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Landmark drama from the BBC Radio Archive

Vivat Rex: Volume 2

Richard Burton narrates the second volume of this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on audio for the very first time.

William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe were two of the influential Elizabethan dramatists whose work is now regarded as English Rennaissance theatre. Other important name is that of Ben Jonson. These playwrights in particular chronicled the history of English kings and queens, through the ages, and it is their work which was drawn upon by producer Martin Jenkins as the basis of the plays in Vivat Rex.

Richard Burton narrates the second volume of this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on audio for the very first time. 
 
Vivat Rex is the landmark drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977. Over the course of 26 instalments, each one narrated by Richard Burton with a full cast, the fortunes of the English Crown are followed through 225 years of British history, from Edward II’s accession in 1307 to the birth of Elizabeth I. 
 
Each drama is adapted by Martin Jenkins from the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe and their Elizabethan contemporaries.This second volume features the final 13 instalments, beginning with Martin Jarvis as Henry V and concluding with the birth of Elizabeth I. Vivat Rex includes a stirring musical score by Christopher Whelen.

Vivat Rex: Volume One (Dramatisation)

Richard Burton narrates this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on CD for the very first time.

Richard Burton narrates this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on CD for the very first time. 
 
Vivat Rex is the landmark drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977. Over the course of 26 instalments, each one narrated by Richard Burton with a full cast, the fortunes of the English Crown are followed through 225 years of British history, from Edward II’s accession in 1307 to the birth of Elizabeth I. This first volume includes the first 13 instalments, beginning with John Hurt’s portrayal of Edward II. 
 
The stellar cast includes John Hurt, Paul Eddington, Keith Michell, Derek Jacobi, Michael Redgrave, Maureen O’Brien, Patrick Troughton, Timothy West, Robert Hardy, Martin Jarvis, Anthony Quayle, Robert Harris, Robert Powell, June Whitfield, Roy Dotrice, Billie Whitelaw and Colin Baker. Each drama is adapted by Martin Jenkins from the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe and their Elizabethan contemporaries, and each includes a stirring musical score by Christopher Whelen. Also included in this collection are bonus interviews with Vivat Rex writer, producer and director, Martin Jenkins, studio manager Enyd Williams and actor Martin Jarvis, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Marlowe's Edward The Second (BBC Radio 3 Drama On 3)

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast adaptation of Christopher Marlowe's notorious portrait of a weak king in thrall to his passions, who pays the ultimate price for choosing his heart over his political responsibilities. Originally broadcast 13 September 2009 in the ‘Drama on 3’ slot.  Edward, preoccupied by the banishment of his lover, Gaveston, barely acknowledges the nascent crises that threaten his realm. Chief among his critics is the morally righteous Mortimer, horrified by the king's criminal lapse of duty and yet able to countenance the further crime of taking arms against his king. As their enmity develops, and Mortimer's political grip tightens, he takes Queen Isabella as a lover, and plots the death of Edward, even after his abdication.   Toby Jones stars as Edward, Patrick Kennedy as Mortimer and Anastasia Hille as Queen Isabella. Produced by Jessica Dromgoole.

The Complete Plays

A definitive new collection of Marlowe's plays with a critical introduction by Frank Romany containing: 'Dido Queen of Carthage', 'Tamburlaine the Great Parts One and Two', 'The Jew of Malta', 'Doctor Faustus', 'Edward II' and 'The Massacre of Paris'

Christopher Marlowe (1564-93) was educated at Cambridge and soon established his reputation as a playwright. Away from the stage, Marlowe was a man who courted danger as a homosexual, a spy, and an outspoken atheist. He was murdered at the age of 29 in a tavern in Deptford. 
Robert Lindsey is Associate Aditor of the journal Medieval and Renaissance Drama in English. Frank Romany teaches English at St John's College, Oxford.

Marlowe's seven plays dramatise the fatal lure of potent forces, whether religious, occult or erotic.  In the victories of Tamburlaine, Faustus's encounters with the demonic, the irreverence of Barabas in THE JEW OF MALTA, and the humiliation of Edward II in his fall from power and influence, Marlowe explores the shifting balance between power and helplessness, the sacred and its desecration.

Christopher Marlowe

Conn O'Neill

Kenneth Cranham

Paterson Joseph

John Webb

Full Cast

Toby Jones

Ian MacDiarmid

Sally Dexter

Timothy Walker

Seven full-cast productions including Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine & The Jew of Malta

The complete dramatic works of Christopher Marlowe, plus a brand new docudrama about his death 
 
Christopher Marlowe was the most celebrated writer of his generation, surpassing even William Shakespeare during his lifetime. A playwright, poet, hellraiser, rebel and spy, he lived fast and died young, stabbed to death in a Deptford lodging house aged only 29. This definitive collection comprises all six of his groundbreaking plays, as well as a riveting documentary drama examining the mysterious circumstances around Marlowe's killing. 
 
Dido, Queen of Carthage - Inspired by Virgil's Aenid, Marlowe's first play tells the tragic tale of the doomed love affair between the Carthaginian queen and the Trojan hero Aeneas. Starring Sally Dexter and Timothy Walker. 
 
Tamburlaine - Said to have changed the course of British theatre through its pioneering use of blank verse, this classic drama about the rise to tyrannical power of a Scythian shepherd stars Con O'Neill, Oliver Ford Davies and Kenneth Cranham. 
 
The Jew of Malta - When Barabas the Jew has his assets stripped by Christians, he wreaks a terrible revenge... Ian MacDiarmid stars in this savage 'comic' tragedy of intrigue, murder and love. 
 
Doctor Faustus - A German scholar sells his soul to the Devil in return for 24 years of knowledge and power on Earth. Starring Paterson Joseph, Ray Fearon and Toby Jones. 
 
Edward the Second - Obsessed with his lover, Gaveston, a weak monarch pays the ultimate price for choosing passion over political responsibility. Toby Jones stars as the titular king. 
 
The Massacre at Paris - Marlowe's final play, based on the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of the Huguenots in Paris in 1572, is a shocking portrayal of the grisly consequences of political and religious strife. Starring John Webb, Timothy Walker and Jeremy Blake. 
 
The Reckoning - Adapted from Charles Nicholl's award-winning investigative biography, this gripping true crime drama explores the events behind the murder of Christopher Marlowe, revealing an extraordinary story of espionage, treason and betrayal. 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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