1991: Battling to write about the mighty Winshaws, Michael Pearce meets the family's politician, Henry - and enlists the help of a private detective.

But whenever he feels stressed, Pearce turns again and again to view a clip of his favourite film, What A Carve Up!

Robert Bathurst stars in Jonathan Coe's wickedly funny, black comedy, inspired by the immorality, greed, corruption and ambition of 1980s Britain - adapted by David Nobbs (The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin).

Coe's cult 1994 fictional novel was inspired after he watched the old British comedy horror film, What A Carve Up! (1961) starring Sid James, Kenneth Connor and Shirley Eaton. Coe opted to borrow both the film's title and the theme of a family -- as a way of exposing foul play in the British Establishment - and the excesses and evils of all aspects of Thatcherite Britain during the 80s and early 90s.

Michael ...... Robert Bathurst
Fiona ...... Fiona Allen
Findlay ...... Charlie Higson
Henry ...... Jeff Rawle
Hortensia ...... Flaminia Cinque
Alan Beamish ...... Gus Brown
Michael's Mum ...... Geraldine McNulty

Producer: Lucy Armitage

Made by Tiger Aspect Productions for BBC Radio 4 and first broadcast in 2005. Show less