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Myths Reimagined

BBC Radio retellings of Greek and Roman myths
from archive.org

A collection of acclaimed BBC Radio retellings of Greek and Roman myths.


Powerful, uncompromising re-imaginings of classic tales from Roman and Greek history, hailed as masterpieces when they first aired. Told in contemporary speech, they revitalise the ancient myths, making them fresh, relevant and accessible to a modern-day audience.


King Priam and His Sons
A second son is about to be born to the Trojan king Priam and his wife Hekabe. But the gods foretell only dissension and disaster if the child is permitted to live.
Achilles .... Toby Stephens
Aegisthos .... James Hayes
Agamemnon .... Oliver Cotton
Anakreon .... Ian Hogg
Andromache .... Emma Fielding
Elektra .... Cassandra Sperry
Hekabe .... Deborah Findlay
Hektor .... Michael Maloney
Helen .... Geraldine Somerville
Hermes .... Paul Scofield
Klytemnestra .... Lindsay Duncan
Menelaos .... James Laurenson
Nikanor .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Oenone .... Abigail Docherty
Orestes .... Jean-Marc Perret
Paris .... Michael Sheen
Parmenion .... Saeed Jaffrey
Patroklos .... David Harewood
Priam .... Julian Glover
Thetis .... Eleanor Bron
Written by Andrew Rissik
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast BBC Radio 3 in November 1998


The Death of Achilles
With the bloody Trojan War at stalemate, Agamemnon hits on a cunning plan.
Achilles .... Toby Stephens
Aegisthos .... James Hayes
Agamemnon .... Oliver Cotton
Anakreon .... Ian Hogg
Andromache .... Emma Fielding
Elektra .... Cassandra Sperry
Hekabe .... Deborah Findlay
Hektor .... Michael Maloney
Helen .... Geraldine Somerville
Hermes .... Paul Scofield
Klytemnestra .... Lindsay Duncan
Menelaos .... James Laurenson
Nikanor .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Oenone .... Abigail Docherty
Orestes .... Jean-Marc Perret
Paris .... Michael Sheen
Parmenion .... Saeed Jaffrey
Patroklos .... David Harewood
Priam .... Julian Glover
Thetis .... Eleanor Bron
Written by Andrew Rissik
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast BBC Radio 3 in November 1998


Helen in Ephesus
After defeating the Trojans, the Greeks sail home. Will the gods be kind to them?
Achilles .... Toby Stephens
Aegisthos .... James Hayes
Agamemnon .... Oliver Cotton
Anakreon .... Ian Hogg
Andromache .... Emma Fielding
Elektra .... Cassandra Sperry
Hekabe .... Deborah Findlay
Hektor .... Michael Maloney
Helen .... Geraldine Somerville
Hermes .... Paul Scofield
Klytemnestra .... Lindsay Duncan
Menelaos .... James Laurenson
Nikanor .... Geoffrey Whitehead
Oenone .... Abigail Docherty
Orestes .... Jean-Marc Perret
Paris .... Michael Sheen
Parmenion .... Saeed Jaffrey
Patroklos .... David Harewood
Priam .... Julian Glover
Thetis .... Eleanor Bron
Written by Andrew Rissik
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast BBC Radio 3 in November 1998


Dionysos
Zeus's son, Dionysos has returned to Thebes. His coming has affected everyone, young and old, and represents a pivotal shift to a belief in a single god who dwells in every human heart. But to King Pentheus, his coming is a subversive threat to the authority of the state and a danger to himself that he seems powerless to fight against.
Kadmos, Grandfather to Pentheus ... Paul Scofield
Agave, Mother to Pentheus ... Diana Rigg
Pentheus, King of Thebes ... Toby Stephens
Dionysos ... Chiwetel Ejiofor
Lykurgos ... Roger Allam
Kribas ... Pip Donaghy
Polybos ... Brian Purchase
Tiresias ... Jeffrey Kissoon
Condemned Slave ... Trevor Martin
Chorus Leader ... Anna Carteret
Chorus ... Mali Harries, Yolanda Vazquez, Mia Soteriou
Written by Andrew Rissik
Directed by Jeremy Mortimer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in April 2003


The Oresteia: Agamemnon
Agamemnon returns home to Argos after his victory at Troy. But his wife Clytemnestra has determined to take terrible revenge for his sacrifice of their eldest daughter Iphigenia.
Clytemnestra .... Lesley Sharp
Agamemnon .... Hugo Speer
Cassandra .... Anamaria Marinca
Calchas .... Karl Johnson
Aegisthus .... Sean Murray
Iphigenia .... Georgie Fuller
Herald .... John Norton
Guard .... Steve Toussaint
Guard .... Harry Jardine
Singer .... Adriana Festeu
The Chorus .... Arthur Hughes
The Chorus .... Philip Jackson
The Chorus .... Carolyn Pickles
Written by Aeschylus
Adapted by Simon Scardifield
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January 2014


The Oresteia: The Libation Bearers
Agamemnon's son Orestes returns home from exile to kill his mother in revenge for his father's murder. But where can he find the strength to carry out such a terrible deed?
Orestes .... Will Howard
Electra .... Joanne Froggatt
Clytemnestra .... Lesley Sharp
The Chorus .... Sheila Reid
The Chorus .... Amanda Lawrence
The Chorus .... Carys Eleri
Aegisthus .... Sean Murray
Cilissa .... Carolyn Pickles
Pylades .... Joel MacCormack
Servant .... David Seddon
Servant .... John Norton
Iphigenia .... Georgie Fuller
Singer .... Adriana Festeu
Written by Aeschylus
Adapted by Ed Hime
Directed by Marc Beeby
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January 2014


The Oresteia: The Furies
Orestes has avenged his father Agamemnon by murdering his killer, his own mother Clytemnestra. Now the Furies, deities of revenge, are on his trail and baying for blood. Can the young gods Apollo and Athena stop this cycle of revenge?
Narrator .... Niamh Cusack
Alecto .... Polly Hemingway
Megaera .... Maureen Beattie
Tisophone .... Carolyn Pickles
Orestes .... Will Howard
Athena .... Chipo Chung
Apollo .... Joel MacCormack
Clytemnestra .... Lesley Sharp
The Pythia .... Priyanga Burford
Girl .... Carys Eleri
Judge .... Sean Murray
Written by Aeschylus
Adapted by Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Directed by Sasha Yevtushenko
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January 2014


Severus
Libyan born Severus, his Syrian wife Julia and their two sons Antoninus and Geta are celebrated across the Roman empire as the perfect royal family: a symbol of the civility and harmony of Rome. So when they come to York in 209AD, many are amazed that the most powerful man in the world has chosen to call these shores "home". After all, Britannia is the centre of nothing; a troublesome backwater that has never been truly pacified; in the eyes of every cosmopolitan Roman citizen, it is the arse-end of the world. So why are they here?
Septimius Severus .... Paterson Joseph
Julia .... Adjoa Andoh
Sammonicus .... David Mitchell
Gaius .... Cyril Nri
Antoninus .... John Macmillan
Geta .... Ben Scheck
Silver Leg .... Alix Dunmore
Governor Senecio .... David Reed
Written by Paterson Joseph
Producer Julia McKenzie
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2022

  1. King Priam and His Sons (83.1Mb)
  2. The Death of Achilles (84.6Mb)
  3. Helen in Ephesus (81.7Mb)
  4. Dionysos (79.9Mb)
  5. Agamemnon (70.5Mb)
  6. The Libation Bearers (55.9Mb)
  7. The Furies (74.6Mb)
  8. Severus (40.2Mb)

MP3 files hosted by archive.org.