The King Must Die - Mary Renault

Written by Mary Renault
Read by Gary Bond, Frances Jeater, Alex Jennings, Carole Boyd, Ian Bura, full cast
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Dramatization

The King Must Die: A Full-Cast BBC Radio Dramatisation
By: Mary Renault
Narrated by: Gary Bond, Frances Jeater, Alex Jennings, Carole Boyd, Ian Bura, full cast
Release date
24-04-2025
Language
English
Format
Radio/TV Program
Length
9 hrs and 58 mins
Publisher
BBC Audio
Categories
Literature & Fiction

An epic eleven-part adaptation of Mary Renault’s ‘Theseus’ novelsWidely considered as one of the finest historical novelists of the 20th century, Mary Renault brought the ancient world alive, turning age-old myths of gods and monsters into compelling human stories. In The King Must Die and its sequel, The Bull from the Sea, she retells the legend of Theseus, one of the greatest heroes of Ancient Greece.This enthralling radio adaptation comprises both classic books, charting Theseus’ journey as he leaves the city of his birth and travels through mainland Greece in a quest to discover his true identity and destiny. Brought up in Trolzen, where his grandfather is king, he believes he was fathered by the god Poseidon. But on his 17th birthday, the secret of his parentage is revealed, and his adventures begin.Crowned year-king of Eleusis, he escapes certain death and voyages to Athens to meet his father, King Aegeus, and claim his heritage. Instead, he becomes a slave and bull-dancer in Minoan Crete – and finds himself facing the malignant Minotaurus in the Labyrinth deep beneath the Palace of Knossos. Returning to Greece, Theseus becomes High King of Attica, but the Fates are not done with him yet. Ahead of him lie dangerous escapades, life-changing encounters, a treacherous betrayal and the fulfilment of a tragic prophecy…Gary Bond stars as Theseus, with an ensemble cast including Carole Boyd, Frances Jeater, Petra Markham, David March, Clifford Rose, Maureen O’Brien and Sarah Badel.Text copyright © Mary Renault 1958 (The King Must Die), 1962 (The Bull from the Sea)

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 June-14 August 1983