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Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

Dead Ringers: Ep2. Makerfield Maketh Man

26 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What humorous impressions do the hosts make this week?

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This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK.

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24.112 - 46.002 Shayne Topp

Lapland Hotels. BBC Radio 4.

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In half an hour, it's The Archers, where, thanks to the newly announced BBC cuts, Linda Snell will be played by an angry chicken. But now, in a change to the scheduled programme, it's Poetry Please with Ian McMillan. Andy, Andy, burn them bright. Results that came in overnight. What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful leadership try?

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In what distant northern skies burnt the fire of thine eyes? To what ambition do you aspire? What the hand dare seize the power? What of winning? What of loss? Starmer thou did double cross.

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Chapter 2: How does Andy Burnham address the people of Makerfield?

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Thy ambition unconcealed in the land of Makerfield. Andy, Andy Burnham Bright, results that came in overnight. Your glory may be brief and fleeting, but at least you're not Wes Bloody Streeting. LAUGHTER It is an enormous honour to have been elected as your MP for Makerfield. It's only right and proper I pay tribute to my fellow candidates, from the Greens to the Tories,

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and even the monster-raving Looney candidate reforms Rob Kenyon. But let me assure you now that I will not use the people of Makerfield merely as a stepping stone for higher office. more as a stone which one can step on, as it were, en route to a more important job. The country isn't where it should be.

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Chapter 3: What tactics does Thomas Tuchel discuss in the episode?

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Decent working people are having to slave away at three jobs to make ends meet. For example, I heard of one bloke who had to be Manchester Mayor, MP for Makerfield, and now he's applying to be Prime Minister as well, just to put food on the table. You have given me a mandate for change.

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A final chance for Labour to change the change to a different change from the change we promised to change two years ago. you have rejected the politics of hate, saying loud and clear that we must have unity and healing. And to achieve that, I'm starting a bitter and divisive leadership contest. Because for all our differences, there is still one thing that unites us as a country.

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None of us like Keir Starmer. Hello there, I'm Gary Lineker, and welcome to The Rest is Football, proof that 30 million quid from Netflix doesn't necessarily improve production values. Following England's thrilling 4-2 win against Croatia on Wednesday, I'm delighted to be joined by the England manager, Thomas Tuchel. Hello, Gary. Congratulations, Thomas.

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That really was a game of two halves, wasn't it?

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265.486 - 281.729 Keith Adams

Er, yes. LAUGHTER What else could it be? Well... Association Football Law 7.1 states that all matches must consist of two halves, each lasting 45 minutes.

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OK, but... With an appropriate amount added on at the referee's discretion to compensate for any significant non-playing stoppages. OK. Well, the boys really gave it 110%, didn't they? No, Gary. It's mathematically impossible to give...

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More than 100%, and with biological inefficiencies, the maximum amount of effort that can be given is closer to around 23 or 24%, with the rest lost as heat energy.

Chapter 4: What is the significance of the Archers' cuts mentioned?

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But what I mean is that they were really on it, weren't they? Elliot Anderson in particular covered every blade of grass on the pitch.

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324.701 - 329.046 Keith Adams

Are you saying Elliot Anderson is 105 metres long by 68 metres wide? LAUGHTER

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He is not that, Gary, and as a result, he could not and did not cover every blade of grass on the pitch. Noni Matuake was great, though, wasn't he? Constantly in acres of space. No. No, that's incorrect.

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A standard 11-a-side football pitch typically measures between 1.5 and 2 acres and at no point did I witness all the players, match officials and supporters shuffle around with Dwecky to leave him in a perfect empty circle with a radius of 36 metres minimum. Still, funny old game, isn't it? No, Gary...

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376.107 - 385.054 Keith Adams

It is not a funny game. I don't find it humorous in the slightest. Though to be fair, I am German.

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It's the most anticipated movie event of 2026, Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, starring Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Telemachus. My son, we have been fighting this Trojan War for ten long years now, and there is still no sign of victory. We must have angered one of the gods. But which one, Father? Zeus? Athena? The worst one of all, Musk. Elon Musk? The god of assholes?

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Yes, it is I, Trillionaire Don. Elon, bow down before me. Elon detests this movie's identity politics and anti-historical wokeness, even though I am curiously not worried at all about there being no Greeks in the cast. You cast Lupita Nyong'o as Helen of Troy, a decision that launched a thousand Elon shitposts. Prepare for my wrath. Please, spare us. The wokeness was not of our doing.

