The poignant BBC Radio 4 comedy

Warhorses of Letters: Complete Series 1-3

Stephen Fry and Daniel Rigby star in the BBC Radio 4 comedy. Against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars.

What an odd delight Warhorses of Letters is. An epistolary equine romance between Napoleon's horse, Marengo (Stephen Fry, below, complete with French accent and smooth manner), and Wellington's (Daniel Rigby, all flirty, youthful campness), it's like Ladies of Letters but with gay horses in love.

Stephen Fry, Daniel Rigby and Tamsin Greig star in all three series of the poignant BBC Radio 4 comedy drama. 
 
Warhorses of Letters is the world's finest and best-loved equine, military, epistolary romance, comprising the newly-discovered love letters between two horses united by passion but cruelly divided by conflict. 
 
Set against the sweeping backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, these twelve episodes introduce us to Copenhagen, the Duke of Wellington's frisky young racehorse, and his hero Marengo, the seasoned, famous and just-a-little-bit-short mount of Emperor Napoleon. 
 
From the early days of the Peninsular Campaign to the Battle of Waterloo and its aftermath, we follow our horse heroes as their romance blossoms, their fortunes fluctuate and uncertainty and jealousy put strains on their burgeoning relationship. Can they ever be truly together, or are they doomed to remain sundered by fate? 
 
Written by Robert Hudson and Marie Phillips, this moving, surreal comedy stars Stephen Fry as Marengo and Daniel Rigby as Copenhagen, with Tamsin Greig as the Narrator. Totally unique and utterly entertaining, it will appeal to all lovers of horses, history and humour. Duration: 2 hours 50 mins approx.

Karel Capek

Robert Hudson

Susannah Pearse

Full Cast

Paul Chahidi

Jasmine Hyde

Paul Hilton

A musical adaptation of Karel Capek’s R.U.R.

A musical reinvention of Karel Capek's darkly comic sci-fi masterpiece 
 
First published in 1921, Karel Capek's ultra-prescient play R.U.R has become a classic of dystopian literature, giving us the word 'robot' and inspiring movies and TV series from Blade Runner to Westworld. Set in Capek's 1920s version of the future, this radio reimagining blends music, comedy and drama to tell the story of a world dominated by mechanisation and the pursuit of profit. 
 
It is the year 2000, and an incredible new technology - the robot - has been invented, freeing human beings from the need to work. Grown from human cells, these androids appear identical to humans - only stronger and cleverer. They have no free will and no desires. They want nothing - until the idealistic Lady Helen visits their island factory and persuades one of the scientists to instil consciousness into them. But once sentient, the robots become aware that they have unwittingly enabled a runaway cycle of overproduction, which is now wrecking the planet. There is only one logical solution: humanity must be destroyed... 
 
Tackling big, contentious questions with a light touch, this moving production is full of humour and heart. Made by the team behind the award-winning Magnitsky the Musical, it features an immersive, retro-futurist soundscape and stunning original songs, and stars an ensemble cast including Paul Chahidi (The Death of Stalin, This Country), Jasmine Hyde (Doctors) and Paul Hilton (Slow Horses). 
 
Also included is a fascinating episode of Radio 3's Sunday Feature, The Robots Are Us, in which Ken Hollings examines the creation and legacy of R.U.R, talking to historians and roboticists to discover how Capek's landmark play gave birth to the idea of the 'revolt of the machines' and presaged our 21st Century ethical conundrums of existence, rights and reasoning. 
 
Cast 
Domin - Paul Chahidi 
Lady Helen - Jasmine Hyde 
Radius - Paul Hilton 
Helen 2 - Clare Foster 
Alpha - Anneika Rose 
Brown Owl - Neil McCaul 
Alquist - Matthew Durkan 
Sulla - Alexandra Hannant 
Fabry - Michael Begley 
Busman - Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong 
Logicbot/Benoit - Chris Jack 
 
Music and Lyrics by Susannah Pearse 
Book by Robert Hudson 
Arrangements and Musical Direction: Harry Sever 
Production co-ordinator: Luke MacGregor 
Sound: Peter Ringrose 
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3-10 April 2022 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Robert Hudson

Books by Robert Hudson

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter