History Radio / ThinkTheUnthinkable

'''Daisy:''' Lifestyle-subverting journeymakers.\\

* MailOrderBride: In Episode 4 of Series 2, Owen leaves for Latvia at the beginning of the episode for his wedding to a mail order bride. He returns for the final scene, having left her in the lurch when she turned out to be rather less attractive than advertised.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Unthinkable Solutions team encounter a number of these over the course of the series, though special mention must go to Chip (Greg Proops), the CEO of the Enron-like Genforce from Series 2, Episode 1, who embezzles a fortune from Genforce's clients and, at the end of the episode, retires to a tropical island with no extradition agreement with the UK or the USA.

[[Creator/TheBBC BBC]] Radio 4 sitcom written by James Cary which aired for four series from 2001 to 2005 and followed the fortunes of Unthinkable Solutions, a team of inept management consultants whose advice to the companies foolish enough to hire them nearly always left them worse off than they were before.

* NerdsAreVirgins: Owen is implied have no sexual experience despite his obsession with the subject; Sophie hints in one episode that he may have hired a tart from a phone box advertisement, but says that it doesn't count as a sexual experience.

'''Caller:''' '''''I said "no"!''' [hold music begins playing, caller begins sobbing and smashing the phone against something until the signal cuts out]''

The personnel of Unthinkable Solutions include the team leader, WideEyedIdealist Ryan Packer (Marcus Brigstocke); his second-in-command Sophie Stott (Emma Kennedy in Series 1-2, Beth Chalmers in Series 3-4), the [[OnlySaneMan only sane woman]] (when she isn't giving in to her violent temper); GranolaGirl Daisy De Vere (Catherine Shepherd), who insists on carrying her fondness for New Age trends into the ideas for the corporations that hire them; and IT expert Owen (Creator/DavidMitchell), AbhorrentAdmirer to Sophie and openly critical of almost all forms of technology, even ones he installed himself.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: When Creator/DavidMitchell was unavailable for a few recording dates in Series 3 due to his commitments to ''Series/PeepShow'', the character of Owen went into hiding and was replaced by the nearly identical Jed (voiced by Robin Ince), whose major differences from Owen included a fondness for pornographic films instead of VideoNasties and a catchphrase of "Alright, tosspots!" rather than "Alright, losers!"

* OnlySaneMan: Unthinkable Solutions has a female version of this trope in Sophie, although only relative to the other team members; she has a particularly violent temper and is skilled in numerous lethal martial arts.

* NerdsAreVirgins: Owen, possibly (Sophie hints in one episode that he may have hired a tart from a phone box advertisement, but says that it doesn't count as a sexual experience).
* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]]: Sophie, although only relative to the other team members; she has a particularly violent temper and is skilled in numerous lethal martial arts.

* UnusualEuphemism: Owen's favourite swear word of "pump", which seems to be interchangeable with multiple actual swear words.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: When DavidMitchell was unavailable for a few recording dates in Series 3 due to his commitments to ''Series/PeepShow'', the character of Owen went into hiding and was replaced by the nearly identical Jed (voiced by Robin Ince), whose major differences from Owen included a fondness for pornographic films instead of VideoNasties and a catchphrase of "Alright, tosspots!" rather than "Alright, losers!"

* {{Bulungi}}: The fictional African state of Nambitrea from Series 2, Episode 5, is a landlocked country somewhere south of the Sahara, rich mostly in sand, extremely venomous snakes, and unexploded landmines, according to Sophie.

* BrainlessBeauty: Daisy is apparently very pretty and has numerous male admirers but she's easily the dimmest character. She wonders why the West didn't get involved in Africa a hundred years ago, and when Sophie drily asks if she's ever heard of "a thing called '[[TheBritishEmpire the Empire]]'", Daisy thinks she's referring to "the nightclub off the King's Road with the animal print sofas".

'''Sophie:''' [[TheBritishEmpire And before that it was called New Devon, when it was completely owned by Lord Brinkworth.]]

[[TheBBC BBC]] Radio 4 sitcom written by James Cary which aired for four series from 2001 to 2005 and followed the fortunes of Unthinkable Solutions, a team of inept management consultants whose advice to the companies foolish enough to hire them nearly always left them worse off than they were before.

* Metaphorgotten: Ryan specializes in this.

The personnel of Unthinkable Solutions include the team leader, WideEyedIdealist Ryan Packer (Marcus Brigstocke); his second-in-command Sophie Stott (Emma Kennedy in Series 1-2, Beth Chalmers in Series 3-4), the [[OnlySaneMan only sane woman]] (when she isn't giving in to her violent temper); GranolaGirl Daisy De Vere (Catherine Shepherd), who insists on carrying her fondness for New Age trends into the ideas for the corporations that hire them; and IT expert Owen (/Creator/DavidMitchell), AbhorrentAdmirer to Sophie and openly critical of almost all forms of technology, even ones he installed himself.

* AbhorrentAdmirer: Owen to Sophie.
* BrainlessBeauty: Daisy is apparently very pretty and has numerous male admirers but she's easily the dimmest character.

* {{Bulungi}}: The fictional African state of Nambitrea from Series 2, Episode 5.
* CatchPhrase: Owen's favourite greeting of "Alright, losers!", as well as his favourite "swear" word, "pump".

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Ryan and Daisy both have many moments of this, to Sophie's eternal frustration.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: The Unthinkable Solutions team encounter a number of these over the course of the series, though special mention must go to Chip (Greg Proops), the CEO of the Enron-like Genforce from Series 2, Episode 1.
* DeadpanSnarker: Sophie, as befits her status as the [[OnlySaneMan only sane woman]]. Owen also has his moments, though he is less deadpan about it.
* FreudianExcuse: Sophie's overbearing mother (see MyBelovedSmother below) is likely the ultimate cause of her seemingly permanently high blood pressure (although Ryan and Daisy's cluelessness and Owen's unwelcome advances don't help).
* GeekPhysique: Owen falls under the "Fat" category.
* GranolaGirl: Daisy.

