Andrew McGibbon - Curtains For Radio

Curtains For Radio

Initially partnered with Testbed Productions for the Wheeler’s Fortune and Wheeler’s Wonders series, the company Curtains for Radio was established in 2002 by McGibbon, Romero and Jonathan Ruffle. Its work has mainly been in radio comedy and features, although it has recently branched out into film.

CFR’s first entirely independent production was Kington’s Anatomy of Comedy (2005), a three-part series on the mechanics of comedy presented by Miles Kington. It was followed by Miles Apart (2006), three extended interviews with comedy practitioners in other cultures – Antoine de Caunes in France, Sabina Guzzanti in Italy, and Harry Shearer in America. All were co-produced by McGibbon and Romero.

I Was Morrissey’s Drummer (2005) was the first in a sequence of profiles of people who once worked with great artists. McGibbon himself was the initial subject. Two short series of I Was… followed in 2007 and 2008, with reflections from those close to Douglas Adams, Ernest Hemingway, David Lean, Dudley Moore, Sam Peckinpah and Peter Sellers.

A significant coup for CFR saw The Pickerskill Detentions (2005) mark the first radio performance in twenty years by Ian Richardson, playing the retired English master of Haunchurst College for Boys. In the series he reflected on his most memorable detentions. The series also featured Phil Cornwell, Martin Hyder, Dominic Hawksley and Nick Romero, and was written and directed by Andrew McGibbon. The series was widely acclaimed, with Ruth Cowen of The Sunday Express describing it as “bizarre and very funny’’ and Chris Campling of The Times noting how “Andrew McGibbon’s stories about a teacher with an unusual, moralistic attitude towards justice are a good example of that gentle humour which suddenly throws in a wobbly that pulls you up short.”

In part due to Richardson’s death in 2007, plans for a television transfer were abandoned. However, a radio sequel – The Pickerskill Reports – aired on BBC Radio 4 in four parts from 28 August 2009. It starred Ian McDiarmid in the Pickerskill role, with support by Thomas Sangster, Tony Gardner and Philip Madoc. A second series followed in 2011 featuring Sheridan Smith.

Not Today, Thank You (2006), a peak-time sitcom written by Andrew McGibbon and Nick Romero, cast Brian Hayes as a washed-up radio presenter forced to live in his grandmother’s house with her six eccentric tenants. The series also featured Harry Shearer, Sheridan Smith, Mark Perry, Alex Lowe, McGibbon and Romero. It was poorly received by many critics, including Gareth McLean of The Guardian who was moved to describe it as “the worst programme on the network". Susan Jeffreys of The Daily Mail was kinder, noting “Brian Hayes turning in a great performance.”

Reality is an Illusion Caused by Lack of N.F. Simpson (2007) was a verbosely titled return to documentary, in which presenter David Quantick chronicled the life of the absurdist playwright. A 'work in progress' version for television was premiered at BFI Southbank in May 2008, representing the first visual production by Curtains for Radio.

Single Files (2007 – 8) was a dating agency sitcom by Mark Trotman and Chris Tisdall. It starred Jo Joyner, Mark Heap, Sarah Hadland, Giles New, Julia Deakin and Bruce MacKinnon. The series was produced by Andrew McGibbon, Nick Romero and Lianne Coop.

A bi-media production, The Cornwell Estate (2008 – ), depicted the lives of four characters played by Phil Cornwell. Devised, written and directed by Andrew McGibbon, the first two radio episodes were the soundtracks of on-location films streamed by BBC Interactive. The remaining two episodes were standard studio productions for BBC Radio 4. Reviews were excellent, with Gillian Reynolds dubbing it “a bright new series… a very good cast, good production and sharp script make it both real and surreal.”. A second series followed in 2010.