Roleplay [Artworks]

Series

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Lady Macbeth

20230216

20260103 (R4)

One big dramatic role and stories of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. They tell us what the role means and what it means to them.

A new series for BBC Radio 4. First up, the iconic Lady Macbeth.

Featuring: Dame Harriet Walter, Isabelle Schuler, Alice Grace, Akiya Henry, Niamh Cusack, Nicole Cooper and Tristan de Beer

The performers tell us how the character of Lady Macbeth evolves through Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and share how they approached the role. They tell their stories of first encountering Lady Macbeth and reveal how playing the part affected them.

Their reflections take us across the world - from the suburbs of Capetown via Los Angeles to a school in Weston-Super-Mare. And they reflect on whether perceptions of the famous villain might be changing.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio in Bristol

Mixed by Michael Harrison for BBC Audio in Bristol

Acknowledgements:

Macbeth BBC Radio 3 16th Feb 1992

Producer - Nigel Bryant

Lady Macbeth - Harriet Walter

Composer/performer - Nick Gammon

Macbeth BBC Four 14th Jun 2020

Director - Polly Findlay

Lady Macbeth - Niamh Cusack

Royal Shakespeare Company Production 2018

Stories and reflections of actors from across the world who have all played the same part.

One big dramatic role. Stories and reflections of actors from across the world about what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for Radio 4. First up: Lady Macbeth

[LISTEN NOW]

Peter Pan

20230223

20260216 (R4)

One big dramatic role and stories of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. They tell us what the role means and what it means to them.

A new series for BBC Radio 4. This time, Peter Pan.

Featuring: Charlie Randall, Cathy Rigby, Hayley Mills, Tristan Sturrock, Hiran Abeysekera, Allison Kavey and Lester D. Friedman

We hear how the magic of playing Peter Pan has changed the lives of actors. The role lets performers explore their inner child, play with gender and fly across the stage.

But there is a dark side of being the boy who never grows up. Themes of loneliness, abandonment and death are core parts of JM Barrie's story.

The reflections take us from panto in Great Yarmouth to civil war in Sri Lanka to arenas across the United States.

Produced by Sam Grist and Camellia Sinclair for BBC Audio in Bristol

Mixed by Ilse Lademann for BBC Audio in Bristol

Acknowledgements:

Peter Pan - BBC Sound Archive 30th Mar 1941

Producers - Derek McCulloch and Gordon Crier

Peter Pan - Patricia Hayes

Wendy - Rosamund Barnes

Music by John Crook

Peter Pan – Radio 4 26th Dec 1986

Producer – Glyn Dearman

Peter Pan - Graham McGrath

Wendy - Lucinda Bateson

The Lost Boys: J.M. Barrie - A Reminiscence - BBC Radio 4 - 6 October 1978

Woman's Hour - BBC Radio 2 - 20 Dec 1967

An Appreciation of Sir James Barrie, by Nina Boucicault – BBC Sound Archive – 19 Jun 1937

Peter Pan Broadway Musical Theatre TV Commercial 1999

Blue Peter - BBC Archive - 10 Dec 1965

22nd Academy Award Ceremony – 23 Mar 1950

J.M.Barrie and Peter Pan – BBC Two 23 Dec 2001

Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part.

One big dramatic role. Stories and reflections from actors across the world about what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for Radio 4. This week: Peter Pan.

[LISTEN NOW]

Waiting For Godot

20230302

20260217 (R4)

Stories and reflections of actors from across the world who have all played the same parts. They tell us what the roles mean and what the parts mean to them. This time it's the turn of the pair of tramps in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot: Vladimir and Estragon.

It's a play where famously 'nothing happens'. Vladimir and Estragon are bowler-hatted tramps standing on a country road waiting for someone called Godot. The play divides audiences - but its slapstick humour, staccato dialogue, and existential themes have made it one of the most acclaimed plays of the twentieth century.

Vladimir and Estragon have travelled the world and the play has been performed in moments of crisis, from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to Sarajevo in the Balkans War.

The two main characters are like partners, friends, enemies... And Beckett's precise directions for the play have provoked questions about who can play Vladimir and Estragon.

So pull a rock, sit by a tree, take off your boots... this is Roleplay.

