Mr Larkin's Awkward Day
Mr Larkin's Awkward Day is a comedy radio play by Chris Harrald. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 29 April 2008 as the Afternoon Play and was repeated on 25 January 2010. The producer was Steven Canny. It won the Gold Award for Drama at the Sony Radio Academy Awards in 2009.
The story is based on a true 1957 prank played by Philip Larkin’s friend Robert Conquest, a member of The Movement. On a seemingly ordinary day, Larkin opens a letter from Scotland Yard. It claims there is an ongoing investigation into a man dealing pornographic literature and says Larkin is on the mailing list, with possible charges under the Pornographic Materials Act of 1921. An Inspector Clough arrives, and Larkin frets as he is questioned about his literary tastes. But the situation is a mix-up: one inspector thinks he is being asked about buying dubious magazines, while the other thinks they are simply discussing literature. Larkin rushes to his solicitors to explain.
Back at his lodgings, his landlady calls and his historian friend Bob Conquest phones, laughing. It becomes clear that Larkin has fallen for the joke entirely. Conquest even offers to pay his solicitors’ costs.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 13:50 (CET).