Lower Clumpthorpe is the quintessential English village. Quiet, cosy, quaint; it’s the perfect picture of rural harmony.
It is presided over by the fine, upstanding citizens of the Lower Clumpthorpe Parish Council – those tireless champions who selflessly devote their free time to the betterment of the community.
Professional, conscientious, and absolutely not involved in any gossip.
A comedy of small minds in a small village, where the only thing greater than the scenery is the epic proportions of parish politics.
Episode 1: The Village Sign
When Upper Clumpthorpe unveils a rather impressive new village sign, parish council chairman Prudence Hawthorne is determined that Lower Clumpthorpe will not be outdone.
Treasurer Derek Pritchard is concerned about the cost. Secretary Jean Wilmot has several ideas of her own. And professional sarcastic Sophie Calder suspects this has rather more to do with village rivalry than village pride.
It’s all making newest member Alex Turner wonder whether volunteering was such a good idea…
7th October ’26
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 2: The Incidental Accident
An ordinary meeting of Lower Clumpthorpe Parish Council takes an unexpected turn when news breaks of a most unfortunate incident in the village.
With conflicting accounts, a series of increasingly improbable events, and a certain amount of confusion over precisely what happened, Prudence is determined to establish the facts.
But as Jean recounts the afternoon’s events, Derek offers his own considered observations, and Sophie begins to piece things together, it soon becomes clear that there may be more to this incident than meets the eye.
Can the council uncover the truth?
And can anyone handle the truth?
14th October 2026
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 3: The Flagpole
When the neighbouring village of Upper Clumpthorpe raises the bar, Lower Clumpthorpe is duty-bound to respond.
But with the village bunting in need of a little TLC, a flagpole that’s conspicuous by its absence, and a certain Chairman who seems unusually keen to keep the past firmly in the past, the Parish Council has some rather pressing matters to discuss.
As Derek frets over the cost, Jean helpfully recalls a few inconvenient details, and Sophie takes great delight in proceedings, newcomer Alex begins to suspect that Lower Clumpthorpe’s missing flagpole has a rather interesting history.
Will the Council get to the bottom of it all?
Or are some matters best left unraised?
Especially flagpoles.
21st October 2026
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 4: The Emergency Plan
With the world in an increasingly precarious state, the good people of Lower Clumpthorpe Parish Council are called to prepare for the unthinkable.
Fortunately, Treasurer Derek Pritchard has been hard at work developing a comprehensive Civil Defence strategy, complete with emergency supplies, innovative warning systems, and a rather questionable understanding of nuclear fallout.
But when the prospect of appointing a local leader for the end of civilization presents an opportunity for a little power-grabbing, can the council reach a decision before Prudence
calls time?
Between international tensions, questionable procurement deals, and the small matter of who gets to be Prime Minister of Lower Clumpthorpe, one thing is certain: the future of the village is in very safe hands.
Isn’t it?
Coming soon!
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 5: The Noticeboard
Roadworks cut Lower Clumpthorpe off from the outside world, forcing villagers into the unthinkable: driving through Upper Clumpthorpe.
But this leads to the discovery of their suspiciously impressive new noticeboard.
As bus services mysteriously vanish, tempers flare as the parish council clashes over
fairness, funding and a floppy hat.
With espionage allegations, runaway lamination, and local dignity on the line, the parish
council discovers just how far Prudence is willing to go to defend Lower Clumpthorpe’s civic pride.
It’s a tale of two villages… noticeboards.
Coming soon!
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 6: The Telephone Box
Mobile signals in Lower Clumpthorpe are patchy at the best of times – unless you’re prepared to mime devotion in the middle of the village hall.
So when plans are announced to remove the village’s iconic red telephone box, the Parish Council must decide whether it’s an outdated relic… or vital infrastructure.
Between laminated minutes, carburettor nostalgia and conveniences for the public, a simple agenda item becomes unexpectedly important.
Democracy is calling… Lower Clumpthorpe has left the answerphone on.
Coming soon!
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Episode 7: Christmas Adjourned
It’s Christmas Eve in Lower Clumpthorpe, and Prudence Hawthorne has summoned the parish councillors for one final meeting of the year. Some little unfinished business, a few final decisions, and then everyone can get on with Christmas.
That, at least, is the plan.
As the evening unfolds, the councillors find themselves departing from the agenda rather more than usual – or than they had intended.
It all leads Sophie Calder to suspect that not everything about the evening is quite as straightforward as it appears…
A very special Christmas edition of Matters Arising.
Coming soon!
Starring
Sally Swift as Prudence Hawthorne
Jane Wing as Jean Wilmot
John Kennard as Derek Pritchard
Sean Baxendale as Alex Turner
Tammy King as Sophie Calder
Written, Produced and Directed by Andi White
Prudence Hawthorne - Chairman
Played by Sally Swift
- Old-school, rules-obsessed, insists on tradition.