-->'''Owen:''' Ryan, how many fingers am I holding up?
-->'''Ryan:''' Wha, fingers?
-->'''Sophie:''' Owen, put some fingers up!
-->'''Owen:''' OK.
-->'''Sophie:''' Not [[FlippingTheBird that one]]!

-->'''Operator:''' Hello, this is Pam in Billing, how may I help you?
-->'''Caller:''' ''[almost hysterical]'' Look, this is the ''fifth'' time I've called! I've just had an enormous gas bill for £12,000 and you've already taken the money out of my account! I can't afford to ''eat!'' Now, please don't put me on hold again!
-->'''Operator:''' Unfortunately I'm unable to help you at this time, I'm afraid I'll have to put yourself through to Bill Cancellation.
-->'''Caller:''' No, no no!
-->'''Operator:''' They'll be able to deal with your problem. Would you like to hold?
-->'''Caller:''' ''NO!''
-->'''Operator:''' I'm putting you on hold.
-->'''Caller:''' '''I said "no"!''' ''[hold music begins playing, caller begins sobbing and smashing the phone against something until the signal cuts out]''
* ParallelPornTitles: One episode of Series 3 had Sophie going through Jed's DVD collection, which includes such titles as ''[[GoodWillHunting Good Will Humping]]''; she correctly surmises that his version of ''FreeWilly'' isn't about a whale.

-->'''Sophie:''' Formerly the Democratic Republic of Nambitrea, when it was [[DirtyCommies Communist]].
-->'''Ryan:''' And before that it was the [[RunningGag Nambitrean People's Republic]], when it was [[FascistsBedTime Fascist]].
-->'''Sophie:''' [[TheBritishEmpire And before that it was called New Devon, when it was completely owned by Lord Brinkworth.]]

* UpperClassTwit: Daisy and to a lesser extent Ryan.

-->'''Owen:''' ''[on Ryan's arrest for drug smuggling in Bangkok]'' I think they're more lenient on this sort of thing now.
-->'''Ryan:''' Really?
-->'''Owen:''' Well, they won't kill you. They'll just give you something minor.
-->'''Ryan:''' ''[hopeful]'' Ah.
-->'''Owen:''' Probably just fifty lashes.
-->'''Ryan:''' I could probably cope with-
-->'''Owen:''' And thirty years' hard labour.
-->'''Ryan:''' ... right, the positives aren't ''immediately'' obvious...
-->'''Owen:''' You might lose some weight?
-->'''Ryan:''' ''[brightening]'' Yes - that is some consolation.

* WideEyedIdealist: Ryan. Somehow the many misfortunes that befall him during the series (such as being held in a UsefulNotes/{{Bangkok}} prison when a packet of white powder[[hottip:*: which turns out to be organic rye flour, not heroin]] is found in his luggage) do nothing to break his idealism (or at least never for very long).

The personnel of Unthinkable Solutions include the team leader, WideEyedIdealist Ryan Packer (Marcus Brigstocke); his second-in-command Sophie Stott (Emma Kennedy in Series 1-2, Beth Chalmers in Series 3-4), the [[OnlySaneMan only sane woman]] (when she isn't giving in to her violent temper); GranolaGirl Daisy De Vere (Catherine Shepherd), who insists on carrying her fondness for New Age trends into the ideas for the corporations that hire them; and IT expert Owen (DavidMitchell), AbhorrentAdmirer to Sophie and openly critical of almost all forms of technology, even ones he installed himself.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: When DavidMitchell was unavailable for a few recording dates in Series 3 due to his commitments to Series/PeepShow, the character of Owen went into hiding and was replaced by the nearly identical Jed (voiced by Robin Ince), whose major differences from Owen included a fondness for pornographic films instead of VideoNasties and a catchphrase of "Alright, tosspots!" rather than "Alright, losers!"

* WideEyedIdealist: Ryan. Somehow the many misfortunes that befall him during the series (such as being held in a Bangkok prison when a packet of white powder[[hottip:*: which turns out to be organic rye flour, not heroin]] is found in his luggage) do nothing to break his idealism (or at least never for very long).

-->'''Sophie:''' Not that one!

* CloudCuckoolander: Ryan and Daisy both have many moments of this, to Sophie's eternal frustration.

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: When DavidMitchell was unavailable for a few recording dates in Series 3 due to his commitments to Series/PeepShow, the character of Owen went into hiding and was replaced by the nearly identical Jed (voiced by Robin Ince), whose major differences from Owen included a fondness for pornographic films instead of video nasties and a catchphrase of "Alright, tosspots!" rather than "Alright, losers!"

* WideEyedIdealist: Ryan. Somehow the many misfortunes that befall him during the series (such as being held in a Bangkok prison when a packet of white powder is found in his luggage) do nothing to break his idealism.

The personnel of Unthinkable Solutions include the team leader, WideEyedIdealist Ryan Packer (Marcus Brigstocke); his second-in-command Sophie Stott (Emma Kennedy in Series 1-2, Beth Chalmers in Series 3-4), the [[OnlySaneMan only sane woman]] (when she isn't giving in to her violent temper); GranolaGirl Daisy De Vere, who insists on carrying her fondness for New Age trends into the ideas for the corporations that hire them; and IT expert Owen (DavidMitchell), AbhorrentAdmirer to Sophie and openly critical of almost all forms of technology, even ones he installed himself.

* CatchPhrase: Owen's favourite greeting of "Alright, losers!"