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Meet the characters
Get a taste of what's to come...
- Hell Cats
- By: Carina Rodney
- Narrated by:
- Hell Cats
- Anne and Mary discover that there’s a bounty for their capture
- Hell Cats
- James demands that Anne returns to him
- Hell Cats
- Mark Read meets Oliver Marlow
About the author
Carina is an award-winning writer based in the north east of England, with a background in theatre and radio writing, now also moving into film and TV writing. Carina is a current Royal Literary Fund fellow and BAFTA Crew participant. She has recently developed a body horror feature screenplay, The Change for producer/director Jennifer Handorf (Prevenge, The Borderlands) which is currently in pre-production. The Changewas a New Blood finalist in 2019 and was a selected project for Frontieres Film Market and Marche du Film 2020. She is currently developing a number of original ideas for film and television.
About the director
Kate directs theatre, television, video games, VR and film. This is Kate’s first audio drama. Her TV credits include episodes of Silent Witness, Endeavour and Call The Midwife. In film, Kate was Voice Director on Paramount’s animated feature, Capture The Flag, which won the Goya Award for Best Animated Film 2016. Kate has directed over 35 theatre productions and highlights include directing Phil Daniels in the title roles of Jekyll and Hyde; and working with John Fowles when she directed the world premiere of The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Kate has directed many video games, including BAFTA winners Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture, and Alien: Isolation, and BAFTA nominated Mafia III.
Meet the performers
Erin Doherty
Erin Doherty was a 2018 Screen International Star of Tomorrow and a 2018 Evening Standard Rising Star. Her performance as Princess Anne in Netflix’s The Crown has led to critical acclaim, including being honoured at the prestigious Newport Beach Film Festival as a ‘Breakout Honouree’ and winning the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2020.
Doherty is also a highly respected theatre actress, playing leads in some of the best houses in London and the UK. In 2017, Erin appeared in BAFTA Award-winning writer Jack Thorne’s Junkyard. Later that year, she took on the leading role in Aykbourn’s The Divide at the Edinburgh International Festival and received high critical acclaim in The Young Vic’s production of the one woman show My Name is Rachel Corrie. Other stage credits include A Christmas Carol and Wolfie. She has also appeared on our screens in Call the Midwife and Les Miserables.
Michelle Fox
Michelle Fox is an Irish actor who trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. TV credits include: A Very English Scandal (BBC), Overshadowed (BBC3) and Casualty (BBC). Theatre credits include: Translations (National Theatre) and Armadillo (Yard Theatre). Michelle was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the WhatsOnStage Awards for her role in Translations directed by Ian Rickson at the National Theatre.
Fisayo Akinade
Fisayo Akinade trained at Central School of Speech and Drama and has graced both our film and television screens in The Personal History of David Copperfield, The Girl with All the Gifts, A Very English Scandal and Russell T Davies’ Cucumber/Banana.
Fisayo’s stage performances include, The Antipodes, Anthony and Cleopatra and Barber Shop Chronicles at the National Theatre, Shipwreck at the Almeida, The Way of the World, Saint Joan (for which he won an Ian Charleson Award) and The Vote at the Donmar Warehouse. Fisayo will next be seen in the National Theatre’s first original film with a screen production of William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet starring Josh O’Connor and Jessie Buckley. Fisayo will play Mercutio.
Jonathan Bailey
Jonathan Bailey is an English television and theatre actor, known for his roles in the ITV drama Broadchurch, W1A, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical for his portrayal of Jamie in the 2018 West End revival of Company. Jonathan can next be seen on our screens as Anthony Bridgerton in the hotly anticipated Netflix series Bridgerton.
Summary
As the old sailor's adage goes, a woman on board invites bad luck, a superstition that turned out to be true for the enemies of notorious pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. As quick to draw their cutlasses as they were to fall in love, Anne and Mary sailed the Caribbean leaving a trail of looted treasure, outfoxed law enforcement, and treacherous ex-lovers (suitably dealt with) in their wake.
Born hundreds of miles apart, both Anne and Mary were disguised as boys in their childhoods to escape poverty, propriety and disgrace, only to find freedom on the high seas. Anne, a poor fit for polite society, kicks her treacherous husband to the curb to turn pirate with the dashing Captain Jack. Meanwhile, Mary endures navy and army life disguised as a boy before being captured by pirates.
When Mary and Anne’s worlds collide a love affair between the two ensues and adventure beckons - the Governor and Anne’s spurned husband continue to hunt them across the oceans, but even the shadow of the gallows couldn’t darken the blazing spirits of these incredible women somehow mostly forgotten by history.
This series explores themes of equality, freedom, love and survival. Ultimately it is a story about the determination to live fully and freely without the limitation of gender, class or society - a life without restraint.
This is an Audible Original Podcast. Free for members. You can download all 14 episodes to your Library now.
Meet the cast of Hell Cats
What listeners say about Hell Cats
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Marie C
- 20-11-20
Wow!! Amazing series and loved the characters
Wow.. this was amazing. The sounds design is like watching a series with your eyes closed. I loved all the characters and Anne & Mary had my heart till the end. The narration was so wonderful.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kaila L. Pettigrove
- 22-11-20
Perfect lockdown listen!!!
Beautifully written and produced. The characters were fascinating, imperfect, and still lovable. Lots of humour to counteract the intense scenes. I cheered, scolded, cackled and blubbered like a baby. A true drama to sweep you up and take you away.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 22-11-20
an adult pirate adventure - brilliant
action packed story. totally hooked from episode 1 - pure escapism with two very gutsy ladies. would love to have met them
10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- NB
- 23-11-20
Great Listen
Not something I would usually go for but so glad I did. The cast are brilliant at bringing this story to life
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dizzie
- 25-11-20
Loved it!
I didn't know about Mary and Anne before starting this and I'm so glad I found it. The cast brought the characters alive, I was transported back in time. A fantastic story done by fantastic actors. well done all.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-11-20
Good luck following the nonexisting storyline.
Theres no storyline to follow, I hadto listen first 3 eps two times and i couldnt get the hang of it, whats happening, where and to who. Readers are great, otherwice it was like watching a movie blindfolded. :(
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 23-11-20
lots of action, good variety of characters
lots of action, brought to life by the actors and sound effects. Girl power wins the day
6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-12-20
one image isn't always worth a thousand words
very interesting experience, like watching a dumb yet exciting show on netflix, without image. Great to listen to while doing something else. sound design is incredible.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Lucy Willby
- 27-11-20
made me want to be a pirate queen!!
amazing true story of brave bold women taking their rightful place ina mans world!! i cried, i laughed and utterly gripped from start to finish!! i really didn't want it to end!
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 27-11-20
Total enjoyment of Hell Cats!
I enjoyed this podcast from start to finish 👌 Very well acted, made me cry!!
4 people found this helpful