Podcast Summary: "A Change in the Weather" (1988-07-24) Part 2 of 5 – Pursuit

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Harold’s Old Time Radio
Episode Theme:
An atmospheric crime drama set in the aftermath of a bank heist gone wrong. The story follows Jiffy Perkins and Burko Madrid, two down-on-their-luck East Enders, as they are pursued across the English countryside by police and the criminal underworld. Meanwhile, two adventurous ladies seek their own escape in the Lake District, unknowingly drawing closer to the fugitives and the danger surrounding them.

Episode Overview

This episode plunges further into the cat-and-mouse chase between small-time thieves Jiffy and Burko and the various forces closing in on them: the menacing criminal boss BB, the ruthless contract killer Nigel, and the grudge-bearing local police. Parallel to this, Henrietta and Louise, the giddy Church Stretton ladies, pursue a whimsical holiday adventure in the fells—innocently brushing close to the fugitives’ world. The episode intertwines suspense, dark comedy, and thoughtful commentary on class, loneliness, and the yearning for escape.

Key Discussion Points & Segments

1. Set-Up and Summary of Previous Events ([00:05])

• The narrator recaps: Jiffy and Burko, trivial crooks, find themselves out of their depth after robbing a bank, losing a friend (Billy), and trying to evade both the police and BB, the crime boss they double-crossed.

2. BB and Nigel: The Underworld Responds ([01:07]–[07:44])

• BB (the criminal boss) and Nigel (his cold-blooded hitman) meet in London to discuss retribution:

  • BB's Philosophy: “It’s what life’s all about. Taking part.” (BB, [03:07])
  • Nigel’s Cold Professionalism: “Pest control. What would untarnished underworld barons like you do without specialist exterminators like me?” (Nigel, [06:28])
  • BB’s Warning: Jiffy and Burko “are going to live only a short life.” ([02:59])

• Character Exposition: BB and Nigel discuss the backgrounds and weaknesses of Jiffy and Burko, underlining their vulnerability:

  • Jiffy has a family he doesn't care for; Burko is physically strong but mentally pliable and unlucky.
  • BB delegates the murder contract to Nigel, who gleefully accepts, provided he gets the stolen money first.

3. Henrietta & Louise: Comic Relief & Parallel Journey ([08:06]–[11:24])

• High on freedom, Henrietta and Louise revel in the Lake District:
  • “God, I feel so free up here. All this space and air. No husbands, no children. No responsibilities or cooking, washing and iron, sewing, dusting… This is no place to be serious, darling. I don’t want to go back… Ever.” (Henrietta, [09:06])
  • Plan to rent a rowing boat named “Free Bird,” foreshadowing intertwining fates with the fugitives.

4. Near Encounters on the Lake ([11:24]–[15:34])

• Henrietta and Louise interact with the downcast “boatman” (Burko incognito). Light banter and human warmth contrast with the grim world Jiffy and Burko inhabit.
• Over the radio, the scale of the heist is revealed: “a million pounds” ([13:38]), astonishing both the criminals and the “innocents.”

5. Jiffy & Burko's Dilemma ([15:04]–[18:53])

• Jiffy and Burko meet furtively in the woods:

  • Tension about laying low versus yearning for belonging and respect.
  • “We have to pretend we don’t know each other…Only in a crisis…It’s lonely.” (Burko, [15:35])
  • Jiffy’s ambition: “I’m gonna be respected, and that’s what the money’s for.” ([17:11])

• The loneliness and unease build as Jiffy notes birdsong and running water: “You hear them birds?...There’s water everywhere. Sometimes you can’t see it, but you hear it running in the dark with our lonely s.” (Jiffy, [16:32])

• Guilt about leaving Billy behind: “He was just a man what died. Well, as long as they was gentle with our Billy was ours, wasn’t he?” (Burko, [18:28])

6. The Police Investigation: Sergeant Digley & Inspector ([18:58]–[22:37])

• Introduction of Detective Sergeant Digley, characterized by dourness and local resentment:

  • “You personally resemble one of your Lakeland fells. You’re rough, craggy, slippy, sour and wet and stationary. You have a dour look. And on top of that, you bear a grudge against the world.” (Inspector, [19:55])
  • Digley, motivated by a personal vendetta (his wife ran off with a Londoner), is tasked with scouring the local area for the fugitives.

• Inspector warns: “There’s a contract on these two for trotting off with their masters’ takings. There’s a hunter about. Watch out for him.” ([22:18])

7. Nigel’s Update and the Cryptic Underworld ([23:01]–[24:09])

• Nigel checks in with BB after an unproductive search in Manchester, using cryptic, sardonic language:
  • “Put in a nutshell, there has been not a dicky bird in Manchester. Neither feathers nor flight nor song. A dicky situation, you might say.” (Nigel, [23:01])
  • Hints at following a new lead after hearing rumors at a concert.

8. Tension on the Lake ([24:28]–[26:55])

• Jiffy and Burko’s paranoia mounts as they spot Henrietta and Louise:
  • “Those women, Jiffy. They mustn’t see us together.” ([24:33])
• Jiffy worries about BB: “What do we actually know about BB? … He’s powerful and mean and spiteful. He never forgives a wrong…He puts out contracts.” ([25:24])
• The threat gathers: “The contract out on us right now. He’ll be hitman right now. And we don’t know what he looks like either…Hunter prowling after his quarry. He could be anywhere. He could be here.” (Jiffy, [25:54])
• The episode climaxes with all threads converging on the lake, physical and emotional danger mounting.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• BB, on the nature of crime and involvement:
  “I don’t soil my hands, mind. You know that. I leave the soiling to intellectual artistes. But I like to take part, you understand? It’s what life’s all about. Taking part.” ([03:07])

• Nigel on his line of work:
  “Pest control. What would untarnished underworld barons like you do without specialist exterminators like me?” ([06:28])

• Henrietta on her newfound freedom:
  “God, I feel so free up here. All this space and air. No husbands, no children. No responsibilities or cooking, washing and iron, sewing, dusting… This is no place to be serious, darling. I don’t want to go back… Ever.” ([09:06])

• Inspector to Sergeant Digley:
  “You personally resemble one of your Lakeland fells. You’re rough, craggy, slippy, sour and wet and stationary… you bear a grudge against the world.” ([19:55])

• BB, chilling toast:
  “And to the short, short life of Jiffy Perkins and Perco Madrid.” ([07:47])

Key Timestamps

• 00:05 – Episode set-up and recap
• 01:07–07:44 – BB and Nigel plotting revenge in London
• 08:06–11:24 – Henrietta & Louise’s Lake District idyll
• 13:38 – Heist’s value: “A million pounds” revealed
• 15:04–18:53 – Jiffy & Burko’s tense woodland meeting
• 18:58–22:37 – Sergeant Digley’s police briefing and personal stake
• 23:01–24:09 – Nigel’s cryptic status update
• 24:28–26:55 – Pursuers and pursued converge on the lake

Episode Mood & Style

The tone combines pulp noir, British farce, and melancholic social commentary. Dark humor, earthy banter, and atmospheric details draw listeners into both the internal lives of the criminals and the charming, oblivious parallel track of Henrietta and Louise. Tension escalates, the circle tightens, and each character is left teetering between hope and doom.

Conclusion

This installment ratchets up suspense and character depth, framing the fates of Jiffy and Burko against the backdrop of both literal and metaphorical “change in the weather.” Forces gather, alliances and betrayals are cast, and both danger and escape remain tantalizingly out of reach as the boats rock on Derwent Water.