There was a discussion here not so long ago about radio dramas and how they’ve almost totally disappeared from the medium. But they’ve long been a staple at the BBC and this week, they’ve been putting on a high profile story – the origins of the classic TV pioneer, “I Love Lucy.”
 
The play, presented in short segments of about 15 minutes each, boasts a pretty amazing pedigree. It was written by the son of original I Love Lucy writer Jess Oppenheimer and features stars like Anne Heche (as Lucy), Wilmer Valderamma (of That 70s Show fame, as Desi Arnaz) and Stacy Keach (as William Frawley, aka Fred Mertz.)
 
The first two segments are already online and it doesn’t appear to be geoblocked. But if you want to hear any of the segments, don’t wait too long. Unlike other services, the BBC only makes them available for free for about a month – and as of Tuesday, there are only 29 days left.
 
This is an unusual project for the Beeb but if you like the idea and miss it, then you’ve got some splainin’ to do!
 
Lucy Loves Desi: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Sitcom