Delve Special
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Delve Special was a UK Radio 4 comedy starring Stephen Fry as investigative reporter David Lander. It ran for four series from 1984 to 1987, each series being four episodes long. It was written by Tony Sarchet and produced by Paul Mayhew-Archer.
During the 1970s and 1980s, the BBC erased or incinerated a lot of material which it thought of no further commercial use. This occurred because of copyright restrictions which allowed various pieces of material to be broadcast a limited number of times or to be sold on within a certain period of time. Once these parameters had been surpassed, the film/tape was disposed of. Delve Special unfortunately fell into this category ; from the first series, only one episode remains in the BBC radio archives.
David Lander's investigative technique was usually somewhere between the questionable and the illegal - during each episode he also displayed some degree of ineptitude or lack of understanding in the subject matter he was reporting on. As a result, he usually found himself being set upon physically by those concerned. The programme heavily spoofed the style of topical radio reporters such as Roger Cook - himself a Radio 4 presenter who went on to television work such as The Cook Report.
A follow-up television series ran for two series : This is David Lander (starring Stephen Fry) in 1988, and This is David Harper (starring Tony Slattery) in 1990 - Fry being unavailable for the second series due to other commitments.
External links
- Delve Special/This Is David Lander/This Is David Harper information at the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/t/thisisdavidlande_1299003111.shtml)