The History Plays: Five BBC Radio 4 dramas

The History Plays is a series of five two-hander plays by Vent author Nigel Smith, which are imagined conversations at key moments in recent history, moments that have permanently changed the British psyche.

Starting with Mick Jagger's conviction for drug possession; through the fragmented morality of John Stonehouse; the Indian summer of patriotism over the Falklands; the death of Diana; and the end of the Blair years. The History Plays are a satirical and thoughtful exploration of huge social forces played out in small human dramas. This is a series about the promises and pitfalls of history but what's really significant is what these moments say about our attitudes and assumptions now.

Jagger in Jail
1967, the summer of love and Mick Jagger begins his 3 month sentence for drug possession. Jagger in Jail imagines the conversations that may have taken place between Mick and his cellmate, Jim, during what turned out to be his only night behind bars.

Stonehouse in Alice
Ed Jennings, a cub reporter for a local paper, stumbles upon the scoop of a lifetime while holidaying in Australia. Leonard has found missing maverick MP, John Stonehouse, who recently faked his death to escape his mountains of debt, the fraud squad, his wife and a series of misadventures back at home. Stonehouse presents Ed with an offer that will change both of their lives.

Maggie Heart Galtieri
Maggie Watkins finds a wounded Argentinian soldier, Christian Galtieri, in her kitchen and in need of shelter. As she slowly learns why he is in hiding the pair begin to fall in love, but as their relationship grows the Task Force lands and it becomes harder and harder to ignore the larger forces at play.

O Salutaris Hostia, Diana
Martha and Graham look back over their lives together, but their very different views on Diana mask a far more personal conflict, and Graham's dislike of the princess has its roots in his pain over the circumstances of their son Alan's death.

A History of Blair in 9 1/2 Voices
Tony Blair, lost in the winding corridors of the BBC the day after his resignation, finds himself sharing a room with Sue, a struggling impressionist who assumes he is a Tony Blair lookalike. Blair enjoys the opportunity to speak in the third person and to show off a few impressions of his own. A darkly comic but thoughtful exploration of what makes Blair tick, alongside a compelling explanation for what may have lain behind Blair's early political successes and what prompted his unwavering commitment to the war in Iraq.

Produced by Gareth Edwards.