ONE of Radio 4’s flagship shows for New Year’s Day was written and produced by Wellington BBC programme-maker Keith Wheatley.

This Is Me Totally Sausage is presented by German comedian Henning Wehn and explores the often confusing world of the estimated 800 million people around the world who speak ELF – English as Foreign Language.

“Originally the show was going to be an exploration of how Henning learned to be so funny and play with words so well in a language that was new to him,” said Keith.

“But as time went on we came across such great stories from people who’d married Brits or come here to work and struggled to understand the English.

“Often their vocabulary and grammar was fine. What baffled them was the British love of irony and understatement. They understood the words but the real meaning of, say, ‘leave it with me’ – that is, ‘nothing more will ever happen about this’, passed them by.”

This Is Me Totally Sausage will be broadcast at 11am on New Year’s Day on Radio 4.