Featuring Tweedy aka Alan Digweed, Aaron Monaghan, Marty Rea, Bill Paterson, Velibor Topić, J Kyle Manzay, Silent Faces Theatre (Josie Underwood, Jack Wakely and Cordelia Stevenson) and Sophia Almaz and Oleksiy Dashkovsky from Theatre UZHIK in Uzhhorod, Ukraine.

Produced by Sam Grist and Camellia Sinclair for BBC Audio in Bristol

Mixed by Michael Harrison

Acknowledgements:

From the Fifties: Waiting for Godot, BBC Home Service, 5 Feb 1962

Play by Samuel Beckett

Producer - Robin Midgley

Vladimir - Nigel Stock

Estragon - Kenneth Griffith

The Boy - Terry Raven

Waiting for Godot, BBC Archive, 5 Sep 1981

Director - Richard Callanan

Vladimir - Max Wall

Estragon - Leo McKern

Masterworks: Waiting for Godot, BBC Radio 4, 22nd March 1977

Druid Theatre, Trailer Waiting for Godot, November 2016

Points West Evening News, BBC One, 13th February 2019

Reporting Scotland, BBC One Scotland, 21st September 2015

News Special: Hurricane Katrina, BBC One, 4th September 2005

Newsnight, BBC Two, 8th Sep 2005

News & Notes, NPR, 9th Nov 2007

Godot is a Woman - teaser, Silent Faces, 7th June 2022

Artsnight, BBC Two, 31st July 2015

Still Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, BBC Radio 4, 21st August 2015

Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, BBC Radio 4, 20th March 1994

1992 Sarajevo, BBC News Archive

Waiting for What?, BBC Network Radio, 14th April 1961

Theater-studio 'Uzhik' video, 23rd October 2022

Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part.

Stories and reflections from actors across the world who have all played the same part about what the roles mean to them. This time: Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting for Godot.

[LISTEN NOW]

Cleopatra

20250224

20250225 (R4)
20260218 (R4)

One big dramatic role. Actors from across the world tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Cleopatra.

In the first episode of this new series, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Janet Suzman, Doña Croll and Nadia Nadarajah describe what it's like to play Cleopatra, taking us through the character's journey in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra.

Cleopatra 7th of Egypt is one of the ancient world's most famous figures. But it was William Shakespeare who first made her an iconic dramatic role and shaped our ideas of this historical leader - in his play Antony and Cleopatra.

The play's lines have stayed in the mind of Dame Judi Dench who initially doubted whether she could play the part. She tells stories of escaping snakes, secret suppers, and spectacular speeches. It's a part which has also fascinated Dame Janet Suzman, who has returned to the play and to the complex beguiling Cleopatra time and again over the last five decades.

The play travels from Egypt to Rome and back again - Doña Croll, thought to be the first black actor to play the role, talks about why Cleopatra is a part important to black actors, a role known for her power and her supposed beauty. Our image of the Egyptian ruler has perhaps been influenced more by one actor than any other: Elizabeth Taylor. Roger Lewis reveals the parallels between the lives of Taylor and Cleopatra.

Antony and Cleopatra's final act is known for its wonderful language and theatrical difficulty. Nadia Nadarajah, a Shakespearean actor who uses British Sign Language, explores Cleopatra's famous final moments, surrounded by snakes.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol

Edited by Emma Harding

Mixed by Ilse Lademann

Archive:

Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre, 1987

Director - Sir Peter Hall

Cleopatra - Judi Dench

Alexas - Robert Arnold

Antony and Cleopatra, ATV (ITV), 1974

Director - Jon Scoffield

Cleopatra - Janet Suzman

Antony - Richard Johnson

Caesar and Cleopatra (Followed by Antony and Cleopatra), BBC Network Radio, 12th August 1951

Producer - Ayton Whitaker

Cleopatra - Vivien Leigh

Antony - Laurence Olivier

Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Radio 3, 28th December 2014

Director - Alison Hindell

Cleopatra - Alex Kingston

Antony - Kenneth Branagh

Agrippa - Simon Armstrong

Octavius Caesar - Geoffrey Streatfield

Make Death Love Me: Antony and Cleopatra Re-imagined, BBC Radio 3, 24th April 2022

