Line #24 Radio/ElvenQuest


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/elvenquest.jpg]]
2
3	[=ElvenQuest=] is a British radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
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5	The story follows Sam Porter, a misanthropic fantasy author, who is visited by three strangely-dressed people he believes to be cosplaying fans. However, when they attempt to steal his dog, Amis, in the belief that he is TheChosenOne, Sam follows, only to be drawn into the fantasy world of Lower Earth, where Amis is transformed into a human, though keeps his dog-like tendencies. Soon, Sam is dragged along on a quest for the Sword of Asnagar, along with dim elven prince Vidar, beautiful but naive warrior princess Penthiselea, and stubborn dwarf Dean, all the while pursued by Lord Darkness and his servant Kreech.
6
7	Not to be confused with ''ComicBook/ElfQuest''.
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9	!!Tropes used by [=ElvenQuest=]
10	* AerithAndBob: In the first episode the questers are introduced as "Lord Vidar, Penthiselea and Dean, the Dwarf".
11	** A third series episode is set in "the mines of Grazak Dun buried deep beneath the dark mountains of Akanazar in the farthest reaches of the land of... Colin".
12	* AffablyEvil: Lord Darkness ultimately becomes this to the Questers, partly because they keep [[VillainsOutShopping running into each other under bizarre circumstances.]] He and Kreech even sit quietly at the back for Sam's wedding.
13	* AllPeriodsArePMS: Queen Eleanor, "beautiful but wildly unpredictable queen of Premenstrua".
14	* AnimalStereotypes: Although Amis is now human, he likes to chase sheep, cannot resist retrieving a stick, and is easily distracted by biscuits.
15	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: [[DogsAreDumb Amis]].
16	* BackFromTheDead: Dean in the Puzzles episode.
17	* BlackCloak: "You will make sure you separate the darks from the whites, won't you? Only your Terrible Black Cape of Maleficence does tend to run..."
18	* BritishBrevity: Four series have been recorded, each of six episodes.
19	* CallARabbitASmeerp: The denizens of Lower Earth have never heard of camels. However they do have humped, desert-crossing creatures called 'flamels'.
20	* CardCarryingVillain: Lord Darkness
21	* CharacterDevelopment: In the first series, Penthiselea doesn't seem to understand the difference between men and women, not even understanding about the birds and the bees. After the second series, this seems to disappear, as do any references to being Vidar's betrothed; she now solely refers to herself as a chaste warrior princess (though in the first episode of series two, Sam mentions her engagement to Vidar in the past tense, so presumably this was called off.)
22	* CliffHanger: The ending of the last episode of the first season.
23	* DietEpisode: Series 2, episode 2, has everyone concerned that Amis is getting fat. Fatty-fatty fat fat. so they take him to the castle of Dietica.
24	* DistractedByTheSexy: The Sirens episode. Dean, along with Penthiselea, is NotDistractedByTheSexy, for reasons [[TransparentCloset he cannot imagine.]]
25	* DogsAreDumb: Amis, with a mix of AttentionDeficitOohShiny, MyInstinctsAreShowing and CloudCuckoolander.
26	* EpiphanyTherapy: Parodied. Lord Darkness realises his bad boss tendencies come from being sent to a fat camp as a kid. Once he gets revenge on his childhood tormentor, he's... still a bad boss, but now it's because he simply enjoys hurting minions ForTheEvulz, not to make up for any trauma.
27	* EtTuBrute: The Questers when Sam gets the sword and hands it to Darkness in exchange for a portal home.
28	* EvilSoundsDeep: The Night Demon. By contrast, Lord Darkness sounds rather nasal.
29	* FantasticRacism: A mild version. Humans are apparently rare in Lower Earth, and Sam attracts some disdain. Mostly from Dean, though, and mostly for being Sam.
30	** Dwarves are oppressed by the "lankeys", according to Little Dick the dwarf.
31	* {{Flanderization}}: Dean goes from having subtle hints that he may be gay in the first series, before openly becoming a walking TransparentCloset in later series.
32	* FoodChains: The Fat Hog, which [[spoiler:causes everyone who eats there to turn into pigs so they can be killed and served to future diners.]]
33	* FreudianExcuse: Double subverted. Lord Darkness states his parents loved him and his childhood was great... [[spoiler:except his bad boss tendencies come from being sent to fat camp, where he was mercilessly bullied.]]
34	* GroinAttack: Kreech smashes the 'orbs' of the White Wizard. This upsets the White Wizard long enough for Kreech to smash his actual magic orbs.
35	* HighFantasy: an AffectionateParody. The show doesn't ridicule the genre; it uses it to make a genre sitcom.
36	* HumansAreBastards: The Night Demon believes sacrificing Sam will grant it power, as only humans are compelled to annihilate.
37	* IdiotHero: Lord Vidar, leader of the Questers.
38	* IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn: Penthiselea often does this to Sam, such as when the heat causes her to remove her breastplate.
39	* ILied: Darkness, after promising Sam that he wouldn't hurt the Questers if he gave him the Sword. Lampshaded by Kreech; "Good line."
40	* KingIncognito: Lord Darkness tries to infiltrate his own slaves... and is immediately suspected of being a spy.
41	* KingInTheMountain: Dean's father, Little Dick.
42	* LikeAnOldMarriedCouple: Sam and Penthiselea during series 2, episode 6, on their way to Lord Darkness's castle, with all the usual cliches, such as Sam being too stubborn to admit he's gone the wrong way. Then they're set upon by a troll who's a HenpeckedHusband, and are too busy arguing to notice.