- Has chaired the parish council for decades.
- Thinks of herself as the custodian of the village’s “character.”
- Favourite phrase: “That is not on the agenda.”
Derek Pritchard - Treasurer
Played by John Kennard
- Retired bank manager. Pompous but dithering.
- Obsessed with whether things are “value for money.”
- Has a weird vendetta against spending money on flowerbeds.
- Catchphrase: “Bloody metric.”
Alex Turner
Played by Sean Baxendale
- Recently moved from the city.
- Enthusiastic, idealistic, full of ideas no one wants.
- Ends up still referred to as “the new one,” even after being on the council for months.
- Desperate to prove himself, but keeps getting shot down with “That’s not how we do things here.”
Jean Wilmot - Secretary
Played by Jane Wing
- Cheerful busybody.
- Writes long-winded minutes that no-one reads.
- Loves “organising” things, but usually makes them worse.
- Always interrupts with irrelevant anecdotes about her cat, Cyril.
- Laminates everything.
Sophie Calder
Played by Tammy King
- Outspoken, witty, an almost accepted villager who’s frustrated by the older members’ resistance to change.
- Wants the parish council to tackle real issues (youth clubs, transport, inclusivity).
- Rolls her eyes at Prudence but secretly respects her tenacity.
Art by Georgia Cook
Sally Swift
(Prudence Hawthorne)
Sally was born and brought up in the Home Counties, which is frankly a bit of a bore, and has spent most of her life trying to sound as though she wasn’t.
In an ongoing attempt to shake off the RP, she has adopted pretty much any accent she can get her mouth around. She frequently gets away with it, and in audio drama has developed a particular fondness for playing old Northern ladies — presumably because there’s no better way to escape a genteel Home Counties upbringing than becoming a woman from Barnsley who’s furious about the price of fish.
RP does occasionally come in handy, of course, and the odd impression keeps the wolf from the door. Her particular love is finding the real person underneath a character, whether that means a perfectly respectable voice, a beautifully observed accent, or an elderly Northern woman who has seen things and is absolutely not going to put up with your nonsense.
I love playing Prudence; What’s not to love?
She’s stuffy, repressed, massively patriotic, self-absorbed, fiercely independent, totally hard and austere, and refuses to allow anyone else an opinion. She’s only happy when stamping her authority on things.
Glorious.
John Kennard
(Derek Pritchard)
A Yorkshireman exiled in London, John has made his home in various places in the British Isles and has picked up accents as he went around, any of which he might lapse into at the drop of a hat and without warning.
When he’s not voice-acting in games & dramas & animations, or singing in chamber choirs or playing drums or tinkering with a new gadget he’s inventing or dressing up as a pirate / steampunk / wizard for the weekend, he likes to sleep.
Unlike Derek, he likes cats and has a Bengal named Pteppic and a floof-monster named Chloe.
Derek is a very practical, logical man.
Unfortunately that matters more to him than other things like “people’s needs” or “social responsibility”. But someone’s got to prioritise financial responsibility above all else, and Derek is happy to bear that burden.
Sean Baxendale
(Alex Turner)
Sean Baxendale is an actor who has worked in theatre, film and voiceover. He has mainly worked in video games, playing major characters in Nioh 3 and The Ouroboros Express.
He draws from a wealth of experience to fully inhabit the characters he portrays.
Alex has a beautiful innocence to him.
He has a lot of ideas and thinks that those ideas will be listened to, not because they’re good but because he believes that’s how politics is supposed to happen in his idealistic mind… but this is Lower Clumpthorpe and things are a little different.
Jane Wing
(Jean Wilmot)
Jane Wing is an award winning British voice actor, currently playing Jean Wilmot in Nova Audio’s comedy drama Matters Arising.
A 2024 VOX Award winner for Best Human Performance in Audio Drama, she brings warmth, wit and depth to her character work.
Jane looks forward to appearing in future Nova Audio productions.
Jean always means well. She cares deeply about her fellow committee members and is totally oblivious to any undercurrents or tensions.
And she loves cats.
Tammy King
(Sophie Calder)
Tammy King is an award winning singer songwriter turned voice actor from West Midlands, UK. She has voiced in multiple genres such as radio commercials, corporate narration, indie animation, games and audio dramas.
Tammy’s natural voice has been described as friendly, warm and sincere and she has worked with clients such as Birmingham City Council, Vocalzone, Playtonic and many more!
I love how cheeky Sophie is! 😂
Her interactions within the group are completely not what is expected in a parish council meeting environment but it makes her as a character so fun to play!
Andi White
(Writer, Director, Producer)
Andi was born at an early age, and is so old she remembers dial-up modems.
She’s a prolific feature writer for magazines and newspapers, but has always written comedies; she recently found some scripts dating back to 1991!
Her first audio productions were made on a Sharp cassette recorder her Nan bought for her ninth birthday
I don’t remember writing this.