Director - Neil Bartlett

Producer - Turan Ali

Cleopatra - Adjoa Andoh

Antony - Tim McInnerny

World Drama - Antony and Cleopatra - Part 1, BBC Radio 3, 30th Jan 1977

Director/Producer - John Tydeman

Cleopatra - Sian Phillips

Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Network Radio, 12th July 1965

Producer - R.D. Smith

Enobarbus - Rupert Davies

Additional archive:

Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4, 13th November 1981; Prefaces to Shakespeare, BBC Radio 4, 2nd May 1981; What's New?, BBC Television, 3rd April 1962; Radio Two Arts Programme: Burton and Taylor, BBC Radio 2, 13th March 1994 including clips from Cleopatra, film, 1963 directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Antony; Film 74 Special: Richard Burton, BBC TV, 6th September 1974 including clips from Cleopatra 1963 film.

One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Cleopatra

Actors from Dame Judi Dench to Dame Janet Suzman tell stories of playing the iconic Egyptian leader, made famous on the stage by William Shakespeare.

[LISTEN NOW]

Fagin

20250303

20250304 (R4)
20260219 (R4)

One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Fagin.

One big dramatic role. Actors from across the world tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Fagin.

Christopher Eccleston, Omid Djalili and Simon Lipkin tell stories of playing the part of Fagin, revealing how the character has evolved over time. They're joined by Mark Lester, who explains what it was like acting alongside the famous Fagin Ron Moody, and Mark Napolitano who discusses Fagin's performance history.

Fagin was first dreamt up by Charles Dickens in his 1838 work Oliver Twist. Dickens's depiction of the thief and gang leader is controversial, widely criticised for being an anti-Semitic caricature. And when the book was adapted for the screen by David Lean in 1948, Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin provoked a strong reaction from audiences. In the 1960s, a Jewish popular music composer named Lionel Bart decided to adapt the novel for the musical theatre stage. He re-imagined Fagin - helped by the actor who first performed the role, Ron Moody.

Actors who've played the part in recent times tell us Fagin's story and discuss their own performance choices. Simon Lipkin is currently performing the role in Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne's production in the West End - he discusses Fagin's journey through Bart's musical and explores what it's like to play the part as a Jewish actor. Omid Djalili performed the role back in 2009 and says at the time he was a 'left-field choice' for the part. He examines why Fagin has endured as a character and explores the comic elements of the role. Christopher Eccleston played Fagin in the CBBC series Dodger, he explores the backstory of Fagin and his relationship with the children in his gang. Mark Lester, who was Oliver in the 1968 film adaptation of the musical, reveals what it was like to act with Ron Moody. And Mark Napolitano, author of Oliver! A Dickensian Musical, tells us how Fagin's final scenes differ greatly between Dickens's book and Bart's musical.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol

Editor Emma Harding

Mixed by Ilse Lademann

Archive:

Oliver Twist, BBC Radio 2, 16th December 2005

Reader - David Warner

Abridger - Neville Teller

Producer - Neil Gardner

Oliver Twist: 2: Pickpocket!, BBC Radio 4, 10th February 1994

Bill Sykes - Tim McInnerny

Producer - Neil Bryant

The Best of Times - The Worst of Times, Part 1, BBC Radio 4, 17th April 1988

Fagin - Garard Green

Producer - Rosemary Hart

Oliver Twist, BBC TV, 7th January 1962

Fagin - Max Adrian

Oliver - Bruce Prochnik

Producer - Eric Tayler

Scriptwriter - Constance Cox

Oliver Twist, BBC TV, 1st April 1962

Dodger: Episode 1, BBC Two,

Fagin - Christopher Eccleston

Dodger (Jack Dawkins) - Billy Jenkins

Director - Rhys Thomas

Executive Producers - Lucy Montgomery and Rhys Thomas

Additional archive:

