The Shuttleworths is a British radio comedy that aired as five series between 1993 and 2010, with a sixth in 2022, and numerous specials on BBC Radio 4. It features singer/songwriter from Sheffield, John Shuttleworth, his family, and his neighbours, and is written and performed by comedian Graham Fellows.[1]

The Shuttleworths
Radio Shuttleworth
John Shuttleworth's Open Mind
GenreComedy drama
Running time15/30 minutes
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Language(s)English
Home stationBBC Radio 4
StarringGraham Fellows
Created byGraham Fellows
Written byGraham Fellows
Original release11 October 1993 –
16 June 2010
No. of series6/2/1
No. of episodes39/11/5
Audio formatStereophonic sound

Format

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The show revolves around John Shuttleworth and his family. Each episode is fifteen minutes long and is narrated by John Shuttleworth himself. The episodes are recorded on a cassette tape by John, featuring John's commentary addressed directly to the listener and eavesdropping on his own daily life.[citation needed] Characters include his wife Mary, their two teenagers Darren and Karen, neighbour and agent Ken Worthington, and Mary's friend Joan Chitty, all voiced by Graham Fellows. Events are interspersed with his own bizarre bouncy keyboard ditties on such varied matters as Austin Ambassadors, garden centres, and toast, all performed (usually badly) on his Yamaha Portasound electronic keyboard.

Fellows improvised, recorded and edited each programme using a multitrack recording. The earlier series were recorded in Fellows' garden shed on a four-track cassette, and one series was recorded in a hotel bedroom, while recent and current programmes from the series are now made in his own digital recording studio.[2]

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Shuttleworth's ShowTime

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It was a six part series broadcast during November and December 1994 on Night time BBC Radio One. The series was produced by Paul Schlesinger and Jane Berthaud. It included guest stars such as poet Hovis Presley, comedian Mark Thomas, and singer Bonnie Tyler amongst regular characters of Ken Worthington, Mary Shuttleworth and the Shuttleworth children voiced by Fellows himself. This series was never released commercially on CD, but a single 60 minute cassette tape "Best of Shuttleworth's ShowTime" was briefly available.

Radio Shuttleworth

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From 1998, John's "serving the Sheffield region - and a little bit further even" was broadcast as two series of Radio Shuttleworth. The programmes followed a similar format to The Shuttleworths, but their new 30-minute length allowed celebrity guest slots (Impress an Impresario, Make Mary Merry, Annoy a Prospective Employer) and opportunities to interview celebrities on the show. The show was a Radio 4 continuation of the 1994 Radio 1 series Shuttleworth's Showtime, and some guests and segments (including Make Mary Merry) had previously appeared on the Radio 1 incarnation.

John Shuttleworth's Open Mind

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John attempted to investigate five unsolved phenomena that fascinate the nation. Each programme was thirty minutes long. This was effectively a third series of Radio Shuttleworth.

John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music

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John Shuttleworth invited musical guests to his home to sing one of his songs and one of their own, if they were lucky. Each programme was thirty minutes long.

Episode lists

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The Shuttleworths

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Series Episode Title First broadcast
1 1 Cotton Buddies 11 October 1993
2 Mini-Break in Giggleswick 12 October 1993
3 How... 13 October 1993
4 The Pillock Of The Community 14 October 1993
5 One Foot In The Gravy 26 March 1994
6 John Goes to London 2 April 1994
Special 1 Xmas Eve With The Shuttleworths 20 December 1993
Special 2 New Year With The Shuttleworths 31 December 1993
Special 3 Europigeon 28 April 1994
2 1 Wireless Wanderings (1) 28 June 1995
2 Wireless Wanderings (2) 5 July 1995
3 The Birthday Bench 12 July 1995
4 John Dries Up 19 July 1995
5 Shuttleworth Diplomacy 26 July 1995
Special 4 John Shuttleworth's Open House #1 26 September 1996
Special 5 A Christmas Carol 25 December 1996
3 1 Chic Ken 8 October 1997
2 Ping Pong Pangs 15 October 1997
3 Radio Shuttleworth 22 October 1997
4 Caravan Capers 29 October 1997
5 John Le Shuttle 5 November 1997
6 Midsummer Madras 12 November 1997
Special 6 John Shuttleworth's Open House #2 31 December 1997
Special 7 The Leg End of Robin Hood 26 December 2000
Special 8 Plonker's Baby 24 December 2002
4 1 Cough in the Loft 13 February 2003
2 Chrome Alone 20 February 2003
3 A Moving Story 27 February 2003
4 Scare in the Community 6 March 2003
5 Every Cloud Has a Silver Wedding 13 March 2003
6 Hello, Hello, Hello 20 March 2003
5 1 Tale of a Toaster 12 May 2010
2 Smells Like White Spirit 19 May 2010
3 A Gig With Billy Joel 26 May 2010
4 How's Your Nan 2 June 2010
5 Picnic at Toadmouth Rock 9 June 2010
6 Wishee Washee Day 16 June 2010 (originally scheduled for 2 June but postponed due to Cumbria shootings)
Special 9 Visiting Time 23 December 2018
Special 10 Your Very Good Elf 22 December 2019
6 1 Rusty's Party 1 December 2022
2 All's Well That Begins Badly 8 December 2022

Radio Shuttleworth

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Series Episode Special guests First broadcast
1 1 Leo Sayer, John Hegley 3 November 1998
2 Wendy Craig, Lorraine Bowen, The League Against Tedium 10 November 1998
3 Patrick Moore, Seán Cullen, Jenny Eclair 17 November 1998
4 Vanessa Feltz, Boothby Graffoe 24 November 1998
5 John Kettley, John Moloney, Sean Lock 1 December 1998
2 1 Barbara Dickson, Bill Bailey, Hattie Hayridge 24 February 2000
2 Richard Whiteley, John Otway, Jo Enright 2 March 2000
3 Tony Hart, Lorraine Bowen, Stephen Frost 9 March 2000
4 Peter Purves, Phil Nichol, Milton Jones 16 March 2000
5 Katrina Leskanich, Robert Wyatt 23 March 2000
6 Matthew Kelly, Mitch Benn, Kevin Gildea 30 March 2000

John Shuttleworth's Open Mind

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Series Episode Title First broadcast
1 1 UFOs 30 March 2006
2 Ghosts 6 April 2006
3 Vampires 13 April 2006
4 Fairies 20 April 2006
5 The Bermuda Triangle 27 April 2006

John Shuttleworth's Lounge Music

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Series Episode Title First broadcast
1 1 Chas & Dave 13 July 2014
2 Heaven 17 20 July 2014
3 Toyah Willcox 27 July 2014
4 Lee John 3 August 2014
2 1 Chris Difford 20 November 2016
2 Clare Grogan 27 November 2016
3 Nick Heyward 4 December 2016
4 Mari Wilson 11 December 2016

References

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  1. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Shuttleworths". BBC. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  2. ^ Inglis, Sam (2004), "Graham Fellows (aka John Shuttleworth) Making Engineering Funny", Sound on Sound magazine, Cambridge, May 2004, retrieved 29 March 2012
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