Episode 1

Doro's three children break free of ideals from their unconventional upbringing in a left-wing commune. Marina Lewycka's novel is a witty and astute take on modern values.

When Doro and Marcus brought up their children they were committed members of a left-wing commune in Doncaster where radical politics, lentils and domestic chaos were the order of the day. Their children, Serge, Clara and Oolie Anna, who has Down's Syndrome, aspire to a different way of life.

Serge is pretending to do a PhD in maths at Cambridge, but is in fact earning ninety grand a year in an investment bank, a betrayal of all that Doro and Marcus hold dear. Clara has more of a social conscience than her brother and has turned to teaching, while Oolie Anna is desperate to leave home and live in her own flat. When secrets are uncovered and truths revealed the consequences are unexpected.
Read by Sam Alexander, Susie Riddell and Christine Absalom.
Abridged by Julian Wilkinson.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra. First broadcast in 2012.