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The Stuarts
The Stuarts
Oct 6, 2024 8:23 PM

Author:Mike Walker,Full Cast,Fenella Woolgar,Julian Rhind-Tutt,Pip Torrens,James Fleet,Anton Lesser,Bill Paterson,Brian Cox,Blake Ritson,Kate O'Flynn

The Stuarts

Eleven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and the Stuart royals

Under the Stuarts, Britain entered the modern world. But with great change came turmoil, and for 111 years, the Stuart monarchs faced dynastic struggles, religious conflict, the rise of parliamentary democracy – and civil war. These dramas chart that turbulent epoch through its royal family, from Mary, Queen of Scots to the ‘last Stuart’, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s daughter Charlotte.

It Came In with a Lass – 1561. Arriving in mist-shrouded Scotland, Queen Mary must quickly distinguish her friends from her enemies. Starring Jeany Spark as Mary.

To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse – James I’s life and reign told through his relationships, from his first love, Esme to his last favourite, George Villiers. Starring Bill Paterson as James I and VI.

A World of Fools and Knaves – Henrietta Maria, Charles I's Catholic queen, watches her husband fail to keep hold of the reins of government. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I.

This War Without an Enemy – Only on the morning of his execution can Charles I begin to understand the events that brought him to to the scaffold. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I.

Charles II, Part One: Through the World in Various Fortune – When news of Oliver Cromwell's death reaches Brussels, the exiled Charles II plots his return. Starring Jamie Parker as Charles II.

Charles II, Part Two: The Long Lease of Pleasant Days– Charles II plots to confound parliamentary reformers and secure the throne for his brother. Starring Pip Torrens as Charles II.

James II: The Storms of this Deceitful World– 1688. After just four years as King, James II flees England in the Glorious Revolution. How did it all go so wrong? Starring James Fleet as James II.

William III and Mary II: To Have and To Hold– Dutch William marries his Stuart cousin for reasons of politics, not passion – but their partnership proves crucial when it comes to ruling England. Starring Mark Edel-Hunt as William III and Elaine Cassidy as Mary.

Queen Anne: Myself Alone– Queen Anne must abandon long-held allegiances to command parliament’s loyalty and rule with authority. Starring Fenella Woolgar as Queen Anne.

Bonnie Prince Charlie: Who Dares to Be Free– Charles Edward Stuart, the ‘Young Pretender’, risks everything for the Stuart name. Starring Blake Ritson as Charles.

Charlotte Stuart: The Last Stuart – Is Charlotte Stuart as driven as her predecessors, or the last victim of the Stuart curse? Starring Kate O’Flynn as Charlotte.

Produced and directed by Jessica Dromgoole, Sasha Yevtushenko, Marc Beeby and Gemma Jenkins.

Reviews

Stunning ... the best single-volume history of the war

—— Mark Bowden, bestselling author of BLACK HAWK DOWN

A vivid and often captivating volume … a valuable resource

—— David Greenberg , New York Times Book Review

Ward and Burns take a vast topic and personalize it … an outstanding, indispensable survey of the Vietnam War

—— Kirkus

Vivid, affecting, definitive

—— Booklist

Exquisitely written

—— Guardian

Well-written and deeply researched, this history covers virtually every aspect of the French and American wars in Vietnam from 1945-1975, focusing mainly on military, diplomatic, and political issues…. Anyone looking for an expansive overview of the Vietnam War will find much to admire here

—— Publishers Weekly

Compelling… [Now We Have Your Attention is] a significant democratic intervention

—— Jon Cruddas , Prospect

Its central feature is its attentiveness – to people and to places often overlooked. In a work that chronicles inspiring acts of resistance, the care that defines Shenker’s prose feels like its own quiet act of solidarity… The new politics of the people, as the book’s subtitle puts it, may not yet have any definite form: it is emergent rather than dominant, contested, vulnerable. But it is the best hope we’ve got. And in Jack Shenker’s book, it has a document equal to its ambitions and to its fortitude

—— Tim Schneider , Red Pepper

Quite simply, the greatest investigative journalist of his era.

—— David Remnick, Editor-in-Chief , New Yorker

Hersh is necessary reading for anyone remotely interested in what went wrong and continues to go wrong in Iraq

—— Praise for CHAIN OF COMMAND , The New York Times

I've long admired the skill and independence with which Hersh has brought important and concealed information to light

—— Ahmed Rashid, Praise for THE KILLING OF OSAMA BIN LADEN , New York Review of Books

One of the most skilled investigative journalists in American history shares his saga in compelling detail ... Hersh takes readers behind the scenes as he exposes corrupt U.S. foreign policy, Defense Department bumbling in numerous wars, political coverups during Watergate, private sector corporate scandals, and torture tactics used by the U.S. government against alleged terrorists after 9/11. The author shares insightful (and sometimes searing) anecdotes about fellow journalists, presidents and their cronies, military generals, and numerous celebrities. Readers interested in a primer about investigative techniques will find Hersh a generous teacher. Candor is the driving force in this outstanding book. Rarely has a journalist's memoir come together so well, with admirable measures of self-deprecation, transparent pride, readable prose style, and honesty.

