Cheery and tuneful, Hello, Raleigh! told the true story of explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. In composer Hairy German's telling, not only does Raleigh colonize the New World, he establishes a matchmaking service that connects lovers on either side of the Atlantic. He ultimately falls in love with Lucy, a female pirate who seeks out his services.

Raleigh vehemently denied the musical's claims about his matchmaking past and sued for libel, but numerous first-person accounts verified the show's accuracy; faced with mounting evidence, Raleigh confessed that the story was true. He ultimately took his practice into the open, and married Lucy the Pirate in a lavish, water-themed wedding.

All of London was transfixed by the legal battle surrounding Hello, Raleigh!, and tickets were accordingly scarce. It was also an artistic smash: Critics praised the show 'for its "ripped-from-the-headlines" quality, and were particularly struck by a large, cedar staircase that anchored the expensive set. The Pony Awards were similarly generous, rewarding it with 10 wins, the most of any show up to that point in British history.