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Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful: The Complete Series 1-3
Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful: The Complete Series 1-3
Jan 14, 2026 6:32 PM

Author:Guy Jenkin,Martin Jarvis,Miriam Margolyes,Imelda Staunton,Full Cast,Joss Ackland,Lesley Manville

Legal, Decent, Honest and Truthful: The Complete Series 1-3

Martin Jarvis stars in this BBC radio satire set in the competitive world of advertising

Happiness... is a career in advertising. Or is it? Activist turned ad writer Ken Handley isn't so sure. Back in the day, he used to hitch-hike and attend peace protests. Now, he finds himself writing copy for the Conservative Party and extolling the virtues of products he hates - while also coping with a drunken boss, strait-laced colleagues and an overactive mind.

Over three series, we follow his exploits and moral dilemmas as he grapples with the challenges of winning accounts, presenting to clients and dealing with the women in his life. A pitch for a motorway services chain drives him round the bend, a seven-foot squirrel nearly sends him nuts, and he faces his own emergency when he's coerced into a Samaritans campaign. On the domestic front, Ken's got a divorce and a new home to contend with - but things start looking up when leggy model April comes on the scene...

Written by Guy Jenkin (Drop the Dead Donkey) and Jon Canter (Posh Nosh), this sardonic advertising sitcom stars Martin Jarvis as Ken, with a cast including Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Joss Ackland and Miriam Margolyes.

Production credits

Script and commercial concepts by Guy Jenkin

Commercials by Jon Canter

Produced by Geoffrey Perkins (Series 1) and Pete Atkin (Series 2 & 3)

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 January-22 February 1982 (Series 1), 7 February-13 March 1984 (Series 2), 7 October-11 November 1986 (Series 3)

Cast

Ken Handley - Martin Jarvis

Sarah - Sheila Steafel

Sandy - Christopher Godwin

Freddie - Lockwood West

Hitchhiker - Vincent Brimble

Portley - Richard Bebb

Runcie - Simon Jones

June - Wendy Richard

Johnnie - Patrick Barr

Murray - Gary Cady

The General - Bill Fraser

Mr Sandell - John Blythe

Barman - Geoffrey McGivern

Virgil - Marc Smith

Mr Sandell:- John Blythe

Cindy- Heather Bell

Katie- Miranda Forbes

Director- David Gooderson

Ravi - Ahmed Khalil

Deborah - Rosalind Ayres

Ambrose - Paul Jesson

Janet/Receptionist/Researcher - Stacey Tendeter

Mr Cheater/Mr McCafferty - James Griffiths

Angus - Michael Jenner

Derek - David Peart

Stella - Imelda Staunton

Stella's Heavy - Jim Carter

Subjects - David Peart & Michael Jenner

Leo Gale - Glyn Owen

Christina - Jo Manning Wilson

Receptionist - Maggie McCarthy

George - Peter Tuddenham

Corners - Don Henderson

Benny - Karl Howman

Lesley - Pauline Siddle

Andy - Chris Emmett

Film director - Scott Cherry

Tone - Jeremy Clyde

Doregan - Lesley Manville

Elvira - Moir Leslie

Kip - Joseph Marcell

April - Shelley Thompson

Hedley - Robert Longden

Artiste - David Learner

Larry Childs - William Hootkins

Loretta-Jane Duff - Toni Coyne

Dawn/Masseuse - Sally Watts

Sally/Choirboy - Jane Leonard

Len - Roger Sloman

Val/Veronica - Liz Crowther

Alf - Roger Hammond

Till lady - Avril Clark

Doorman - Richard Durden

Barman - James MacPherson

Policeman - Graham Blockey

With the voices of Joss Ackland, Miriam Margolyes, James Griffiths, John Shrapnel, David Tate, James Griffiths, Sally Grace, Enn Reitel and Anton Rodgers

Reviews

She beautifully describes the way hurt can be inherited... Enright is a daring writer - witty, original and inventive... Utterly compelling

—— Eithne Farry , Daily Mail

It is clearly the product of a remarkable intelligence, combined with a gift for observation and deduction

—— A. L. Kennedy , Guardian

A welcome return, for this writer, to novel form, and as a fresh, sophisticated take on the ever-popular dysfunctional family saga

—— Eve Patten , Irish Times

Anne Enright has all she needs in terms of imagination and technique and she's a tremendous phrase maker

