Radio 4 |
Series One 1998 (four episodes) |
Series Two 1999 (six episodes) |
Harwant Bains' comedy drama of life at RPM Motors, a garage firm owned by Mo Singh (Bhasker Patel), who plans to retire and must decide which of his three children to pass the business onto. The only worthwhile candidate is his competent, conscientious and level-headed mechanic daughter, Rita (Nisha K Nayar), but the traditionalist Mo would rather see control pass to his eldest son -- if, that is, the artistically minded and rather affected Mo Junior could be persuaded to take any interest whatsoever in cars. Seeking to exploit the situation is the second son, Devinder, or 'Dave' to his dubious friends, whose big plans for the garage involve getting out of repairs and into sales, where the rip-off potential is better. As if this were not enough, Rita also has to fend off marriage proposals from a determined and deeply tedious solicitor. Akbar Kurtha played Mo Junior, and Paul Bazely was Dave.
Series Two expanded the storyline, bringing in some distinctly unlikely goings-on with local mafiosi types developing a keen interest in Dave's dreams of expansion, and a further danger for Mo in the shape of the alluring Mrs Alluwahlia, whose culinary seduction techniques lead him to believe she is the reincarnation of his late wife... There were a few cast changes, with Mo now played by Nitin Chandra Ganatra and Rita by Syreeta Kumar; Kurtha and Bazely remained from the first series, and the supporting cast included Siddiqua Akhtar, Don McCorkindale, Lyndam Gregory and Paul Bhattacharjee.