Listen free for 30 days
-
The Stuarts
- The Epic BBC Radio 4 Drama
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser, Bill Paterson, Blake Ritson, Brian Cox, Fenella Woolgar, full cast, James Fleet, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Kate O'Flynn, Pip Torrens
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Radio/TV Programme
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Drama & Plays
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £25.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Plantagenet
- The Epic Chronicle of a Dynasty
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Al Weaver, Carl Prekopp, David Warner, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by Holinshed's Chronicles, this series of radio dramas about the Plantagenet dynasty tells the story of the birth of a new Europe after the dark ages. The issues of control, freedom, belief and the temptations of power were new to an age which had no template for domination on this scale.
-
-
OUTSTANDING
- By Ryanswhiskey on 14-10-18
-
Tsar
- An Epic Chronicle of the Russian Leaders
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: David Threlfall, Hugo Speer, Samantha Spiro, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleven compelling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of the Russian tsars. Broadcast to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution, this extraordinary drama cycle by Mike Walker comprises 11 ambitious plays spanning over 400 years, exploring the lives of Russia’s key rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Vladimir Putin.
-
-
Put off by accents
- By Christine on 29-07-19
-
Cromwell vs the Crown: God’s Revolution
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Historical Drama
- By: Don Taylor
- Narrated by: full cast, Bernard Hepton, Nigel Anthony, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1647. Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army has routed the Royalists, and the king, having fled to Scotland, has been ransomed, sent back across the border and imprisoned. It seems the war is over, but there is trouble ahead. Parliament wants to disband the army and install its own militia - an act that looks, to Cromwell's loyal soldiers, like outright betrayal.
-
-
Absolutely riveting. A tour de force.
- By Mr. R. Jarmain on 05-02-22
-
Falco: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Five Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Anna Madeley, Anton Lesser, Ben Crowe, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the first five Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco.
-
-
Great adaptations - shame about the sound quality
- By rcwApr10 on 30-10-18
-
Shardlake: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Six BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: CJ Sansom
- Narrated by: full cast, Jason Watkins, Justin Salinger, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series: Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.
-
-
Shardlake
- By Lee on 20-03-22
-
Castle of the Hawk: An Epic Chronicle of the Habsburg Dynasty
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Carl Prekopp, Kai Owen, Anamaria Marinca, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike Walker's epic chronicle of the Habsburg dynasty, one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe which was to rule most of Europe, as well as much of the New World, for 600 years. Hawk Rising: Brugg, 1230. Duke Rudolf of Habsburg is determined to become Holy Roman Emperor and to found a dynasty. But then a stranger arrives at the Castle of the Hawk as tutor to his son.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Amazon Customer on 30-07-22
-
Plantagenet
- The Epic Chronicle of a Dynasty
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Al Weaver, Carl Prekopp, David Warner, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by Holinshed's Chronicles, this series of radio dramas about the Plantagenet dynasty tells the story of the birth of a new Europe after the dark ages. The issues of control, freedom, belief and the temptations of power were new to an age which had no template for domination on this scale.
-
-
OUTSTANDING
- By Ryanswhiskey on 14-10-18
-
Tsar
- An Epic Chronicle of the Russian Leaders
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: David Threlfall, Hugo Speer, Samantha Spiro, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleven compelling BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of the Russian tsars. Broadcast to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution, this extraordinary drama cycle by Mike Walker comprises 11 ambitious plays spanning over 400 years, exploring the lives of Russia’s key rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Vladimir Putin.
-
-
Put off by accents
- By Christine on 29-07-19
-
Cromwell vs the Crown: God’s Revolution
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Historical Drama
- By: Don Taylor
- Narrated by: full cast, Bernard Hepton, Nigel Anthony, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England, 1647. Oliver Cromwell's New Model Army has routed the Royalists, and the king, having fled to Scotland, has been ransomed, sent back across the border and imprisoned. It seems the war is over, but there is trouble ahead. Parliament wants to disband the army and install its own militia - an act that looks, to Cromwell's loyal soldiers, like outright betrayal.
-
-
Absolutely riveting. A tour de force.
- By Mr. R. Jarmain on 05-02-22
-
Falco: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Five Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: Lindsey Davis
- Narrated by: Anna Madeley, Anton Lesser, Ben Crowe, and others
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Full-cast BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the first five Falco novels by Lindsey Davis, starring Anton Lesser as Marcus Didius Falco.