The Royal Variety Performance: 1994, BBC One, 3rd December 1994 (featuring Jonathan Pryce as Fagin); Celebrate Oliver!, BBC One, 26th December 2005; The Musical: From Page to Stage, BBC Radio 2, 11th October 2010; Stuart: A Face Backwards, BBC Radio 4, 25th June 2012; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 29th September 2005 (featuring clips from Oliver Twist [1948], dir. by David Lean featuring Alec Guinness as Fagin); Parkinson: Alec Guinness, BBC Two, 18th December 2007; In Town Tonight, BBC Network Radio, 9th July 1960; Frankly Speaking, BBC Network Radio, 21st June 1961; The Story of Musicals: Episode 1, BBC Four, 3rd January 2012; Opening Nights: 5: Oliver, BBC Radio 4, 9th July 2002; Oliver! [1968] - Official Trailer, dir. Carol Reed, Columbia Pictures; Oliver! [1968], dir. Carol Reed, writers Lionel Bart / Vernon Harris, featuring Mark Lester as Oliver, Ron Moody as Bill Sykes, Oliver Reed as Bill Sykes, Columbia Pictures; Live at the Apollo, BBC One, 21st December 2012; Celebrate Oliver!, BBC One, 26th December 2005 (featuring Ron Moody performing as Fagin - Reviewing the Situation, composed by Lionel Bart).

Actors from Christopher Eccleston to Omid Djalili tell stories of playing Charles Dickens's creation Fagin, who was re-imagined for musical theatre by Lionel Bart.

[LISTEN NOW]

Blanche Dubois

20250310

20250311 (R4)
20260220 (R4)

Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part.

One big dramatic role. Actors tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Blanche DuBois.

Cate Blanchett and Patsy Ferran describe what it's like to play Blanche - a captivating, so-called Southern Belle from the play, A Streetcar Named Desire. She's fragile, flirtatious, a lover of poetry. We first meet her when she comes to stay with her sister in New Orleans. Later in the play, she falls victim to sexual violence.

Cate and Patsy are joined by Kirsty Stuart, in the middle of rehearsals for the play, Marge Hendrick, who played Blanche in a ballet version, and Gwendolyn Foxworth, a community actor from New Orleans. Nancy Schoenberger explores the roots of the role.

Since her debut on Broadway in 1947, Blanche DuBois has captivated audiences. Cate Blanchett says playing the role changed the course of her life and her career. She sees Blanche as a symbol for big ideas - concepts of poetry and brutality - and reveals how much Blanche has stayed with her. Patsy Ferran won plaudits for her portrayal of the part on the West End stage in 2023 - she dives into key passages from the play.

Tennessee Williams set the play in New Orleans, near the French Quarter, an area that Gwendolyn Foxworth knows well. Marge Hendrick, who starred in Scottish Ballet's version of the play, explores the difficulty of playing some of Blanche's most painful scenes and we join Kirsty Stuart in the middle of rehearsals for Pitlochry Festival Theatre's adaptation. Nancy Schoenberger, author of Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee WIlliams' Blanche DuBois, examines Blanche's roots and Vivien Leigh's famous performance of the part.

Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol

Edited by Emma Harding

Mixed by Suzy Robins

Archive:

Drama on 3, A Streetcar Named Desire, BBC Radio 3, 26th March 2017

Director - Sasha Yevtushenko

Blanche - Anne-Marie Duff

Stanley - Matthew Needham

Mitch - John Heffernan

Sunday Play: A Streetcar Named Desire, BBC Radio 3, 14th June 1998

Producer - Martin Jenkins

Blanche - Glenne Headley

Stella - Amy Brenneman

Additional archive:

Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 16th January 2023 (featuring Patsy Ferran as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Almeida Theatre, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, 2023); Kaleidoscope Feature: A Temporary Enchantment, BBC Radio 4, 23rd November 1996 (featuring archive from A Streetcar Named Desire (Dramatized), Rosemary Harris as Blanche, James Farentino as Stanley, Caedmon, 1975); Changing Stages, BBC Two, 19th November 2000 (featuring archive from A Streetcar Named Desire [1951], Warner Bros. directed by Elia Kazan, starring Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois); Omnibus: Claire Bloom, BBC TV, 3rd March 1974; Frankly Speaking, BBC Network Radio, 2nd August 1959; Frost Over America: Tennessee Williams, BBC TV, 15th July 1970; In Town Tonight, BBC Network Radio, 6th August 1960; Music from Scottish Ballet's adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, 2012, composed by Peter Salem.

One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. Today: Blanche DuBois

Actors from Cate Blanchett to Patsy Ferran tell stories of playing Blanche DuBois, the famous so-called 'southern belle', created by Tennessee Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire.