—— Adam Mars-Jones , Observer

Enright ambushes as memory does, drawing you into an event and then questioning its reality

—— Sunday Telegraph

At a time when everyone is mirroring everyone else, Enright's style of writing remains singular and instantly identifiable

—— Irish Independent

Fans who have waited five long years for French's fourth novel won't be disappointed: Because Of You is a book with a beating heart, a story told with warmth and verve

—— Daily Express

Moving . . . French's best yet

—— Good Housekeeping

The final scenes are so perfectly executed they almost broke my heart. Because of You is a story to cherish

—— Sunday Express

Told with French's unfailing wit and warmth, Because Of You is the tale of family bonds and the mother-daughter relationships that ultimately make us who we are

—— Independent

Brilliant . . . a moving read that will stay with you long after you've finished the last page

—— Closer

A fantastic page-turner

—— Mail on Sunday

Beautifully observed

—— The Times

Wise and poignant, Because of You is a story about mothers and daughter, love and loss, mistakes and regrets, and family bonds

—— Eastern Daily Press

A must-read story told with compassion and heart

—— Sunday Express

French always writes so melodically about the truth of human nature . . . French manages to pick your heart up with the nib of her pen and slowly pull it apart, heart-wrenchingly, page by page . . . A true writing talent

—— My Weekly

An emotionally charged story - and a heartbreaking twist at the end

—— Hello!

A warmly told story about the bond between mothers and daughters

—— Evening Standard

Warm, witty and wise . . . I raced through

—— Daily Mail

A powerful and emotional book

—— Good Housekeeping

A bright, brilliant and heartbreaking tale of two mothers, two babies and the far-reaching consequences of one fateful day

—— Yahoo! Style

A beautifully powerful story about mothers, family and sacrifice

—— Sun

An uplifting story about mothers and daughters and familial relationships, in which two very different women give birth to two very similar daughters on the same night

—— Woman & Home

Arresting page-turner

—— Best

A novel her fans are sure to love

—— Woman's Weekly

A story of love, identity and belonging

—— i

Heartbreaking and humorous in equal measures

—— Boundless

A bouncy, comedy drama. Funny, poignant and bursting with joie de vivre

—— Daily Mail

A thought-provoking read . . . shows the true extent of motherly love

—— Publishers Association

Dawn French moves between the aftermath of that fateful night and 18 years later, when the explosive impact of Hope's actions is finally felt

—— Daily Express

A heartfelt story, handled so carefully and empathetically

—— Aisling Bea

Because Of You is a tale told with warmth by a storyteller who never takes herself too seriously

—— Sunday Express

Heartbreaking but redemptive, and lightened by French's trademark humour, this is a compelling read that will keep you poised between laughter and tears

—— Daily Mail

A tantalising story of motherhood told with Dawn French's signature warmth

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

As ever, even in the darkest of times, Dawn has found humour to inject into her novel

—— Best

A brilliant book

—— Good Housekeeping

The life-affirming and unmissable new novel

—— Eastern Daily Press

A tale told with warmth

—— Daily Record

While Dawn French's latest novel contains a dash of humour, it's also heart-wrenching

—— The Hunsbury Handbook

A fabulous emotional tearjerker of a novel

—— Silversurfers

Praise for Dawn French

—— -

Hilarious and brilliant

—— Woman & Home

I adored According to YES. It's so different to anything I've read in forever, so charming, wise, brilliantly written. I loved it all

—— Marian Keyes

Witty and wise, it'll have you burning the midnight oil. A cracker

—— Woman's Weekly

Very funny and packs an emotional clout. Brilliant!

—— Heat

An enlightening and feel-good read offering a fresh look at life and how to embrace it. Funny and enjoyable to the end

—— We Love This Book

There is lots of fun to be had reading this book. It's impossible not to warm to Rosie, a funny and open-hearted woman who acts as a salve and comfort blanket for this unhappy, inhibited family. There's something quite joyous about the way she unashamedly romps her way through the novel, changing the lives of those around her for the better

—— Express

Another hilarious novel!

—— Bella

French can spin a yarn . . . which sets According to YES apart. Think the vicar of Dibley, without the dog collar. YES YES YES indeed

—— Independent

Wise and poignant

—— Beyond the Joke

Heart-warming

—— Choice Magazine
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