''Sneakiepeeks'' is a situation comedy series broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

between 2009 and 2010. It was written by Harry Venning and

Neil Brand Neil Brand (born 18 March 1958) is an English dramatist, composer and author. In addition to being a regular silent film accompanist at London's National Film Theatre, Brand has composed new scores for two restored films from the 1920s, '' The ...

and produced by Katie Tyrell.

Situation

The series concerns "Beagle Team", an undercover surveillance unit comprising Bill Cooper (

Richard Lumsden Richard James Lumsden (born 24 June 1965) is an English actor, writer, composer and musician. He has made regular appearances on TV and film throughout his career. Notable series include Channel 4's Emmy-award winning ''Sugar Rush'', '' Is it ...

), who harbours unrequited passion for team leader Sharla Jasumani (

Nina Conti Nina Margarita Conti (born 25 August 1973) is a British actress, comedian, and ventriloquist. Early life Conti was born and raised in Hampstead, London, the daughter of actors Tom Conti and Kara Wilson. She attended King Alfred School, Londo ...

), and the ex-criminal Mark Walker (

Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and no ...

). Lumsden and Conti also appear in Venning's somewhat more well-known comedy "

Clare in the Community ''Clare in the Community'' is a British radio comedy series, broadcast on BBC Radio 4, starring Sally Phillips as Clare. It was adapted from the comic strip of the same name which appeared in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, written by Harry Venning ...

". The typical mission involves the team attempting to listen in on conversations in places such as hotels, houses, and yachts. The mission is usually interrupted by such distractions as police trying to get their parked vehicle to move on, fallout from Mark's attempts to make money on the side, unexpected numbers of customers for the food van they are using as a cover, and occasional rogue agents from one side or the other.

Characters

* Bill Cooper (

), the team's technician. His "mission log", spoken aloud, acts as introduction and linkage for the plot, and tends to veer into expressions of his yearning for Sharla, which he then expunges with "delete delete delete!". * Sharla Jasumani (

), team leader. Sharla has a strong Northern Ireland accent and a pugnacious attitude. She has unresolved issues with her superiors in the agency and is fiercely competitive with the other surveillance teams. The head of the department, codenamed "Hunter", is her 'uncle'. In one episode she starts an unauthorised operation to spy on her lover. * Mark Walker (

), a former criminal forced to work with the agency. He is a streetwise Londoner who excels in talking his way out of situations. He also likes to make money on the side. When the team uses a lunch van as a cover, his culinary efforts attract too much attention, and he begins to dream of a mention in a gourmet magazine.

Episode list

Series 1

External links

* * * {{Authority control BBC Radio comedy programmes 2009 radio programme debuts BBC Radio 4 programmes