[LISTEN NOW]

Episodes

Series	Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	01	Lady Macbeth	20230216	20260103 (R4)	One big dramatic role and stories of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. They tell us what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for BBC Radio 4. First up, the iconic Lady Macbeth. Featuring: Dame Harriet Walter, Isabelle Schuler, Alice Grace, Akiya Henry, Niamh Cusack, Nicole Cooper and Tristan de Beer The performers tell us how the character of Lady Macbeth evolves through Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, and share how they approached the role. They tell their stories of first encountering Lady Macbeth and reveal how playing the part affected them. Their reflections take us across the world - from the suburbs of Capetown via Los Angeles to a school in Weston-Super-Mare. And they reflect on whether perceptions of the famous villain might be changing. Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio in Bristol Mixed by Michael Harrison for BBC Audio in Bristol Acknowledgements: Macbeth BBC Radio 3 16th Feb 1992 Producer - Nigel Bryant Lady Macbeth - Harriet Walter Composer/performer - Nick Gammon Macbeth BBC Four 14th Jun 2020 Director - Polly Findlay Lady Macbeth - Niamh Cusack Royal Shakespeare Company Production 2018 Stories and reflections of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. One big dramatic role. Stories and reflections of actors from across the world about what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for Radio 4. First up: Lady Macbeth [LISTEN NOW]
01	02	Peter Pan	20230223	20260216 (R4)	One big dramatic role and stories of actors from across the world who have all played the same part. They tell us what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for BBC Radio 4. This time, Peter Pan. Featuring: Charlie Randall, Cathy Rigby, Hayley Mills, Tristan Sturrock, Hiran Abeysekera, Allison Kavey and Lester D. Friedman We hear how the magic of playing Peter Pan has changed the lives of actors. The role lets performers explore their inner child, play with gender and fly across the stage. But there is a dark side of being the boy who never grows up. Themes of loneliness, abandonment and death are core parts of JM Barrie's story. The reflections take us from panto in Great Yarmouth to civil war in Sri Lanka to arenas across the United States. Produced by Sam Grist and Camellia Sinclair for BBC Audio in Bristol Mixed by Ilse Lademann for BBC Audio in Bristol Acknowledgements: Peter Pan - BBC Sound Archive 30th Mar 1941 Producers - Derek McCulloch and Gordon Crier Peter Pan - Patricia Hayes Wendy - Rosamund Barnes Music by John Crook Peter Pan – Radio 4 26th Dec 1986 Producer – Glyn Dearman Peter Pan - Graham McGrath Wendy - Lucinda Bateson The Lost Boys: J.M. Barrie - A Reminiscence - BBC Radio 4 - 6 October 1978 Woman's Hour - BBC Radio 2 - 20 Dec 1967 An Appreciation of Sir James Barrie, by Nina Boucicault – BBC Sound Archive – 19 Jun 1937 Peter Pan Broadway Musical Theatre TV Commercial 1999 Blue Peter - BBC Archive - 10 Dec 1965 22nd Academy Award Ceremony – 23 Mar 1950 J.M.Barrie and Peter Pan – BBC Two 23 Dec 2001 Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part. One big dramatic role. Stories and reflections from actors across the world about what the role means and what it means to them. A new series for Radio 4. This week: Peter Pan. [LISTEN NOW]
01	03	Waiting For Godot	20230302	20260217 (R4)	Stories and reflections of actors from across the world who have all played the same parts. They tell us what the roles mean and what the parts mean to them. This time it's the turn of the pair of tramps in Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot: Vladimir and Estragon. It's a play where famously 'nothing happens'. Vladimir and Estragon are bowler-hatted tramps standing on a country road waiting for someone called Godot. The play divides audiences - but its slapstick humour, staccato dialogue, and existential themes have made it one of the most acclaimed plays of the twentieth century. Vladimir and Estragon have travelled the world and the play has been performed in moments of crisis, from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to Sarajevo in the Balkans War. The two main characters are like partners, friends, enemies... And Beckett's precise directions