The Way It Is: The BBC Radio 4 Comedy Series: Series 1-7 of the spoof news show

The cult spoof show set in a fictional newsroom

An effervescent mix of satire and sketches, The Way It Is ran for seven series on BBC Radio 4 between 1998 and 2002. Performed by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Simon Evans, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Fiona Allen, Dave Lamb, Chris Pavlo, Laura Shavin and Phil Cornwell, it takes a long, hard look at the worlds of media and politics, parodying journalists, MPs and celebrities alike.

Newscasters Richard Richard and Lolly Swain bring us round-the-clock headlines and rolling news, aided by a host of enthusiastic, if somewhat inept, roving reporters. Among them are showbiz hackette Jackie Trent (who tirelessly ferrets out celebrity secrets), on-the-ground correspondent James Gravadlax (who witnesses ‘scenes of terrible devastation’ wherever he goes), hapless traffic correspondent Charlotte Webb and excitable but clueless weatherman Martin ‘Twice-Knightly’.

Together, they skip nimbly through the big stories of the nineties and noughties – from leadership battles to Cabinet reshuffles, trade wars, Posh and Becks and the perennial problems of England’s cricket and football teams.

This long-running cult classic comedy will appeal to fans of Dead Ringers, Week Ending, Have I Got News for You and On the Hour,

NB: Contains strong language and humour of the time that some listeners may find offensive.

With thanks to Keith Wickham of the Radio Circle for supplying the audio recordings.

Cast and credits Performed by Simon Evans, Fiona Allen, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Dave Lamb, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Chris Pavlo, Laura Shavin and Phil Cornwell Produced by Anil Gupta and Alex Walsh-Taylor

First broadcast BBC Radio 4 on the following dates:

1 20 May 1998-8 July 1998 2 4 February 1999-25 March 1999 3 7 July 1999-25 August 1999 4 6 January-24 February 2000 5 31 August-19 October 2000 6 15 February-22 March 2001 7 21 February 2002-28 March 2002

© 2026 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

© 2026 BBC Digital Audio (Lydbog): 9781529911817

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Lydbog: 9. juli 2026