Sunday 18 October 2009

Middle Ditch 37

Listen here:



The Missing Milk

Jim's new Detective Sergeant, Joe, has some ideas about crime
and the village. Howard and Barbara are not amused by Joe's questions.

This episode features in order of appearance:

Jeremy Drake as the Announcer
Ian Brinton as Joe
Keith Walton as Jim
Monique Caddy as Barbara
David Caddy as Howard

Editing and sound effects by Helen Hardy and David Caddy
Written by David Caddy and directed by Jeremy Drake

40 comments:

jmsjoin said...

My perpetual smile is getting broader. Another star is born. Good job Ian and all of you!

darkfoam said...

this was wonderful! truly entetaining. luved ian's voice ... his inflections ..

Ruela said...

nice one ;)

Commander Zaius said...

Joe needs to chill out several degrees. Great episode!

When the story mentioned stolen milk it brought back memories of something similar when I was a kid.
We still had a company that delivered milk to the front door of homes which struggled to stay profitable until 1969 when in one section of town the milk was being vandalized or stolen. That was the straw that broke its back and they went under several months later unable to get the situation under control.

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Another wonderful episode - I'm so glad I found you. The sound quality was better this time as well. Looking forward to further episodes.

The Wisdom of Wislon said...

Hello nice to see you're keeping your recordings going, will try to pop on more often!

Middle Ditch said...

Thanks Jim, I'm glad that you are still enjoying the episodes.

Foam, yes, Ian's voice is lovely, not at all the way he usually speaks. He has a very sophisticated voice but when we heard him speak like a South Londoner, we just had to have him.

Middle Ditch said...

Ruela, great to see you. I have neglected you for a bit. I'll be over to yours soon.

Beach Bum, yes, Joe can be quite obnoxious at times, but he is a great character to write and he and Keith, who plays Jim, are working well together.

We still have milk delivered and the idea of the missing milk, coinciding with the introduction of Joe and the find of Emma's bicycle and bag, came to us when some of our own milk went missing. And I'm pleased to say that our company is flourishing and still delivers.

Middle Ditch said...

Petty, I'm pleased that I found you too. Let's stay in touch.

Wisdom of Wislon! What a lovely surprise to see you here. I'll return the favour soon.

BernardL said...

The 'hotbed of crime'. Joe is hilarious. :)

Devin said...

Hahahaha:-) My premonitions or feelings aren't right very often-but for some reason I thought you would be doing another episode this weekend-maybe I should start a psychic hotline;-) this was another great one -you all are fantastic -sending you love an hugz from Arizona!!

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

Joe is definitely the kind of character I enjoyed playing when I was on Stage (female version, no doubt). It's a load of fun to let go like that.
Another spendid episode. Keep them coming.

Middle Ditch said...

BernardL, yes he is. It was a lot of fun recording with him. Keith and Ian work well together.

Thank you Devin, a psychic hotline is a wonderful idea.

Thanks Anne, it must be great to be on stage. And I can imagine you playing such a character.

Thank you all for commenting. I just love reading them.

The Wisdom of Wislon said...

Thanks for your kind comments.

fizzycat said...

He's from London! wonderful.
Thanks for asking about parents. Dad is completly better. Mum has had her last chemo for a while. Visiting them tomorrow.Her blood test revealed her indicator for cancer has reduced to the normal ( no cancer) mark. So a scan is planned in a week or so then she has a few months off from the chemo and then we are taking it from there.

Helene said...

Hello there,
I just popped in to send you a quick cyber hug and say HI!! Hope you are having a wonderful fall!
cheers!
H

jed said...

A most enjoyable episode. Great to hear Ian and Keith together as Joe and Jim. Some fine performances all round. The script also opens up some interesting developments.

Middle Ditch said...

Thanks for visiting again Wisdom. Most appreciated.

Fizz, I'm really pleased that things are going so well for your parents.

Middle Ditch said...

