The History Plays

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Jagger In Jail

20120221

20121231 (R4)

The History Plays

By Nigel Smith

The History Plays are a series of two-hander plays by Vent author Nigel Smith which are imagined conversations at key moments in recent history, moments that have permanently changed the British psyche. Starting with Mick Jagger's conviction for drug possession and the surprising pro-Jagger line taken in a Times editorial; through the fragmented morality of John Stonehouse; the Indian summer of patriotism over the Falklands; the death of Diana; and the end of the Blair years, The History Plays are a satirical and thoughtful exploration of huge social forces played out in small human dramas. This is a series about the promises and pitfalls of history, the points of conflict. But what's really significant is what these moments say about our attitudes and assumptions now.

Written and directed by Nigel Smith

Produced by Gareth Edwards

Starring Kayvan Novak ('Facejacker') as Mick Jagger and Blake Harrison ('The Inbetweeners') as Jim

It is 1967, the summer of love and Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, is in prison starting his three-month sentence for drug possession. His trial - and particularly his sentence - has both scandalised and split public opinion.

Jagger in Jail imagines the conversation that might have taken place between Mick and a cellmate, Jim, during what turned out to be his only night behind bars. As the night passes Jim and Mick find that while they have a fair bit in common, society's plans for them could not be more different. And Jim isn't too happy about it..

An imagined conversation between Mick Jagger and his cell-mate in Brixton Prison in 1967.

Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history

Stonehouse In Alice

20120228

20130101 (R4)

Written and directed by Nigel Smith and starring Tim McInnerny as John Stonehouse and Daniel Rigby as Ed Jennings. Stonehouse in Alice is the second of The History Plays, imaginary conversations set against the backdrop of real events.

It's 1974 and Ed Jennings, a cub reporter from a local paper has stumbled upon the scoop of a lifetime while on holiday in Australia. Because Leonard has found missing maverick MP, John Stonehouse.

Stonehouse recently faked his death to escape from a sea of debt, the fraud squad, his wife, and a series of misadventures back home in the UK. A charmer, a snob, an aesthete, a writer and a con man, the Walsall North MP, once one of the greatest loose cannons of his political generation, is now in hiding, shacked up with his mistress in one of the loneliest places on earth. What will be kept secret for decades, however, is that he's also a communist spy.

Ed is bright enough to know this story will make his name. It has all the ingredients; celebrity, notoriety, sex, politics and sleaze. But what it's fundamentally about is greed. And that is still seen as shocking in an MP. Chisholm knows no post-war English politician will have had such a fall from grace. Profumo only erred for lust. This is something new... and thrilling. And it turns out Stonehouse has an offer for the young reporter. One that will change both their lives.

Imagined confrontation between fugitive MP John Stonehouse and young journalist Ed.

Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history

Maggie Heart Galtieri

20120306

20130102 (R4)

The History Play: Maggie Heart Galtieri

Maggie Watkins (Josie Lawrence) finds a young Argentinean soldier, Christian Galtieri (Javier Marzan), in her kitchen, wounded and in need of shelter. As she slowly learns why he is in hiding the pair fall in love, but as their relationship grows the Task Force lands and it becomes harder and harder to ignore the larger forces at play around them.

This is the third of Nigel Smith's series The History Plays, five two hander plays set at turning points in the history of the last five decades.

Written and directed by Nigel Smith

Produced by Gareth Edwards.

The Falkland Islands, 1982. Maggie Watkins shelters an Argentinean soldier with a secret.

Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history

O Salutaris Hostia, Diana

20120313

20130103 (R4)

The History Plays are a series of imagined conversations at key moments in the recent history of Britain.

In 'O Salutaris Hostia, Diana' Imelda Staunton stars as Martha and Toby Jones as Graham. The couple look back over their lives together but their very different views on Diana mask a far more personal conflict, and Graham's dislike of the princess has its roots in his pain over the circumstances of their son Alan's death.

Written and directed by Nigel Smith

Produced by Gareth Edwards.

A married couple reflect on their lives as they wait for Princess Diana's funeral cortege.

Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history

A History Of Blair In 9 1-2 Voices

20120320

20130104 (R4)

Last in Nigel Smith's series of plays set at key moments in the last five decades.

A History of Tony Blair in 9 1/2 voices stars Jon Culshaw as Tony Blair, lost in the winding corridors of the BBC the day after his resignation. He finds himself sharing a room with Sue (Fiona Allen), a struggling impressionist who assumes he is a Tony Blair lookalike. Blair enjoys the opportunity to talk about himself in the third person, and to show off a few impressions of his own.

A darkly comic but thoughtful exploration of what makes Blair tick, the play gives a compelling explanation for what may have lain behind Blair's early political successes and what prompted his unwavering commitment to the war in Iraq.

Written and directed by Nigel Smith

Produced by Gareth Edwards.

Tony Blair has just resigned. Somewhere in the BBC he gets mistaken for his own lookalike.

Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Jagger In Jail	20120221	20121231 (R4)	The History Plays By Nigel Smith The History Plays are a series of two-hander plays by Vent author Nigel Smith which are imagined conversations at key moments in recent history, moments that have permanently changed the British psyche. Starting with Mick Jagger's conviction for drug possession and the surprising pro-Jagger line taken in a Times editorial; through the fragmented morality of John Stonehouse; the Indian summer of patriotism over the Falklands; the death of Diana; and the end of the Blair years, The History Plays are a satirical and thoughtful exploration of huge social forces played out in small human dramas. This is a series about the promises and pitfalls of history, the points of conflict. But what's really significant is what these moments say about our attitudes and assumptions now. Written and directed by Nigel Smith Produced by Gareth Edwards Starring Kayvan Novak ('Facejacker') as Mick Jagger and Blake Harrison ('The Inbetweeners') as Jim It is 1967, the summer of love and Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, is in prison starting his three-month sentence for drug possession. His trial - and particularly his sentence - has both scandalised and split public opinion. Jagger in Jail imagines the conversation that might have taken place between Mick and a cellmate, Jim, during what turned out to be his only night behind bars. As the night passes Jim and Mick find that while they have a fair bit in common, society's plans for them could not be more different. And Jim isn't too happy about it.. An imagined conversation between Mick Jagger and his cell-mate in Brixton Prison in 1967. Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history
02	Stonehouse In Alice	20120228	20130101 (R4)	Written and directed by Nigel Smith and starring Tim McInnerny as John Stonehouse and Daniel Rigby as Ed Jennings. Stonehouse in Alice is the second of The History Plays, imaginary conversations set against the backdrop of real events. It's 1974 and Ed Jennings, a cub reporter from a local paper has stumbled upon the scoop of a lifetime while on holiday in Australia. Because Leonard has found missing maverick MP, John Stonehouse. Stonehouse recently faked his death to escape from a sea of debt, the fraud squad, his wife, and a series of misadventures back home in the UK. A charmer, a snob, an aesthete, a writer and a con man, the Walsall North MP, once one of the greatest loose cannons of his political generation, is now in hiding, shacked up with his mistress in one of the loneliest places on earth. What will be kept secret for decades, however, is that he's also a communist spy. Ed is bright enough to know this story will make his name. It has all the ingredients; celebrity, notoriety, sex, politics and sleaze. But what it's fundamentally about is greed. And that is still seen as shocking in an MP. Chisholm knows no post-war English politician will have had such a fall from grace. Profumo only erred for lust. This is something new... and thrilling. And it turns out Stonehouse has an offer for the young reporter. One that will change both their lives. Imagined confrontation between fugitive MP John Stonehouse and young journalist Ed. Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history
03	Maggie Heart Galtieri	20120306	20130102 (R4)	The History Play: Maggie Heart Galtieri Maggie Watkins (Josie Lawrence) finds a young Argentinean soldier, Christian Galtieri (Javier Marzan), in her kitchen, wounded and in need of shelter. As she slowly learns why he is in hiding the pair fall in love, but as their relationship grows the Task Force lands and it becomes harder and harder to ignore the larger forces at play around them. This is the third of Nigel Smith's series The History Plays, five two hander plays set at turning points in the history of the last five decades. Written and directed by Nigel Smith Produced by Gareth Edwards. The Falkland Islands, 1982. Maggie Watkins shelters an Argentinean soldier with a secret. Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history
04	O Salutaris Hostia, Diana	20120313	20130103 (R4)	The History Plays are a series of imagined conversations at key moments in the recent history of Britain. In 'O Salutaris Hostia, Diana' Imelda Staunton stars as Martha and Toby Jones as Graham. The couple look back over their lives together but their very different views on Diana mask a far more personal conflict, and Graham's dislike of the princess has its roots in his pain over the circumstances of their son Alan's death. Written and directed by Nigel Smith Produced by Gareth Edwards. A married couple reflect on their lives as they wait for Princess Diana's funeral cortege. Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history
05	A History Of Blair In 9 1-2 Voices	20120320	20130104 (R4)	Last in Nigel Smith's series of plays set at key moments in the last five decades. A History of Tony Blair in 9 1/2 voices stars Jon Culshaw as Tony Blair, lost in the winding corridors of the BBC the day after his resignation. He finds himself sharing a room with Sue (Fiona Allen), a struggling impressionist who assumes he is a Tony Blair lookalike. Blair enjoys the opportunity to talk about himself in the third person, and to show off a few impressions of his own. A darkly comic but thoughtful exploration of what makes Blair tick, the play gives a compelling explanation for what may have lain behind Blair's early political successes and what prompted his unwavering commitment to the war in Iraq. Written and directed by Nigel Smith Produced by Gareth Edwards. Tony Blair has just resigned. Somewhere in the BBC he gets mistaken for his own lookalike. Series plays by Nigel Smith that imagine conversations at key moments in recent history