麻豆约拍

Births, Deaths and Marriages - returning for a second series - is the sitcom set in a Local Authority Register Office where the staff deal with the three greatest events in anybody's life.

Written by David Schneider (The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge), he stars as chief registrar Malcolm Fox who is a stickler for rules and would be willing to interrupt any wedding service if the width of the bride infringes health and safety. He's single but why does he need to be married? He's married thousands of women.

Alongside him are rival and divorcee Lorna who has been parachuted in from Car Parks to drag the office (and Malcolm) into the 21st century. To her, marriage isn't just about love and romance, it's got to be about making a profit in our new age of austerity.

There's also the ever spiky Mary, geeky Luke who's worried he'll end up like Malcolm one day, and ditzy Anita who may get her words and names mixed up occasionally but, as the only parent in the office, is a mother to them all.

In the second episode, X-Factor voice-over man Peter Dickson comes into the office to register the death of his father. But Malcolm's the only one who's never heard of him. Or the show. Lorna wants to beat her rivals in Parking in the annual talent contest, while everyone else is trying to cope with Jackie, the work experience girl from hell.

Producer: Simon Jacobs
A Unique production for 麻豆约拍 Radio 4.