Pierce Egan's renowned 19th-century comic novel adapted by Dan Tetsell is a rollicking real tour of the sprawling post-Regency metropolis in the years before the Victorians turned up and made everything boring.

Comedy drama showing the 'fast life' of Regency London, starring Mark Gatiss, Greg Wise and James Bachman, and Geoffrey McGivern as Pierce Egan.

We travel through London town all in the company of garrulous author Pierce Egan, cocksure urbanite Corinthian Tom, his naive Somerset cousin Jerry Hawthorn and their drunken compatriot Bob.

Tom and Jerry visit a cockfight, try to buy a horse, meet a sporting legend and lay a wager on which is better, London or the West Country. Meanwhile, garrulous narrator Pierce Egan takes literary critic William Hazlitt to his first boxing match. The lads of Regency London drink with the lower orders in the East End and generally get up to mischief around town.

When Pierce Egan falls on hard times, will his adventures help him make his fortune or will this be the end of the trio's life together?

When first published the popularity of Pierce Egan's book amounted to a craze, as society tried to guess the real life characters featuring in the tales. The celebrity obsession of the Regency period is depicted in this cleverly adapted comedy.

Episodes

In Training for a Swell

The Fancy

Mr Lushington

High and Low Life

The Show Folks

An End to Life in London

Cast

Pierce Egan - Geoffrey McGivern

Corinthian Tom - Greg Wise

Jerry Hawthorn - Mark Gatiss

Bob Logic - James Bachman

Old Hawthorn - Christopher Douglas

Corinthian Kate - Amanda Abbington

Mrs Belcher / Fishwife - Laura Shavin

Mr Primefit / Sir Richard / Actor - Dave Lamb

Plausible Jack/ Jarvey / George Sala - Ben Graves

William Hazlitt/Tom Cribb/ Hustle - Alex MacQueen

Mrs Egan - Alys Torrence

Lady Wanton - Morwenna Banks

Fanny - Margaret Cabourn Smith

Theodore Holt / Dick Trifle- Giles Taylor

Mr Jonah / Pickpocket - Neil Edmond

Production Credits

Written by Pierce Egan

Adapted by Dan Tetsell

Music: Ben Walker

Producer: Tilusha Ghelani

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 1st May, 8th May, 15th May, 22nd May, 29th May, 5th June 2006