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The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence & A Division of the Spoils
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- Narrated by: Mark Bazeley, Anna Maxwell Martin, Benedict Cumberbatch, full cast, Geraldine James, Kulvinder Ghir, Nina Wadia, Prasanna Puwanarajah
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
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The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence & A Division of the Spoils
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Summary
An epic full-cast dramatisation of Paul Scott’s classic series of novels charting the last days ofthe British Raj.
Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule.
As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. When Daphne Manners arrives in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and Ronald Merrick. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the local police superintendent – becomes infatuated with her and seethes with hatred for Hari.
The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. In The Towers of Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton’s companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. In A Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India’s independence, while the Laytons plan for their future – but the division of the country will spark tragic consequences for many.
The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders).
Dramtised by John Harvey (The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence) and Shelley Silas (A Division of the Spoils).
Produced and directed by Sally Avens (The Jewel in the Crown, A Division of the Spoils) and Jeremy Mortimer (The Day of theScorpion, The Towers of Silence).
Music by Raiomond Mirza.
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What listeners say about The Raj Quartet: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence & A Division of the Spoils
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Marcos Simpson
- 13-11-20
strong production
excellent direction
strong acting
obsolete storyline
some horrific scenes and attitudes paint the picture of british attitude
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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
- Desi crafter
- 12-08-21
Fascinating period in history
Narration was excellent but I felt I was at an advantage as I could understand the few places that Hindi was spoken. Overall felt an authentic portrayal of the mixed feelings and accents of the English and Indians in India. On a few occasions it was a bit tricky to keep up with which one of the vast number of characters was speaking but on the whole, very well done!
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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
- Isabelle
- 03-04-22
Great story
A gripping tale of troubled times, class struggle, social, racial and religious repression and suffering.
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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
- S Blevins
- 01-11-19
Excellent Human Insight into the complexities of the British relationship with India just before independence
I loved the ITV series and thoroughly enjoyed revisiting through this audio book. Helps to be familiar with the series or books as so many different characters. Really first class casting and performances. No negatives
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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
- Allan Vaughan
- 12-03-21
Avorn
An excellent abridgement of my favourite novels. Great radio drama and well worth adding to audiobook collections
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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
- Dilys
- 29-06-23
Excellent
Although abbreviated it carried me back to this wonderful story …. Well cast and just engrossing… loved it …
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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
- Highlight
- 18-05-19
EXCELLENT PRODUCTION
I have the DVD set of the TV series and this production is just as good. Great radio interpretation full of atmosphere as though we are taken back into the time of India in the era of the Raj. Recommend.
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10 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
- Tony Whitmarsh
- 12-02-21
Brilliant
A superb dramatisation of Paul Scott's powerful and evocative quartet of novels about the end of the raj. The full cast, sound effects and music beautifully capture the essence of the novels. The quartet, together with Scott's superb extended epilogue Staying On, have long been favourites of mine. This dramatisation has a magic all of its own and is highly recommended. It finished barely twenty minutes ago and I'm missing it already.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- C M T
- 06-12-19
Beautifully performed
This is a great listen. All four books compressed into a few hours, but the characters retain their integrity and depth. Such a beautiful but haunting story. Well worth a listen if you don't have time for the unabridged audio books. Really good performances all round. This story will stay with me. Thoroughly recommend.
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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
- S Kotecha
- 18-10-23
Great listen
Great story, performance & production. This production did take me back in time of the Raj. Amazing & sad story at the same time. Worth a listen.
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