A comedy written by Nigel Smith. This went on for three series (each with 6 episodes) – series 1 was broadcast in 2006, series 2 was broadcast in 2007 and series 3 went out on air in 2009.
Ben doesn’t get out much, but he’s got a loving and attentive family, an active imagination and a comfortable bed…because he’s in a coma. Each episode evolves around the goings on amongst Ben’s relatives who have congregated around his hospital bed and the thoughts going through Ben’s head as he laid comatose.
Nicola appeared only in Episode 4 of Series 1 titled, Switching Off part 1. She played the part of a psychiatrist called Susan who was called in to see if she could help Ben feel less depressed whilst in a coma.
Ben is played by Neil Pearson.
You can read a more detailed episode guide for this radio show HERE.
Re-broadcast
This show was repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly known as BBC Radio 7) on 7 June 2011 at 22:30 GMT.
Nicola’s episode is repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra on Sunday, 2 June 2013 at 23:00 GMT. (Thank you, Ana, for the heads up. 😀 )
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Availability on Audible
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It’s awful. There’s no way to tell if stuff is happening in his head, or in real lifec. The one where he’s trying to buy an envelope – is he dreaming this or has he come round from the coma? The other stuff that goes on in the same episode (the sitcom thing) – is that in someone else’s head, his head or is it real? How am I supposed to know? Is his daughter dead – is that how she visits him when he’s in his coma? I simply don’t understand any of it.