Tsar: An Epic Chronicle of the Russian Leaders

by Mike Walker, David Threlfall (Narrator), Hugo Speer (Narrator)

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 eleven ambitious plays spanning over 400 years, exploring the lives of Russia’s key rulers from Ivan the Terrible to Vladimir Putin.

Ivan the Absolute Power - The rise and fearsome reign of the first Tsar of All Russia. Starring David Threlfall as Ivan IV.

Boris Ghosts - Did Boris Godunov have Ivan the Terrible's son killed? And what happened when the murdered boy came back from the dead - leading an army? Starring Shaun Dooley as Boris Godunov.

Peter the The Gamblers - Moscow, 1682 and two joint tsars one, Ivan, is feeble-minded and the other is Peter, a child of ten years old. Starring Will Howard as Peter.

Peter the Queen of Spades - Distracted by his new capital, St Petersburg, and wife Catherine, Peter ignores his until his own son Alexei declares his colours. Starring Elliot Cowan as Peter.

Catherine the Husbands, Lovers and Sons - Did Catherine foresee the consequences of staging a coup d'état against her husband the Tsar? Or did she want him dead from the start? Starring Samantha Spiro as Catherine II.

Alexander Into the Woods – The story of the reluctant Tsar who took on the greatest threat Russia had ever faced – Napoleon Bonaparte – and won. Starring Joel MacCormack as Alexander I.

Alexander The People’s Will – Revolutionary terrorist cell The People’s Will is determined to assassinate the Tsar. But in the struggle between autocracy and socialism, there can be only one winner. Starring Joseph Millson as Alexander.

Nikolai Three Hundred Years - In 1913, the Romanov dynasty celebrated three hundred years on the Russian throne. But a mere four years later, Tsar Nikolai II was forced to abdicate. Starring Raymond Coulthard as Nikolai II.

Tears – As the Soviet era begins, Lenin joins the provisional government, but soon becomes set on seizing complete power for his Bolsheviks. Starring Paul Ritter as Lenin.

Joseph The Last Bolshevik – In 1941, the Soviet Union was invaded by the Nazis – and Joseph Stalin retired to his dacha, seemingly defeated... Starring Brian McCardie as Stalin.

The Shield and the Sword – Thirteen interconnected stories about the enigmatic Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Starring Nicholas Murchie as VV.

Written by Mike Walker
Produced and directed by Sasha Yevtushenko and Alison Hindell

Genres: Historical Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published September 6, 2018

About the author

Mike Walker is a life-long desert dweller, raised in a family of creative, artistic, dramatic, and literary fellow humans. His particular combination of passionate curiosity and big imagination, while not always appreciated by teachers in his formative years, makes him an exceedingly interesting dinner guest and a formidable trivia opponent. After retiring, he landed the job he wishes he’d spent thirty years in at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. He lives a stone’s throw from said Desert Museum with his wife, who says it isn’t hoarding if it’s plants, and their acre of plants, wildlife, and the dog who oversees the whole operation. He misses reading bedtime stories to his (now adult) son, and is enjoying life so much that he wishes growing old took longer.

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. This was an audio book and there was much shouting in most episodes which became irritating. I did not feel I got to know anything more about or get to know the characters better despite the fact that each episode burrowed down to the very personal pov of each one. The episodes on Catherine the Great, Nicolas Romanov, Stalin and Putin were disappointing. Overall the author seemed to be saying the Tsars were all victims of circumstance and not so bad because they did what they did for for the sake of Mother Russia.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of eleven radio dramas about Russian leaders from Ivan the Terrible to Vladimir Putin. Walker emphasizes historical continuities through different centuries and systems of government. The plays about Ivan the Terrible and Stalin mirror one another. I especially enjoyed the episode about Boris Godunov, which highlighted some little known historical figures including Ivan the Terrible's last wife Maria Nagaya, the episode about coming of age of Peter the Great and the episode about the assassination of Alexander II, which had the pacing of a thriller and incorporated a variety of perspectives regarding the Tsar's reforms. I was disappointed by the approach to Catherine the Great's reign, which focused on "husband, son and lovers" - I would have preferred an approach that compared Catherine's coup to that of her husband's aunt (called his mother in the play), Empress Elizabeth, focusing on the 18th century age of empresses. Overall, a really engaging set of audio plays. I look forward to listening to the playwright's radio dramas about the Plantagenet and Stuart monarchs.

[E M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio book

Bit samey/hard to follow

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great way to time travel through Russian history

[Hamed Al-Hamdan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The audio performance was awful