporter.
- Oliver (Alex Jennings) the Editor-in-Chief desperately trying to keep the newspaper afloat.
- Freddy (Ben Willbond in series 1, Stephen Wight in series 2) the "Head of Online Content" who pretends to be an urban "gangsta" even though he is from the upper classes and attended Oxford University.
- Amelia (Elizabeth Berrington in series 1) The News Editor, Maddox's rival as a journalist, and Oliver's mistress.
- Carol Pilkington (Polly Frame in series 2). Amelia's replacement as News Editor, she formerly worked at the mass-market tabloid newspaper The Sun.
- Tasneem (Zita Sattar in series 1) the Head of Marketing who wants to replace headlines with giveaway offers.
- Masha (Debbie Chazen) the Russian-born website manager who pesters Maddox to respond to online comments. Maddox regards the commenters as "loonies". In series 2 the newspaper website has installed a paywall allowing downloads for 5 pence each. Masha announces that Maddox's "Politics Minute" podcast had 7 downloads for a total of 35 pence.