43	* MacGuffin: The Sword of Asnagar, for whosoe'er wields the Sword shall rule all of Lower Earth.
44	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: Used by Sam when he says he wants to remain with his friends... and Dean.
45	* MyInstinctsAreShowing: Amis is entirely human in appearance, but the doglike instincts don't go away.
46	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Lord Darkness. The Night Demon. La Grande Bastardo. Also, Lord Darkness himself goes to some effort to name his new torture device... the Petard of Irony.
47	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: It's not unknown for Lord Darkness's actions to be the accidental means of saving the questers from their own mistakes.
48	* TheNicknamer: The escape officer in Trollditz. His first priority in coming up with a time-critical escape plan is to give the new inmates cool nicknames.
49	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed:
50	** Emperor Jackie sounds like a certain ([[Music/ElvisPresley '50s singer]] - particular in his later years.
51	** Nigressa, the glamorous but evil sorceress who owns the most famous tavern in Lower Earth, is an obvious parody of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.
52	** The White Wizard's speech pattern, along with his use of terms such as "The Third Way" and "Coalition of the Willing" are references to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
53	* NoMacguffinNoWinner: The questers actually find the Sword of Asnagar at the end of series 2, but it ends up nearly falling into Lord Darkness's hands due to corrupting nearly everyone who touches it, so Amis throws it away.
54	* NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught: A bizarre case where both sides attempt this. Lord Darkness issues a challenge of single combat and Sam inadvertently accepts. Over the course of the episode Sam tries to back out due to his cowardice and eventually convinces Penthiselea to stand in for him. Lord Darkness discovers that he will not be allowed to use his magic powers and is [[NonActionBigBad terrible at melee fighting]], so he tries to surreptitiously bring a monster onto the battlefield with him. Both ruses are eventually discovered and the fight is called off.
55	* NumberTwoForBrains: Kreech, though he tries to be something between HypercompetentSidekick and nanny, bless him.
56	* OnlySmartPeopleMayPass: What is it that is brown, and yet also sticky? Spoofed and [[LampShaded lampshaded]].
57	* OpeningNarration at the beginning of every episode, though it tends to ramble and lose the point.
58	--> '''Narrator:''' For as it is written in the Great Elven Book of Knowing, isn't life just one bloody thing after another.
59	* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame: Dean fits the bill all the way, with the exception of being in a TransparentCloset.
60	* PardonMyKlingon: Darkness swears frequently by the name of "Shardvar!"
61	* PlotTailoredToTheParty: The Tower of Tests... apparently. It all takes place offscreen.
62	-->'''Penthiselea:''' Each room has had traps and challenges which required the individual skills that we bring to get us through.\
63	'''Sam:''' [[AsYouKnow Yeah, we know, we were there.]]\
64	'''Penthiselea:''' My swordcraft, Amis's stamina, Sam's wit and intelligence, Vidar's..... so, we have four of the five keys needed to open the door in the wall.
65	** Also when the Queen demands a written saga of party's adventures:
66	-->'''Penthiselea:''' Oh, if only one of us was a professional writer.
67	* ShoutOut:
68	** Sam, an author, has called his dog 'Amis'; possibly in reference to authors Kingsley and Martin Amis. Although it's also an anagram of "I, Sam..."
69	** There are two locations referred to as [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Numenor and the Mountains of Morgoth]].
70	* TheQuest
71	* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Sam, repeatedly, during the Tower of Tests, which everyone else insists on overthinking.
72	* StraightGay. There are hints that Dean is this, during the first season. He doesn't appear to be interested in discussing it. The innuendo [[{{Flanderization}} increases in later seasons]] (see TransparentCloset).
73	* TautologicalTemplar: The White Wizard.
74	-->'''Wizard:''' [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans Sometimes you have to do difficult things if you want everything to be perfect]]. And I do want everything to be perfect. And I'm the living embodiment of goodness, so whatever I want must be good. D'you see? \
75	'''Sam:''' OK! So, he's a complete nutcase.
76	* TheAllegedBoss: Although Lord Vidar is the official Leader of the group, his stupidity and trusting nature make it easy (and often necessary) for the other Questers to override his authority.
77	* TransparentCloset: Dean.
78	* UnicornsAreSacred: Subverted. As the men are musing on the beast's aura of peace and beauty... Penthiselea shoots it. "Well we've got to eat..."
79	* VillainsOutShopping: The Questers run into Lord Darkness and Kreech all sorts of places, like [[spoiler:a book launch in a labyrinthine mine]].
80	* WeirdTradeUnion: Formed by the slaves in the salt mines.
81	* WeWantOurJerkBack: When the Questers bring Dean BackFromTheDead and take the opportunity to "improve" his personality, they accidentally make him into a simpering coward. In order to change him back, they have to kill him again.
82	* WholePlotReference:
83	** The fourth series finale has the gang trying to escape from maximum security prison "Trollditz", evading the German-accented guards and planning to dig three tunnels called Tom, Dick and Harry. It's a RunningGag that Sam finds all of this very familiar, but can't put his finger on why. The episode's title? "Film/TheGreatEscape."
84	** Another episode sees the Questers slaying a monster called the Grundel and fearing the wrath of its mother.
85	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Merely holding the Sword of Asnagar for even a moment drives most people raving mad and evil. Amis is immune because he's too nice.
86	* YouAreFat: All over the place in series 2, episode 2.

Context Radio / ElvenQuest