for the play have provoked questions about who can play Vladimir and Estragon. So pull a rock, sit by a tree, take off your boots... this is Roleplay. Featuring Tweedy aka Alan Digweed, Aaron Monaghan, Marty Rea, Bill Paterson, Velibor Topić, J Kyle Manzay, Silent Faces Theatre (Josie Underwood, Jack Wakely and Cordelia Stevenson) and Sophia Almaz and Oleksiy Dashkovsky from Theatre UZHIK in Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Produced by Sam Grist and Camellia Sinclair for BBC Audio in Bristol Mixed by Michael Harrison Acknowledgements: From the Fifties: Waiting for Godot, BBC Home Service, 5 Feb 1962 Play by Samuel Beckett Producer - Robin Midgley Vladimir - Nigel Stock Estragon - Kenneth Griffith The Boy - Terry Raven Waiting for Godot, BBC Archive, 5 Sep 1981 Director - Richard Callanan Vladimir - Max Wall Estragon - Leo McKern Masterworks: Waiting for Godot, BBC Radio 4, 22nd March 1977 Druid Theatre, Trailer Waiting for Godot, November 2016 Points West Evening News, BBC One, 13th February 2019 Reporting Scotland, BBC One Scotland, 21st September 2015 News Special: Hurricane Katrina, BBC One, 4th September 2005 Newsnight, BBC Two, 8th Sep 2005 News & Notes, NPR, 9th Nov 2007 Godot is a Woman - teaser, Silent Faces, 7th June 2022 Artsnight, BBC Two, 31st July 2015 Still Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, BBC Radio 4, 21st August 2015 Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo, BBC Radio 4, 20th March 1994 1992 Sarajevo, BBC News Archive Waiting for What?, BBC Network Radio, 14th April 1961 Theater-studio 'Uzhik' video, 23rd October 2022 Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part. Stories and reflections from actors across the world who have all played the same part about what the roles mean to them. This time: Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting for Godot. [LISTEN NOW]
02	01	Cleopatra	20250224	20250225 (R4) 20260218 (R4)	One big dramatic role. Actors from across the world tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Cleopatra. In the first episode of this new series, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Janet Suzman, Doña Croll and Nadia Nadarajah describe what it's like to play Cleopatra, taking us through the character's journey in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Cleopatra 7th of Egypt is one of the ancient world's most famous figures. But it was William Shakespeare who first made her an iconic dramatic role and shaped our ideas of this historical leader - in his play Antony and Cleopatra. The play's lines have stayed in the mind of Dame Judi Dench who initially doubted whether she could play the part. She tells stories of escaping snakes, secret suppers, and spectacular speeches. It's a part which has also fascinated Dame Janet Suzman, who has returned to the play and to the complex beguiling Cleopatra time and again over the last five decades. The play travels from Egypt to Rome and back again - Doña Croll, thought to be the first black actor to play the role, talks about why Cleopatra is a part important to black actors, a role known for her power and her supposed beauty. Our image of the Egyptian ruler has perhaps been influenced more by one actor than any other: Elizabeth Taylor. Roger Lewis reveals the parallels between the lives of Taylor and Cleopatra. Antony and Cleopatra's final act is known for its wonderful language and theatrical difficulty. Nadia Nadarajah, a Shakespearean actor who uses British Sign Language, explores Cleopatra's famous final moments, surrounded by snakes. Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol Edited by Emma Harding Mixed by Ilse Lademann Archive: Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre, 1987 Director - Sir Peter Hall Cleopatra - Judi Dench Alexas - Robert Arnold Antony and Cleopatra, ATV (ITV), 1974 Director - Jon Scoffield Cleopatra - Janet Suzman Antony - Richard Johnson Caesar and Cleopatra (Followed by Antony and Cleopatra), BBC Network Radio, 12th August 1951 Producer - Ayton Whitaker Cleopatra - Vivien Leigh Antony - Laurence Olivier Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Radio 3, 28th December 2014 Director - Alison Hindell Cleopatra - Alex Kingston Antony - Kenneth Branagh Agrippa - Simon Armstrong Octavius Caesar - Geoffrey Streatfield Make Death Love Me: Antony and Cleopatra Re-imagined, BBC