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I'm just here to stop being typecast as Spider-Man.

Chapter 5: How do the hosts critique political leadership in the UK?

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What can we do to appease you, Lord God?

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Chapter 6: What curious case is explored in this episode?

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It is simple. You must go into battle with a giant horse on wheels, which you will use to massacre all the Trojans and burn Troy to the ground. Lord, how can a horse on wheels cause such fire and destruction? Simple. It will be built by Tesla.

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509.842 - 528.836 Laura Koonsberg

Welcome back to the BBC's by-election coverage. I'm Laura Koonsberg. It's 4am in the morning. I've just chugged my 50th Pro Plus. I can hear colours. And Chris Mason has gone feral and is living behind the bins. I'm here with the new MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham. Andy Burnham, congratulations, but what's the plan?

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Well, Laura, here's the simple answer. Buses. As you know, Laura, I made my name by transforming Manchester's bus services. There's nothing that can't be solved by buses.

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541.331 - 546.959 Laura Koonsberg

Well, that's not true. How would you have dealt with the Russians firing at yachts in the English Channel, for example?

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Well, look, buses on Manchester's B network have never been fired on by Russia, Laura.

Chapter 7: How does the episode address the issue of misinformation?

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That's clearly testament to how I run the buses.

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555.151 - 558.877 Laura Koonsberg

OK, so how would you handle Donald Trump and don't say buses?

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Trams. Which are basically buses. Well, if Donald Trump ever sits down next to me, I'll just move. Move? Like when the mad bloke gets on the bus.

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572.724 - 577.47 Laura Koonsberg

How are you going to help a Labour Party facing the very real threat of reform?

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Well, I've already dealt with reform. Reform of the Manchester bus network. Nobody can fault me there.

583.923 - 586.887 Laura Koonsberg

Mr Burnham, buses seem to be your only frame of reference.

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Not at all, Laura. I will still do my very best for the party. Having won this seat, it's a priority. Well, at least a proper answer. A priority seat up the front. Please allow an elderly person to sit down or make way for a pram. Right, let's get to bloody work. I'm not the Messiah, I'm just a very northern boy. So we're coming up to half-time.

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It's still the Netherlands nil, Japan nil, and now what's happened here? A Japan player has gone down off the ball. The other Japanese players are absolutely furious. Let's have a look at the replay. Well, the Netherlands player has blatantly punched him there. The referee can't have seen it, but VAR will surely intervene. It's a Scottish VAR team for this particular match.

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They're looking at the footage now. Here we go.

Chapter 8: What comedic conclusions are drawn about social media usage?

645.446 - 654.008 Laura Koonsberg

I want to make it plain. After video review, I have seen no evidence of wrongdoing whatsoever.

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Can't quite believe what we're hearing here from assistant referee Sturgeon.

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659.681 - 681.987 Laura Koonsberg

Look, I can only intervene when there's been a clear and obvious error. And as far as I'm concerned, nothing is clear and absolutely nothing is obvious. So let's get this game back underway, not that I'm interested in games, which is why I didn't notice my husband's Nintendo 3DS console, the Xbox 360, or the Turtle Beach Wi-Fi Ready gaming headset. LAUGHTER

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681.967 - 685.993 Laura Koonsberg

And let me add, I have nothing to say about the whole campervan hoo-ha.

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Just to clarify, campervan hoo-ha is the Dutch player... ..who was involved in that incident. And you have to say, he's a very lucky boy.

703.28 - 704.802 Laura Koonsberg

Not that I can see.

709.507 - 734.552 Keith Adams

Good morning. This is your interim Prime Minister. I am addressing you on this blackest of days, the occasion of our amazing by-election result. I know Labour supporters will be shocked and saddened by our stonking win in Makerfield. It is very easy to despair at our spectacular victory, but we will learn lessons and rise from the shattered debris of our triumph.

735.612 - 756.115 Keith Adams

There was always the danger that my Labour government would be outflanked by a crude, populist party with cheap slogans and easy answers. And that party was, of course, the Labour Party. What is it with this Andy Burnham chap? I've been told by my aides that he's popular. I don't think I've ever heard that before.

756.135 - 774.148 Keith Adams

So, of course, I leapt into action, commissioning a focus group and asking friends what being popular was about. And what did I learn? That I have no friends and that focus groups can be really, really cruel. So my message is this. I'm going nowhere.

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