Prospero, Ariel, Reith and Gill cover art

Prospero, Ariel, Reith and Gill

A BBC Radio 4 Dramatisation

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Prospero, Ariel, Reith and Gill

By: Gary Brown
Narrated by: Jon Glover, David Seddon, Stephen Darcy, Tina Gray, Alison Pettitt
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $6.99

Buy Now for $6.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Here is Gary Brown's BBC Radio 4 full-cast comedy dramatisation about artist Eric Gill's clash with the BBC over his famous sculpture of Prospero and Ariel. It stars Anton Lesser as Eric Gill and Tim McInnerny as Sir John Reith, the first Director General of the Corporation, and was originally broadcast in the Afternoon Play slot on Wednesday 9 June 2010.

Inspired by real events, the play charts a clash between the BBC's governors and the artist over the propriety of the sculpture's appearance.

Gill became quite a celebrity as he carved the statue in situ on scaffolding in front of Broadcasting House. In his trademark smock and beret, he drew the attention of the tabloid papers and became known as the ‘Married Monk’. The play imagines conversations between Sir John and the artist as he passes him on his way into Broadcasting House each morning.

Framed with a period newsreel-style commentary, the comedy playfully deals with the perennial tension between the Establishment and the Artist. The strange and mysterious Gill contrasts with the authoritarian but often troubled figure of Reith, but in the end the sculpture focuses their thoughts about the role of Art in the life of mankind. While this is a comedy, the play touches a little on the well-documented darker side of both men's nature, and offers an insight into one of the more celebrated events of early BBC history.

The cast is completed by Jon Glover as the Newsreel Reporter, David Seddon as Charlie, Stephen Darcy as Father Sean, Tina Gray as Lady Snowden, and Alison Pettitt as the Nanny. Written by Gary Brown and directed by Peter Leslie Wild.

©2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2011 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Entertainment & Performing Arts Funny

What listeners say about Prospero, Ariel, Reith and Gill

Average Customer Ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.