Radio 3, 24th April 2022 Director - Neil Bartlett Producer - Turan Ali Cleopatra - Adjoa Andoh Antony - Tim McInnerny World Drama - Antony and Cleopatra - Part 1, BBC Radio 3, 30th Jan 1977 Director/Producer - John Tydeman Cleopatra - Sian Phillips Antony and Cleopatra, BBC Network Radio, 12th July 1965 Producer - R.D. Smith Enobarbus - Rupert Davies Additional archive: Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4, 13th November 1981; Prefaces to Shakespeare, BBC Radio 4, 2nd May 1981; What's New?, BBC Television, 3rd April 1962; Radio Two Arts Programme: Burton and Taylor, BBC Radio 2, 13th March 1994 including clips from Cleopatra, film, 1963 directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, Richard Burton as Antony; Film 74 Special: Richard Burton, BBC TV, 6th September 1974 including clips from Cleopatra 1963 film. One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Cleopatra Actors from Dame Judi Dench to Dame Janet Suzman tell stories of playing the iconic Egyptian leader, made famous on the stage by William Shakespeare. [LISTEN NOW]
02	02	Fagin	20250303	20250304 (R4) 20260219 (R4)	One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Fagin. One big dramatic role. Actors from across the world tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Fagin. Christopher Eccleston, Omid Djalili and Simon Lipkin tell stories of playing the part of Fagin, revealing how the character has evolved over time. They're joined by Mark Lester, who explains what it was like acting alongside the famous Fagin Ron Moody, and Mark Napolitano who discusses Fagin's performance history. Fagin was first dreamt up by Charles Dickens in his 1838 work Oliver Twist. Dickens's depiction of the thief and gang leader is controversial, widely criticised for being an anti-Semitic caricature. And when the book was adapted for the screen by David Lean in 1948, Alec Guinness's portrayal of Fagin provoked a strong reaction from audiences. In the 1960s, a Jewish popular music composer named Lionel Bart decided to adapt the novel for the musical theatre stage. He re-imagined Fagin - helped by the actor who first performed the role, Ron Moody. Actors who've played the part in recent times tell us Fagin's story and discuss their own performance choices. Simon Lipkin is currently performing the role in Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne's production in the West End - he discusses Fagin's journey through Bart's musical and explores what it's like to play the part as a Jewish actor. Omid Djalili performed the role back in 2009 and says at the time he was a 'left-field choice' for the part. He examines why Fagin has endured as a character and explores the comic elements of the role. Christopher Eccleston played Fagin in the CBBC series Dodger, he explores the backstory of Fagin and his relationship with the children in his gang. Mark Lester, who was Oliver in the 1968 film adaptation of the musical, reveals what it was like to act with Ron Moody. And Mark Napolitano, author of Oliver! A Dickensian Musical, tells us how Fagin's final scenes differ greatly between Dickens's book and Bart's musical. Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol Editor Emma Harding Mixed by Ilse Lademann Archive: Oliver Twist, BBC Radio 2, 16th December 2005 Reader - David Warner Abridger - Neville Teller Producer - Neil Gardner Oliver Twist: 2: Pickpocket!, BBC Radio 4, 10th February 1994 Bill Sykes - Tim McInnerny Producer - Neil Bryant The Best of Times - The Worst of Times, Part 1, BBC Radio 4, 17th April 1988 Fagin - Garard Green Producer - Rosemary Hart Oliver Twist, BBC TV, 7th January 1962 Fagin - Max Adrian Oliver - Bruce Prochnik Producer - Eric Tayler Scriptwriter - Constance Cox Oliver Twist, BBC TV, 1st April 1962 Dodger: Episode 1, BBC Two, Fagin - Christopher Eccleston Dodger (Jack Dawkins) - Billy Jenkins Director - Rhys Thomas Executive Producers - Lucy Montgomery and Rhys Thomas Additional archive: The Royal Variety Performance: 1994, BBC One, 3rd December 1994 (featuring Jonathan Pryce as Fagin); Celebrate Oliver!, BBC One, 26th December 2005; The Musical: From Page to Stage, BBC Radio 2, 11th October 2010; Stuart: A Face Backwards, BBC Radio 4, 25th June 2012; Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 29th September 2005 (featuring clips from Oliver Twist [1948], dir. by