On July 4th 1985, Irene and Vera were born in a handwritten letter left on a kitchen table in Clapham, south west London...
Lou Wakefield and Carole Hayman, two friends who are now older than they ever expected to be, decided to play a game of written improvisation. Just for the fun of it, they would correspond as the sixty-something Irene Spencer and Vera Small, but with one unbreakable rule: they could never discuss it in person.
Irene was first off the mark with a letter to Vera. Her daughter Lesley had recently married, and Irene wrote to thank her new friend for the thank you letter she’d received in response to the wedding, where they had met for the first time. She admits that she’d enjoyed Vera’s company and, since they live so far away from each other, suggests they become penpals. And that’s where the trouble began...
Series 1. The Ladies of Letters. The ladies of letters first bond whilst tipsy and tangoing at Irene Spencer's daughter's wedding reception. Thereafter, their regular correspondence charts the ups and downs of their daily lives, from Vera Small's home at Far Shores Trailer Park to Irene's trip 'down under' to visit her daughter Lesley. Happily widowed, but perpetually preoccupied by errant offspring, the lives of Irene and Vera are punctuated by church fetes and amateur dramatics, and perpetuated through the pen pot and postal system. Combining domestic disaster with acerbic put-downs, absurdist observation with humorous exclamations, these letters offer a candid communication that only the closest of friends (or should that be 'enemies'?) could sustain! Irresistible in its depiction of the foibles of female friendship.
Series 2. Ladies of More Letters. In Ladies of More Letters,we find Vera installed at Far Shores Trailer Park and Irene living the ‘high’ life Down Under. In their letters they share all the twists and turns of life’s rich tapestry in true acerbic and forthright form – swapping family stories and subtle put-downs with ease and aplomb. The result is a sparkling collection of letters, full of humour and vitriol in equal measures.
Series 3. Ladies of Letters.Com. Vera Small and her bosom buddy Irene Spencer keep up a regular correspondence and now, with the advent of email, the ladies of letters can communicate daily. There are the usual domestic mishaps to fret about: Irene's daughter Lesley is refusing to marry the worthy but boring Brian; Vera's exhausted daughter Karen has abandoned her third baby at the hospital and eloped with a male nurse; and Vera's gay son Howard and his partner Anthony are trying for a baby- with the help of a surrogate mother and a television crew. As Irene and Vera fall in and out of friendship they accuse each other of everything from alcoholism to mental illness (but only in a loving, caring way, of course). Their hilarious put-downs and gossip give a wonderful insight into the trials of modern family life.
Series 4. Ladies of Letters Log On. On/off bosom pals Vera Small and Irene Spencer are battling valiantly to keep up with technology. Having long tidied away their pens and paper in favour of email correspondence, they now find themselves entering another sphere of New media: cable TV. Vera's recent success, in the fly-on-the-wall documentary A Life With Sheep, has led to her bagging the host's seat on new morning chat show Dales Diaries. Needless to say, the enterprise isn't without teething troubles - not least of which is the search for an ideal co-host...Meanwhile, Irene's joyful reunion with her long-lost offspring Christopher- and his succession of flashy motor cars- looks set to be soured by one overseas trip too may whilst, over at Sheepdippers Shed, Vera's own beloved son and his partner Anthony are expecting the patter of tiny surrogate feet any time now. But when the big day arrives, who will be on hand to oversee delivery?
Series 5. Ladies of Letters Make Mincemeat. A special seasonal instalment of the ongoing correspondence between sparring pen-pals Vera and Irene. With a supporting cast including Vera's son Howard and his partner Anthony, chaos looks set to descend once again upon Little Shagthorne and Hethergreen.
Series 6. Ladies of Letters Spring Clean. The proud grandmothers Irene Spencer and Vera Small return with their correspondence, once again brightening the airwaves with their often-dubious wit and wisdom. In this latest collection of missives they offer Springtime recipes as well as tips for a long and healthy life.
Series 7. Ladies of Letters Go Global. The intrepid grandmothers are at loggerheads with their respective families. Vera decides to take a break in Ibiza, and invites Irene to join her. But, a simple holiday soon becomes a big adventure as the two quickly and inevitably fall out, get into separate scrapes in different countries, appeal to each other for help, and end up chasing round the world from Moscow to the Maldives. Short of cash, forced to take casual work, and having to sort out family crises back home, on the hoofand from a distance - nothing dampens their spirits. Grappling with unfamiliar accents and unusual foods, the indomitable ladies find themselves launching into battle with everyone from hotel owners to Transylvanian separatist rebels. In fact, they're coping admirably with foreign travel, but how will the rest of the world cope with the Ladies of Letters?
Series 8. Ladies of Letters Say No. Fundraising for her ancient local hospital, Irene organises a charity dinner, which Vera attends on the arm of her new beau, local millionaire Alan Trumper. Unfortunately, Vera has a choking incisdent and is admitted to that very hospital. Visitng her, Irene then has a mishap with a trolley and ends up stuck in the same ward. Soon the Ladies are sniping at one another, vying for Alan's attention and complaining about the struggling hospital's standard of cleanliness - superbubs are taking over and rats running rampant on the wards.
Series 9. Ladies of Letters Go Green. The thoughts of the indomitable Ladies turn to all things Green in this latest collection of Letters. When Irene hears that her Aunty Doris has died and she must sort out her personal effects, she is filled with a sense of personal and global doom. Finding out that Doris was a fervent campaigner, and aware that Vera is a keen recycler, Irene decides to send Doris' clothes to Vera - with explosive results. Meanwhile, Vera has thrown herself into environmental causes. Soon both Ladies are eco-enthusiasts. With familial chaos on the horizon, the Ladies find that saving the planet is the least of their worries.
Series 10. Ladies of Letters Crunch Credit. This is the fiscally chaotic tenth series of the popular BBC Radio 4 comedy. The Ladies are having to tighten their belts in this latest collection of Letters. Karen and St John have put the Bothy up for sale, and together with their children, have invaded Vera's Coach House. But very soon things become totally intolerable, and Vera is forced to take up residence in the shed on her allotment. Meanwhile Irene is feeling the pinch after having to entirely rewire the upper floor of her eco-house, thanks to Vera's wanton destruction of a solar panel. And after she takes in an old acquaintance she finds begging in a shop doorway, her financial straits become even more dire - especially since Aunty Doris has come home from the hospital and must be nursed back to health with tempting and expensive titbits. With friends and families causing friction, and appliances running amok, the Ladies find that the global economic crisis fades into the background as they deal with their own domestic crises...
Series 11. The Ladies of Letters Go Crackers. The Ladies spend a predictable chaotic festive season. This deliciously funny two-hander is full of beautifully true details, but there is a new bittersweet taste to the hilarity.
