Running deep. Running silent. Running away.
Deep Trouble is a BBC Radio Comedy series first aired in 2005 written by and starring Jim Field Smith and Ben Willbond as Captain Paul Wade and Lieutenant Jack Trainor (pronounced "Trenn-ore"), senior officers on the HMS Goliath, a British nuclear stealth submarine. Despite its tremendous military capabilities and the danger it could cause, the sub is constantly at risk from the actions of the clueless or apathetic crew.
Other key members of the crew are second-in-command Commander Alison Fairbanks (Katherine Jakeways), who tries to keep matters in line, but often shows herself to be Not So Above It All, especially when attractive military types come to visit, the husky voiced Petty Officer Lucy Radcliffe (Miranda Raison) and Alice Barry (Alice Lowe) the surly and uncooperative but incredibly intelligent Weapons Expert. The credits are announced by Tom Clancy, who for some reason has the voice of Kermit the Frog.
Tropes:
- Banana Republic: The officers go undercover in San Terros.
- Big Eater: Captain Wade is constantly snacking. A special challenge where he aims to see how many canapés he can eat at a party leads to him being stuck in a wheelchair.
- Caps Lock, Num Lock, Missiles Lock: The tone of the entire series is set when, in the first scene of the first episode, Captain Wade sets a mug of coffee on the torpedo-firing button.
- Christmas Episode: Lieutenant Trainor tries to direct a Nativity play.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: To call Captain Wade one of these would be a gross understatement.
- Gender-Blender Name: We learn that Jack's estranged friend Sam is aboard the ship. They have not met for some time and Jack is rather shocked to find that Samuel is now Samantha.
- I Didn't Mean to Turn You On: Radcliffe has this in spades.
- I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: Radcliffe often uses this to her advantage, though it is generally to help the rest of the crew in times of difficulty rather than for personal benefit.
- Insistent Terminology: "It's pronounced Trenn-OR." "Yeah, but it's spelt Trainor."
- Insane Admiral: The No Indoor Voice Admiral of the Fleet is more than a few torpedoes short of a sub, and abuses his power freely, officially changing Trainer's name to "Lieutenant Jack Arse" when he decides he doesn't like him, whilst promoting Radcliffe because of his attraction to her.
- Jack of All Trades: Barry is not only an expert on matters to do with the sub but is also a Cunning Linguist and handy with a firearm.
- Mistaken Identity: When journalists address the captain as "Pete," Trainor realizes that red tape has caused the navy to incorrectly assign Paul Wade to command Goliath, when they intended to assign the much more competent Pete Wade instead. His attempts to bring this to the attention of his superiors fail miserably.
- Nap-Inducing Speak: Tom Clancy appears randomly to regale the listeners and crew on technical aspects and history, causing instant boredom and sleep. In one episode, this causes them to miss a visiting admiral who instead lands on a nearby Russian sub; they rescue him by deploying Clancy, who causes the Russians to fall asleep so they can board.
- Next Sunday A.D.: The series is set in 2012, and characters refer several times to His Majesty's Navy.
- Non-Answer: When reporters ask whether they are on a non-firing exercise, Wade truthfully responds that they are, even though he's just accidentally torpedoed the USS Nimitz.
- Only One Name: Weapons expert Lieutenant Barry solely uses her surname, though her first name (Alice) is mentioned briefly during her introduction and in the Christmas Episode.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: Captain Wade.
- Ruthless Modern Pirates: Chinese ones appear in the first episode. Captain Wade instantly confuses them with traditional pirates, then tries to communicate in a bad accent.
- Straight Man: Either Commander Fairbanks or Lieutenant Trainor, depending on the plot.