David Lean featuring Alec Guinness as Fagin); Parkinson: Alec Guinness, BBC Two, 18th December 2007; In Town Tonight, BBC Network Radio, 9th July 1960; Frankly Speaking, BBC Network Radio, 21st June 1961; The Story of Musicals: Episode 1, BBC Four, 3rd January 2012; Opening Nights: 5: Oliver, BBC Radio 4, 9th July 2002; Oliver! [1968] - Official Trailer, dir. Carol Reed, Columbia Pictures; Oliver! [1968], dir. Carol Reed, writers Lionel Bart / Vernon Harris, featuring Mark Lester as Oliver, Ron Moody as Bill Sykes, Oliver Reed as Bill Sykes, Columbia Pictures; Live at the Apollo, BBC One, 21st December 2012; Celebrate Oliver!, BBC One, 26th December 2005 (featuring Ron Moody performing as Fagin - Reviewing the Situation, composed by Lionel Bart). Actors from Christopher Eccleston to Omid Djalili tell stories of playing Charles Dickens's creation Fagin, who was re-imagined for musical theatre by Lionel Bart. [LISTEN NOW]
02	03	Blanche Dubois	20250310	20250311 (R4) 20260220 (R4)	Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part. One big dramatic role. Actors tell us what the part means and what it means to them. This time: Blanche DuBois. Cate Blanchett and Patsy Ferran describe what it's like to play Blanche - a captivating, so-called Southern Belle from the play, A Streetcar Named Desire. She's fragile, flirtatious, a lover of poetry. We first meet her when she comes to stay with her sister in New Orleans. Later in the play, she falls victim to sexual violence. Cate and Patsy are joined by Kirsty Stuart, in the middle of rehearsals for the play, Marge Hendrick, who played Blanche in a ballet version, and Gwendolyn Foxworth, a community actor from New Orleans. Nancy Schoenberger explores the roots of the role. Since her debut on Broadway in 1947, Blanche DuBois has captivated audiences. Cate Blanchett says playing the role changed the course of her life and her career. She sees Blanche as a symbol for big ideas - concepts of poetry and brutality - and reveals how much Blanche has stayed with her. Patsy Ferran won plaudits for her portrayal of the part on the West End stage in 2023 - she dives into key passages from the play. Tennessee Williams set the play in New Orleans, near the French Quarter, an area that Gwendolyn Foxworth knows well. Marge Hendrick, who starred in Scottish Ballet's version of the play, explores the difficulty of playing some of Blanche's most painful scenes and we join Kirsty Stuart in the middle of rehearsals for Pitlochry Festival Theatre's adaptation. Nancy Schoenberger, author of Blanche: The Life and Times of Tennessee WIlliams' Blanche DuBois, examines Blanche's roots and Vivien Leigh's famous performance of the part. Produced by Camellia Sinclair and Sam Grist for BBC Audio, Bristol Edited by Emma Harding Mixed by Suzy Robins Archive: Drama on 3, A Streetcar Named Desire, BBC Radio 3, 26th March 2017 Director - Sasha Yevtushenko Blanche - Anne-Marie Duff Stanley - Matthew Needham Mitch - John Heffernan Sunday Play: A Streetcar Named Desire, BBC Radio 3, 14th June 1998 Producer - Martin Jenkins Blanche - Glenne Headley Stella - Amy Brenneman Additional archive: Front Row, BBC Radio 4, 16th January 2023 (featuring Patsy Ferran as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, Almeida Theatre, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, 2023); Kaleidoscope Feature: A Temporary Enchantment, BBC Radio 4, 23rd November 1996 (featuring archive from A Streetcar Named Desire (Dramatized), Rosemary Harris as Blanche, James Farentino as Stanley, Caedmon, 1975); Changing Stages, BBC Two, 19th November 2000 (featuring archive from A Streetcar Named Desire [1951], Warner Bros. directed by Elia Kazan, starring Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois); Omnibus: Claire Bloom, BBC TV, 3rd March 1974; Frankly Speaking, BBC Network Radio, 2nd August 1959; Frost Over America: Tennessee Williams, BBC TV, 15th July 1970; In Town Tonight, BBC Network Radio, 6th August 1960; Music from Scottish Ballet's adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, 2012, composed by Peter Salem. One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. Today: Blanche DuBois Actors from Cate Blanchett to Patsy Ferran tell stories of playing Blanche DuBois, the famous so-called 'southern belle', created by Tennessee Williams in A Streetcar Named Desire. [LISTEN NOW]