A soiree is ruined by housekeeper Maud's one-woman path of destruction. Starring Dame Hilda Bracket and her lifelong companion Dr Evadne Hinge. With Daphne Heard as Maud.

This is a rare outing for the newly-restored 1976 pilot sourced from off-air recordings recovered from avid radio listeners.

The opening show establishes the dear ladies at home in the Suffolk village of Stackton Tressel. The was the genteel setting for three Radio 4 series between 1977 and 1979, with further spin-off seasons on Radio 2 until 1990. In the early 1980s, they expanded over to BBC TV with the series Dear Ladies.

Patrick Fyffe (Dame Hilda) died of cancer aged 60 in 2002, which prompted George Logan to retire his character of Dr Evadne for good.

Scripted by Lawrie Kinsley and Ron McDonnell. Produced by Mike Craig and James Casey.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1976. Show less