Secret Life of Rosewood Avenue

James Grout stars as a hapless vicar who discovers that life behind suburbia's net curtains is more exciting than he'd expectedAfter being mugged by a pair of pensioners outside the Darby & Joan Club, the Reverend Timothy Carswell has had enough of his rough, tough inner-city parish. Convinced that someone so meek would be better suited somewhere quieter, the Bishop packs him off to a nice, sedate, residential neighbourhood where nothing ever seems to happen.However, unbeknownst to the vicar, his apparently respectable new parish is a hotbed of passion, paranormal experimentation and geriatric prostitution. Under the thumb of his dour Scottish housekeeper, Mrs Muir, who keeps him busy writing long, tedious sermons, he fails to notice the many crimes being committed under his very nose - including burglary, arson and even murder. But when his congregation is stolen by the charismatic American preacher, Elijah Hornblower, he finally realises that something is afoot - and he'll have to fight fire with fire if he wants to keep his flock...Written by acclaimed dramatist Stephen Sheridan, this dry, darkly funny sitcom stars James Grout as Rev Carswell, with Sarah Thomas and Elizabeth Mansfield as Mrs Muir.Production creditsWritten by Stephen SheridanProduced by Lissa EvansCastRev Timothy Carswell - James GroutMiss Tilling - Margaret CourtenayMiss Tapp/Emily Ford - Jean HeywoodDr Warlock/Bishop - Christopher GoodMrs Muir - Sarah Thomas/Elizabeth MansfieldMrs Knatchbull - Maxine AudleyCudlipp/Mugger/Critchley - Fraser KerrMugger's accomplice/Miss Shaw - Auriol SmithEdwin - Robert LangJeremy - Christian RobinsonDavid - Tobias BestMr Rainbird - David BannermanConstable/Eric - Ian LindsayMrs Garland - Rosemary MartinArnold - Cyril ShapsCaptain Van Thal - Donald PickeringHilary - Jacqueline TongMiss Willow - Patricia HayesKeith - Brian BowlesMaria - Sarah SousterGuy/Jehovah's Witness - Angus WrightSimon Garland - Daniel StraussMr Vaughan - Michael TurnerMr Shaw - Ronald HerdmanRev Hornblower - Garrick HagonMr Widlake - Brian MillerMrs Widlake - Bernadine CorriganFirst broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 26 February-2 April 1991(c) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd