My First Planet

My First Planet

Running time	28 minutes
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Radio 4 Extra
Starring	Nicholas Lyndhurst Vicki Pepperdine Tom Goodman-Hill Phil Whelans John Dorney Cariad Lloyd Letty Butler
Written by	Phil Whelans
Produced by	David Tyler
Original release	12 April 2012 (2012-04-12)
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	10

My First Planet is a British radio sitcom written by Phil Whelans. Set on a newly founded space colony, second-in-command Brian Palmer (Nicholas Lyndhurst) finds himself unexpectedly in charge when their intended leader dies and must work with the colonists to ensure their survival.

The series is produced by David Tyler for Pozzitive Television and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra. The first series initially aired in 2012 and the second in 2014.

Cast

• Brian - Nicholas Lyndhurst
• Lillian - Vicki Pepperdine
• Mason - Tom Goodman-Hill
• Archer - Phil Whelans
• Carol - Cariad Lloyd (series 1), Letty Butler (series 2)
• Richard - John Dorney

Series one

No.	Episode No.	Title	Original airdate
1	1	"The Landing Has Landed"	11 April 2012 (2012-04-11)
Day 1 on the colony and the inhabitants have lost the food, the air, the Commander and the mood music. Meanwhile, Chief Physician Lillian makes a terrible discovery about Project Adam.
2	2	"Hairdresser from Space"	18 April 2012 (2012-04-18)
Day 7 on the colony and Mason stirs up an ethical nightmare involving a hairdressing clone. Richard, meanwhile, tries to find a purpose in the colony.
3	3	"The Noticeboard of Doom"	25 April 2012 (2012-04-25)
Day 9 and the colonists are torn between Richard's newsletter and Archer's hot pants.
4	4	"Inglorious Barters"	2 May 2012 (2012-05-02)
Day 12. A queue for the loo and a rogue backrub threaten to blow up the colony.[1] With guest star Richard Bond.

Series two

No.	Episode No.	Title	Original airdate
1	1	"Sample of Terror"	21 July 2014 (2014-07-21)
Day 30 and Brian tries to save the contents of a freezer, while Mason tries to role-play in the nuclear core.
2	2	"One Small Naughty Step For Man"	28 July 2014 (2014-07-28)
Day 32. The colony teacher shuts Carol and Richard in a room with some alcohol, Lillian attempts to cure the common cold and Mason invents a personal environment suit.
3	3	"They Came to Test Our Brains"	4 August 2014 (2014-08-04)
Day 40. A pub quiz and a talking yam, who seems to be smarter than he, spells disaster for Brian when he discovers his I.Q.
4	4	"Adjective From Space!"	11 August 2014 (2014-08-11)
Day 43. Lillian experiments with mind control and an election is called. Richard goes for the youth vote by talking nonsense while Brian's campaign is based on some nauseating protein.
5	5	"Let Me Entertain Me"	18 August 2014 (2014-08-18)
Day 46. The colony is suffering from a lack of art and CCTV is the new entertainment. Despite the discovery of a poet, Archer gains popularity by scripting events, including a monster, a sword fight and a bomb.
6	6	"Day Trip to Terror!"	25 August 2014 (2014-08-25)
Day 49. What better time for social media to kick in than on a dangerous mission on the surface?

Reception

The first series received coverage as 'Pick of the Day' in The Times, The Daily Telegraph and The Independent, with The Daily Telegraph's Gillian Reynolds commenting: "What makes it funny is that its characters are (and remain) all too recognisably human".[2]

References

1. "BBC Radio 4 - My First Planet, Series 1, Inglorious Barters".
2. "My First Planet press clippings".