-
-
Great adaptations - shame about the sound quality
- By rcwApr10 on 30-10-18
-
Shardlake: The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Six BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: CJ Sansom
- Narrated by: full cast, Jason Watkins, Justin Salinger, and others
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collected dramatisations of C. J. Sansom's historical mystery series: Set during the reign of Henry VIII, these six stunning dramas follow the adventures of hunchbacked lawyer-detective Matthew Shardlake as he navigates the dangerous world of Tudor England, solving crimes and seeking out murderers.
-
-
Shardlake
- By Lee on 20-03-22
-
Castle of the Hawk: An Epic Chronicle of the Habsburg Dynasty
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Drama
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Carl Prekopp, Kai Owen, Anamaria Marinca, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mike Walker's epic chronicle of the Habsburg dynasty, one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe which was to rule most of Europe, as well as much of the New World, for 600 years. Hawk Rising: Brugg, 1230. Duke Rudolf of Habsburg is determined to become Holy Roman Emperor and to found a dynasty. But then a stranger arrives at the Castle of the Hawk as tutor to his son.
-
-
Brilliant
- By Amazon Customer on 30-07-22
-
Caesar!
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Andrew Garfield, Anton Lesser, David Tennant, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nine BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas by Mike Walker, chronicling Rome’s greatest rulers. Drawing on historical sources including Suetonius’ ‘Lives of the Caesars’, Mike Walker’s compelling drama cycle follows the story of the leaders of Rome, from Julius Caesar’s ascension to power to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West in AD 475.
-
-
Some of the Caesars anyway!
- By The Curator on 10-04-20
-
Tumanbay: The Complete Series 1-4
- The BBC Radio Epic Full-Cast Saga
- By: John Dryden, Mike Walker
- Narrated by: John Sessions, Raad Rawi, full cast, and others
- Length: 26 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tumanbay: the wealthiest city on Earth. The beating heart of a vast empire. A city of dreams, where those who once arrived as slaves now hold power, and merchants, artists and warriors live side-by-side in peace. But this magnificent city is under threat. A rebellion in a far-off province, led by 'Queen' Maya, is gathering strength - and a mysterious force is devouring the empire from within.
-
-
Excellent!
- By dbat70 on 29-05-22
-
Alexander: The Story of a Legendary Leader
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: David Wade
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings, Barry Foster, Brian Cox, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander of Macedon was one of history’s greatest ever military commanders. By the time of his death, aged just 32, he had conquered the entire Persian Empire and was ruler of a vast territory stretching from Greece to the borders of India. These six episodes tell his extraordinary life story, as reimagined by acclaimed dramatist David Wade.
-
-
A dedicated and immersive epic
- By Zach Bromfield on 16-09-20
-
Vivat Rex: Volume One (Dramatisation)
- Landmark Drama from the BBC Radio Archive
- By: William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Burton, Full Cast
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Burton narrates this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on audible for the very first time. Vivat Rex is the landmark drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.
-
-
Awesome Listening
- By Trefor Bark on 11-06-15
-
Dickens Confidential
- The Complete Series 1-2
- By: Mike Walker
- Narrated by: Dan Stevens, Jamie Glover, Jasmine Hyde, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charles Dickens was, for a time, editor of a daily newspaper. This series takes an imaginative look at how Dickens would have tackled bringing the news to the masses. We follow Dickens the editor as he contends with railway crashes, gory deaths in the River Thames, having his editorial judgment scrutinised, working with tyrannical landowners, entering the murky worlds of opium and prostitution and, most tragically of all, investigating a child's death. He and his newspaper tackle financial plotting, encountering a young and secretive Disraeli, and the prospect of war overseas.
-
-
I want more.
- By Kim on 22-12-19
-
Jack Aubrey & Stephen Maturin: Master & Commander & Other Adventures
- A BBC Radio 4 Full Cast Drama Collection
- By: Patrick O'Brian
- Narrated by: Richard Dillane, Michael Troughton, Adjoa Andoh, and others
- Length: 15 hrs and 46 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Widely regarded as the most engaging historical novels ever written, the 21 books in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series have garnered millions of fans since the publication of the first volume over 50 years ago. Included here are BBC radio adaptations of the first seven thrilling stories.
-
-
Great listen!
- By Anonymous User on 17-06-22
-
The Diary of Samuel Pepys
- The BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: Samuel Pepys, Hattie Naylor
- Narrated by: Kris Marshall, Katherine Jakeways, Full Cast
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kris Marshall and Katherine Jakeways star as Mr & Mrs Pepys in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the world famous diaries. Samuel Pepys was 26 when he decided to start keeping a diary, in January 1660. For the next 10 years he faithfully recorded the day's events and confessed his innermost thoughts. That diary has since become one of our most important, and fascinating, historical documents. Pepys gave us eyewitness accounts of some of the great events of the 17th century, including the Great Fire of London and the Second Dutch War.
-
-
Up early and to the office
- By Al Whitworth on 10-09-19
-
P. D. James BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Seven Full-Cast Dramatisations
- By: P. D. James
- Narrated by: Greta Scacchi, Hugh Grant, full cast, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 37 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisations of P. D. James' acclaimed mysteries, plus P. D. James in Her Own Words. This collection includes: Cover Her Face, A Taste for Death, Devices and Desires, A Certain Justice, The Private Patient, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman and The Skull Beneath the Skin.
-
-
Very good dramatizations but.........
- By Amazon Customer on 10-10-18
-
Shardlake: Lamentation
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: C. J. Sansom
- Narrated by: full cast, Justin Salinger, Bryan Dick, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1546, and the great heretic hunt is underway across England. The radical Protestant preacher Anne Askew has been arrested and condemned to death and Shardlake is ordered to attend the burning. It's a grisly, cruel spectacle that leaves him feeling disturbed. Rumours are circulating that Anne had connections to his protector, Queen Catherine Parr - and if she falls, he could be next.... His unease deepens when a messenger arrives from Whitehall Palace: the queen is in trouble and asking for his help.
-
-
Fantastic Adaptation
- By J L OBrien on 07-07-22
-
The Leo Tolstoy BBC Radio Drama Collection
- Full-Cast Dramatisations of War and Peace, Anna Karenina & More
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale, Amanda Redman, Emily Mortimer, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the greatest novelists of all time, Leo Tolstoy is famed worldwide for his masterpieces of realist fiction, War and Peace and Anna Karenina. This comprehensive collection contains both those iconic works, as well as his final novel, Resurrection, his autobiographical essay 'A Confession', Stephen Wakelam's dramatic account of his tempestuous marriage, Mrs Tolstoy, and In Our Time: Tolstoy.
-
-
Fantastic collection
- By Book Lover on 06-01-22
-
The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo & The Lady of Camellias
- Three BBC Radio 4 Full Cast Dramatisations
- By: Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre Dumas fils
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser, Dan Stevens, Iain Glen, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A BBC Radio collection bringing together much-loved works by Alexandre Dumas and Alexandre Dumas fils, starring Timothy Spall, Anton Lesser, Iain Glen, Ruth Wilson and Dan Stevens. Alexandre Dumas père and fils are among the most popular and widely read authors in French literature, whose works have been adapted numerous times for stage, screen and radio. This BBC radio collection brings together three of their most famous tales of chivalry, heroism and romance.
-
-
Totally Superb
- By Resonate on 19-10-20
-
Blood, Sex and Money
- A BBC Radio 4 Serialisation of Zola's Epic Saga
- By: Émile Zola
- Narrated by: Paul McGann, Alison Steadman, Samuel West, and others
- Length: 23 hrs and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published between 1870 and 1893, Émile Zola’s 20-book cycle chronicling four generations of the Rougon-Macquarts was a shocking exposé of the decadence, degradation and moral decay of 19th-century France. It included some of his greatest novels, among them his masterpiece, Germinal. These innovative, ambitious dramas, first broadcast on Radio 4 over 24 hours in 2015-16, are a radical reimagining of Zola’s classic series, introducing us to 104-year-old matriarch, Dide, imprisoned in an asylum in southern France.
-
-
Glenda Jackson at her finest.
- By Pamela on 04-05-20
Summary
Eleven BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas telling the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and the Stuart royals.
Under the Stuarts, Britain entered the modern world. But with great change came turmoil, and for 111 years, the Stuart monarchs faced dynastic struggles, religious conflict, the rise of parliamentary democracy - and civil war. These dramas chart that turbulent epoch through its royal family, from Mary, Queen of Scots to the ‘last Stuart’, Bonnie Prince Charlie’s daughter Charlotte.
It Came In with a Lass - 1561. Arriving in mist-shrouded Scotland, Queen Mary must quickly distinguish her friends from her enemies. Starring Jeany Spark as Mary.
To Make the Plough Go Before the Horse - James I’s life and reign told through his relationships, from his first love, Esme, to his last favourite, George Villiers. Starring Bill Paterson as James I and VI.
A World of Fools and Knaves - Henrietta Maria, Charles I's Catholic queen, watches her husband fail to keep hold of the reins of government. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I.
This War Without an Enemy - Only on the morning of his execution can Charles I begin to understand the events that brought him to to the scaffold. Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Charles I.
Charles II, Part One: Through the World in Various Fortune - When news of Oliver Cromwell's death reaches Brussels, the exiled Charles II plots his return. Starring Jamie Parker as Charles II.
