BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week - 14th May 2012. When the only gig Mark Wallington's R&B band can get is in a nursing home they decide it's time to call it a day. But then Mark discovers an instrument he might just have enough talent for - the ukulele. Realising his dream of a nationwide tour, the Uke of Wallington sets off on a 42 night road trip, playing open mic sessions from Brighton to Cape Wrath. Probably the fi rst rock and roll tour ever undertaken on public transport. Working his way through the British summer, he takes his music to the Great British people, testing to the limit the theory that you can't hear a ukulele without smiling.

Author Biography

Mark Wallington is the author of bestselling travelbooks 500 Mile Walkies and Boogie up the River both of which became radio series. His first credit as a scriptwriter was for Not the Nine O'Clock News. He has also written two novels, which he later adapted for television: The Missing Postman and Happy Birthday Shakespeare. In 1997 The Missing Postman won the British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Drama. In 2005 he published The Day Job, an account of his years as a jobbing gardener in North London. He has also written a number of film scripts for television, including Station Jim in 2000, and The Man Who Lost His Head, in 2007.