—— Starred Kirkus Review

Powerful . . . There's gripping journalistic intrigue aplenty as [Hersh] susses out sources and documents, fences with officials, and fields death threats. . . . Hersh himself is brash and direct, but never cynical, and his memoir is as riveting as the great journalistic exposés he produced.

—— Publishers Weekly

Candid and revelatory . . . Compared to the contemporary field of blogs, bots, and opinion-driven reportage, the last half of the twentieth-century can look like the heyday of honest and critical journalism. But even now, Hersh remains at the vanguard of tenacious and purposeful writers who speak truth to power, and surely he's inspiring the best at work now. Journalism junkies will devour this insider's account of a distinguished career.

—— Booklist

Reporter is just wonderful. Truly a great life, and what shines out of the book, amid the low cunning and tireless legwork, is Hersh's warmth and humanity. Essential reading for every journalist and aspiring journalist the world over

—— John le Carré

This novel as a whole attests to Mr. Ackerman's breadth of understanding - an understanding not just of the seasonal rhythms of war in Afghanistan and the harsh, unforgiving beauty of that land, not just of the hardships of being a soldier there, but a bone-deep understanding of the toll that a seemingly endless war has taken on ordinary Afghans who have known no other reality for decades.

—— Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Elliot Ackerman has done something brave as a writer and even braver as a soldier: He has touched, for real, the culture and soul of his enemy

—— Tom Bissell, (The New York Times Book Review)

Bouverie… retells [the story of appeasement] with gusto

—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday Times

Bouverie gives a lucid account… [and] skilfully traces each shameful step to war… which he describes in moving and dramatic detail

—— Lewis Jones , Sunday Telegraph

Gripping.. Bouverie has written a searching, wide-ranging, and above all readable chronology of a shameful era of British history… a very cautionary tale

—— Nigel Jones , Spectator

[An] impressive and very readable account

—— Tony Rennell , Daily Mail

Tim Bouverie’s first historical work… is a well-argued, lucid case for the prosecution of the appeasers

—— David Aaronovitch , The Times, *Book of the Week*

So assured is Bouverie’s writing, and so sound his judgments, that it is hard to believe that Appeasing Hitler is his first book. It is a wonderful debut that marks the arrival of a young historian to watch

—— Saul David , Evening Standard, *Book of the Week*

[An] accomplished and lucid account

—— Josh Ireland , Prospect

Bouverie’s well-written Appeasing Hitler aims to provide a timeless lesson on the challenges of standing up to aggression.

—— Jo Johnson , Financial Times

Bouverie has mined an impressive range of sources and quotes from them judiciously. His narrative is lucid, his prose efficient, his put-downs witty… [he] tells an important story well.

—— Lucy Hughes-Hallett , New Statesman

The skill with which Tim Bouverie navigates here through the worlds of politics, officialdom and diplomacy is quite exemplary… his explanations of complex issues are always lucid; his narrative style is thoughtful, unshowy and always a pleasure to read… This is, quite simply, the best book ever to have appeared on this whole subject

—— Noel Malcolm , Oldie

Bouverie’s Appeasing Hitler provides a meticulous picture of a Britain that faced very different problems from our own

—— Thelma Lovell , Catholic Herald

Scrupulously fair, [and a] readable account… [an] excellent book

—— Marcus Tanner , Tablet

Appeasing Hitler…is a staggeringly good account of the build-up to the Second World War… gripping, dramatic and revelatory

—— Christian May , City AM

Bouverie’s prose is fluent and assured throughout. Those in search of an entertaining read will find one… an admirable retelling of traditional history

—— Robert Crowcroft , History Today

An enthralling, nuanced tale… the narrative is absolutely compelling

—— Times Literary Supplement

An elegantly written account by a rising young historian

—— The Times, *Summer reads of 2019*

This is a gripping account of the wishful thinking that led us to the precipice

—— Neil Armstrong and Hephzibah Anderson , Mail on Sunday, *Summer reads of 2019*

There is a sure command of narrative and judgment in faultlessly lucid prose, with subtexts of pathos

—— Bruce Anderson , Spectator

A fascinating narrative on the politics of wishful thinking and the law of unintended consequences in international relations

—— Ali Ansari , History Today, *Books of the Year*

[A] finely researched and well-argued book

—— Daily Mail, *Books of the Year*

[A] phenomenal book

—— William Keegan , Observer

Excellent

—— Andrew Roberts , Wall Street Journal

Excellent and compelling

—— William Leith , Evening Standard
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