Clara’s Verdict
British radio comedy of a certain vintage has a particular gift for finding the absurd in the mundane, and Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully – Eddie Robson’s Radio 4 series adapted here by BBC Audio – is a splendid example of the form. The premise is deceptively simple: aliens have invaded, but they have chosen to start small, and “small” means the village of Cresdon Green, encircled by a heat-wave field with an alien commander doing his very reasonable best to understand loyalty cards and charity shops before attempting the wider conquest of humanity. It is very funny indeed.
About the Audiobook
Published by BBC Audio in December 2019 and running at 5 hours and 10 minutes, this audiobook contains both Series 1 (originally broadcast 2013) and Series 2 (2014) of the radio drama. The alien commander Uljabaan, played by Julian Rhind-Tutt, has decided that previous attempts at global domination failed because they moved too quickly. His new approach: learn the English village from the inside, assimilate the culture, and expand outwards from there methodically. The problem is Katrina Lyons, played by Hattie Morahan, who has come home to borrow money from her parents and finds herself the only person in the village willing to resist the occupation.
Everyone else – her parents included, played by Peter Davison and Jan Francis – is too polite, too cowardly, or too distracted by the small pleasures of village life to object seriously. The comedy of English compliance in the face of authoritarian reasonableness is sharply observed and very well constructed. The script is clever about human behaviour in institutions, the particular social pressures of small communities, and the way that good manners can function as a form of moral abdication.
The Narration
This is a full-cast production, not a single narrator reading prose – the radio drama format is preserved, with Julian Rhind-Tutt, Hattie Morahan, Peter Davison, Jan Francis, Hannah Murray, and John-Luke Roberts reprising their roles. The quality of the performances is excellent throughout; Rhind-Tutt’s Uljabaan in particular is a superb creation – courteous, baffled, and menacing in equal measure. At five hours across two series, it is a highly re-listenable production that rewards a second go-round once you are familiar with the characters.
What Readers Say
The audiobook carries a rating of 4.3 out of 5 from 40 listeners. Multiple reviewers use the phrase “laugh out loud funny.” Peter N. Ingleby writes that “Radio comedy at its very best” – noting correctly that the imaginative freedom of radio suits this material better than television would. Others say simply that they were not disappointed after hearing “good things.” One listener experienced technical difficulties with the fourth chapter on their device, though this appears to be an isolated issue rather than a widespread problem.
Who Should Listen?
Essential for Radio 4 comedy enthusiasts, and a very easy recommendation for anyone who appreciated the gentle anarchy of programmes like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or the social observation of The Good Life. It is suitable for all ages and makes excellent company for a long drive or a rainy Sunday afternoon. The combination of sharp writing, strong performances, and a genuinely original premise makes this one of the more rewarding BBC Audio productions available on Audible.
Listen on Audible UK – get your copy here.