Charles II, Part Two: The Long Lease of Pleasant Days - Charles II plots to confound parliamentary reformers and secure the throne for his brother. Starring Pip Torrens as Charles II.
James II: The Storms of this Deceitful World - 1688. After just four years as King, James II flees England in the Glorious Revolution. How did it all go so wrong? Starring James Fleet as James II.
William III and Mary II: To Have and to Hold - Dutch William marries his Stuart cousin for reasons of politics, not passion - but their partnership proves crucial when it comes to ruling England. Starring Mark Edel-Hunt as William III and Elaine Cassidy as Mary.
Queen Anne: Myself Alone - Queen Anne must abandon long-held allegiances to command parliament’s loyalty and rule with authority. Starring Fenella Woolgar as Queen Anne.
Bonnie Prince Charlie: Who Dares to Be Free - Charles Edward Stuart, the ‘Young Pretender’, risks everything for the Stuart name. Starring Blake Ritson as Charles.
Charlotte Stuart: The Last Stuart - Is Charlotte Stuart as driven as her predecessors, or the last victim of the Stuart curse? Starring Kate O’Flynn as Charlotte.
Produced and directed by Jessica Dromgoole, Sasha Yevtushenko, Marc Beeby and Gemma Jenkins.
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about The Stuarts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rufus
- 02-09-19
Well worth buying, as were the Plantagenet series (also by Mike Walker) 5* for the story.
Excellent writing and narration. Shame character actors change on continued storylines. Worth reading "Plantagenet" first .
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TaD
- 24-09-19
A Delightfully Produced Epic Listen
No one does dramatisations like the BBC. The quality of actors, production and stories made the entire sage rivetting.
A great opportunity to learn more intimate details about these famous and not so famous monarchs, their lives, motivations and the dubious cast if characters that surrounded them.
Well worth a long, relaxed, listen.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sam
- 07-01-21
Brilliant
brilliant as always from Mike Walker, not as compelling as The Plantagenets but still a must listen, you cannot help but feel frustrated at the protaganists failure to learn from history, especially James II. beautiful
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Sammy
- 21-09-19
The Stuarts
A great series. I would recommend this to anyone interested in this period of history
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Deborah
- 23-08-19
Overall Excellent But Contains Historical Errors
Overall I enjoyed this series of dramas, However, I've read a great deal about William III and Mary II and I noticed a number of errors in their drama and I imagine there were an equal number in the other dramas. Let me give some examples: First, when William was adopted by the province of Holland at age 15, Bentinck was the only member of his old household who was allowed to stay with him. Second, he and Bentinck were in their mid-twenties when they had smallpox, not teenagers,. Finally Mary died of smallpox not just a fever and William did not die of a broken collar bone—he died of pneumonia as his autopsy makes plain. His deathbed is totally wrong but I understand why it was written that way since the writer wants to portray William as an enigma. However, the scene where he is playing the harpsichord and singing is hilarious since he is known to care little for music. Still overall the series is excellent.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Highlight
- 15-08-19
100% Dynamic Historic Entertainment - The Stuarts
The Stuarts is one of the best most entertaining audiobooks. Eleven and a half hours of pure delight. We start with Queen Mary from 1561 all the way through to Charlotte the last Stuart 1789. An array of superb actors take you through 111 years of British turmoil, religious conflict, dynastic struggles, parliamentary democracy to civil war so well, I felt I was experiencing life with them in this excellent dynamic production. History at its best.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-02-22
Engaging story telling
Great performances all round. Always interesting, it brings this period of history to life, excellent writing.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Paul R. Norton
- 02-09-21
BBC drama is amazing
It is bewildering how much top-class radio drama comes out of the BBC. This series of radio plays, featuring a top-flight cast, is never short of brilliant. The episode about the Young Pretender was particularly poignant and beautifully performed. The haunting music ties every episode together.
Draw up a comfy armchair, make a mug of cocoa and settle back for the epic sweep of Stuart history.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 08-07-21
History alive
Love it and I would recommend this audio to everyone cast is amazing I really felt part of it while the different areas
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carole Kendall
- 01-04-21
History comes alive
This was a very interesting listen. Taught me lots I didn't know and the dramatisation brought out the pathos of the story of this unfortunate and tragic dynasty.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Adrienne
- 07-04-21
The Royals Like NeverBefore
I enjoyed the retelling of these truly interesting people in a different perspective. I never knew what happened to the Stuarts after James I so I found it interesting. Well done and I laughed out loud several times because of the humor. So many of these bios are humorless. Good job. Would love more.