Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Reserve Rope, Episode 1 | 20160309 | 20210227 (R4) | The Matterhorn was conquered on 14th July 1865 by Edward Whymper. But four men died on the descent. Damian Lewis stars as Whymper, forever tormented by the tragedy. Jonathan Myerson's drama speculates on what went wrong and why. The climbing team were roped together on the way down but at least two were inexperienced and - for reasons never fully explained - attached together with rope that was unsuitable for holding the weight of a man. A swift inquest was held and Whymper was exonerated. But some people never forgave him - especially the 8th Marquess of Queensbury, father to Douglas Hadow, one of the dead. Edward Whymper...................Damian Lewis Zipporah.................................Olivia Darnley Douglas / Guide......................Jacob Fortune Lloyd Queensbury / Pession / Taugwalder / McCormick.........Joseph Kloska Josiah / Club man 3 / Favre / Seiler..........................Christian Rodska Hudson / Meynet.....................Dominic Rye Wills / Croz / Robertson / Tyndall / Club man 2 / Macdonald..............................Tom Gordon Hadow....................................Sean Delaney Carrel / Peter..........................Gabriel Lo Guidice Produced and directed by Clive Brill A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 Damian Lewis stars as Edward Whymper - the first man to conquer the Matterhorn |
| 02 | The Reserve Rope, Episode 2 | 20160310 | 20210306 (R4) | The Matterhorn was conquered on 14th July 1865 by Edward Whymper. But four men died on the descent. Damian Lewis stars as Whymper, forever tormented by the tragedy. Jonathan Myerson's drama speculates on what went wrong and why. The climbing team were roped together on the way down but at least two were inexperienced and - for reasons never fully explained - attached together with rope that was unsuitable for holding the weight of a man. A swift inquest was held and Whymper was exonerated. But some people never forgave him - especially the 8th Marquess of Queensbury, father to Douglas Hadow, one of the dead. Edward Whymper...................Damian Lewis Zipporah.................................Olivia Darnley Douglas / Guide......................Jacob Fortune Lloyd Queensbury / Pession / Taugwalder / McCormick.........Joseph Kloska Josiah / Club man 3 / Favre / Seiler..........................Christian Rodska Hudson / Meynet.....................Dominic Rye Wills / Croz / Robertson / Tyndall / Club man 2 / Macdonald..............................Tom Gordon Hadow....................................Sean Delaney Carrel / Peter..........................Gabriel Lo Guidice Produced and directed by Clive Brill A Brill production for BBC Radio 4 Damian Lewis stars as Edward Whymper - the first man to conquer the Matterhorn. |