Radio Times

Review by:

David Crawford

Anyone hanging their head in despair at the prospect of a worsening European economic crisis should tune in to this richly dark satire. Not that it will allay your fears, but as it veers into increasingly absurd situations, and you realise that they correlate precisely with real-life situations, then you’ll also realise there is nothing left to do but laugh dementedly like
a banker at bonus time.

BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders plays it straight as she reports on the European Bank of Common Sense and Stability’s dubious efforts to solve Europe’s sovereign debt crisis by rescuing the most debt-encumbered asset in Europe — a roofless henhouse in Fripperary, Squanderland. The jokes about the vagaries of the banking system come thick and fast (listen for the FX whenever the markets are mentioned), and if you listen closely you may even learn something about bonds trading. Superb.

About this programme

By Julian Gough. A resident of the bankrupt Republic of Squanderland devises an unorthodox way of overcoming the eurozone crisis, much to the horror of Europe's bankers and politicians, after a plan to place a roof over his henhouse escalates out of control. Satire, starring Rory Keenan, Dermot Crowley and Stephanie Flanders as herself.

Cast and crew

Cast

Jude

Rory Keenan

Finian

Dermot Crowley

Bertrand Plastique

James Lailey

Helen Dunkel

Adjoa Andoh

Heidi

Clare Corbett

Herself

Stephanie Flanders

Crew

Director

Di Speirs

Producer

Di Speirs

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