Thanks Helene, I'll be visiting you soon again.

Oh yes Jed. Joe seems to be on the case of Cassidy as well as the missing teenager. Who knows what he will find out about Howard?

Richard said...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8318000/8318226.stm

David Caddy said...

An entertaining episode! Jim and Joe make a wonderful detective team. Very English and half full of promise. Who knows what they will uncover next? Poor old Howard, I hope his heart survives Joe's probings!

Middle Ditch said...

Thanks Richard. I will have a look at that soon.

Hey David, Joe is no fool and full of suspicions of this small village, and rightfully so!

Unknown said...

Another gem. I second everyone else when I say keep them coming. Wonderful job by all the players from a player himself. :-)

Middle Ditch said...

Thanks Ricardo. Great compliment.

Reader Wil said...

You are a gifted playwright, Monique! And you are surrounded by great players!

Middle Ditch said...

Thank you Reader Wil, another wonderful compliment.

Rick said...

Loved Ian's voice. And the plot just keeps getting more and more intricate! Lovely work as always by all.

Anonymous said...

I love a humourous detective yarn ... very funny - as always.

Middle Ditch said...

Thank you both Rick and Aggie. I'm very pleased to see you here and I can't get enough of those comments. Keep them coming. Without you all commenting and visiting I probably would have given up long ago.

Erik Donald France said...

Brilliant and lovely, in concept and delivery. Love the nuances in dialect and diction.

Where I've lived in the States, haven't had milk bottles delivered in maybe thirty years (and was just talking about this last week), a sad state of affairs. Cheers!

Middle Ditch said...

Hi Erik, good to see you here. Isn't it funny how you can think or talk about something and you then suddenly come across it. We still have milk deliveries so I guess that we are lucky.

Reader Wil said...

So you still have your milk delivered! When we came to live here in this village we also had a milkman. That was 30 years ago but now we have to fetch it at the supermarket. Great episode, Monique!

Middle Ditch said...

Yes Reader Wil, we are lucky. I remember, when I was nine and we moved to Elburg, that the milk was delivered by horse and cart. My mother was very sad, when the milkman informed her not long after, that he had to go with the times and was investing in an electric delivery car. The horse (I think) was put down.

David Caddy said...

We have milk deliveries every other day and the milkman also brings some groceries. It is fresher milk than at the supermarket! I also remember the milk being delivered by horse and cart at Okeford Fitzpaine. It was actually revived there for a while in the Eighties. I remember the horse and cart being immaculately turned out. If oil costs continue to rise in the coming years they could make a comeback in some areas.

Middle Ditch said...

That, David, I would love to see. A comeback of horse and cart delivery.

X. Dell said...

I like the character Joe in this. Idiotically malevalent, he is (not to mention pompous).

Glad to hear that the Lower Ditch subplot you developed some time ago is coming back. I would guess that the Cassidy case will always haunt our protagonists.

X. Dell said...

BTW, I love how Barbara's always the organizer. A case of self-cariacture?

Middle Ditch said...

Joe is great to write, X.Dell. I just love the way he can be so obnoxious. He is, after all, used to the ways of London cops and really thinks that by roughen up the crims a bit he will get the answers.

Yes, Lower Ditch will stay in the picture for a while as this is also the place where other things are going to happen. And Cassidy? Joe is very suspicious about the whole case. He wont stop digging for the (what he thinks are and what we know are) the true answers.

And as for barbara, mmmmmmmm, I don't think that I can answer this. In fact when I asked David if I was like her after reading your comment, he just smiled and was actually a little evasive. Perhaps you should go to his blog and see if you can get an answer out of him. LOL

David Caddy said...

Joe is indeed great to write and very well played by Ian, who has a great radio voice. He is a great addition to the cast and I am sure will cause lots of fun and games in the future.

Oh yes, there is some of Monique in her character, Barbara!

Middle Ditch said...

Mmmmmm, I see!

Okay, perhaps you are right.