An epic BBC Radio 4 drama

Faith, Hope and Glory: Series 3-5

Three more series of the landmark, century-spanning historical drama 
 
Faith, Hope and Glory charts the lives of three African-Caribbean families, connected forever by the theft of a beautiful pram in Tilbury in 1946. As they live through the eighty years since then, they witness and take part in the emergence of the modern United Kingdom. 
 
Beginning in 1958 - the year of the Notting Hill race riots - these three series find our characters forced to make difficult decisions as they seek to quell their own domestic turmoil against the backdrop of increasingly febrile racial tensions. Meanwhile, a new generation begin to take their place in the rapidly changing Britain of the 1960s... 
 
This enthralling drama charts the history of post-war Britain through intimate, interwoven stories, brilliantly brought to life by leading Black playwrights Roy Williams, Rex Obano and Carol Russell. The cast includes Danielle Vitalis as Hope, Pippa Bennett Warner as Gloria and Shiloh Coke as Faith, together with Martins Imhangbe as Jim, Stefan Adegbola as Clement and Gary Beadle as Trevor. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Roy Williams, Rex Obano and Carol Russell 
Directed by Anastasia Osei-Kuffour 
Produced by Pat Cumper 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Faith, Hope and Glory: Series 1 and 2

A major BBC Radio series charting the history of post-war Britain through the lives of Hope Kiffin, Eunice Lamming and Gloria de Soto, bound forever by one moment in 1946. 
 
London, 1946. Struggling to cope with the idea of raising her daughter in a hostile environment, African-Caribbean nurse Hope makes the difficult decision to entrust her precious baby to her best friend, Eunice, to take back home to Antigua. But their plan goes disastrously wrong. 
 
In the decades that follow, all of them will witness - and play a part in - the seismic changes rocking the British Isles, as the old establishment crumbles, immigration builds and the country adjusts to the realities of a post-war, post-colonial future. 
 
This compelling series interweaves brilliant intimate domestic stories, told from multiple perspectives, that together illuminate the emergence of modern Britain. Written by leading Black playwrights Roy Williams, Rex Obano and Winsome Pinnock, it stars Danielle Vitalis as Hope, Shiloh Coke as Eunice/Faith and Pippa Bennett-Warner as Gloria, with a full cast including Martins Imhangbe, Stefan Adegbola, Emma Handy and Hasan Dixon. 
 
 
Production credits 
Written by Roy Williams, Rex Obano and Winsome Pinnock 
Musical Director: Peter Ringrose 
Produced and directed by Mary Peate and Jessica Dromgoole 
 
Cast 
Jim - Martins Imhangbe 
Hope - Danielle Vitalis 
Eunice/Faith - Shiloh Coke 
Gloria - Pippa Bennett-Warner 
Clement/Waiter - Stefan Adegbola 
Waitress/Ida/Matron/Ag - Emma Handy 
Trevor - Gary Beadle 
Neville - Chris Jack 
Olubuki - Rex Obano 
Martina - Clare Perkins 
Gerard/Dennis/Musician - Hasan Dixon 
Stephens/Johnnie/Florist - Ian Dunnett Jnr 
Post Mistress/Millie - Jane Whittenshaw 
Sallow/Neighbour - Roger Ringrose 
Lorraine - Lizzy Watts 
Bert - Ben Crowe 
Caleb - Dermot Daly 
Parent - Cecilia Appiah 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

7 BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramas

The Price of Oil

A collection of factual dramas exploring the history of oil - and the price we pay for it 
 
Ever since it was first drilled over 150 years ago, oil has been both a blessing and a curse. It has enabled economic growth; provided an efficient energy source; fuelled our entire infrastructure - and caused wars, pollution and global warming. These seven dramas, set between 1951 and 2045, and taking us from postwar Iran to futuristic Lancashire, examine the role oil has played in shaping our world: recounting incredible stories of wealth, power, politics and corruption. 
 
Stand Firm, You Cads! By Jonathan Myerson tells the colourful tale of how Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh took back the nation's oil from the British, and the chaos and conflict that followed. In Looking for Billy by Nigel Williams, a private detective investigates protests against an Alaskan pipeline - and finds out what oil did to the indigenous Inupiat people. The Weapon, by Jonathan Myerson, is a tense, thrilling dramatisation of the 1973 OPEC siege, while Baby Oil, also written by Myerson, is based on real events in the propaganda campaign at the outbreak of the First Gulf War. 
 
In Someone's Making a Killing in Nigeria by Rex Obano, a local businesswoman is caught up in the violent consequences of the Ogoni people's campaign against the oil industry. No Two Days by Joy Wilkinson is a mesmerising maze of stories about risk, passion and deep-sea oil, centred around an ambitious journalist's attempts to investigate the 2010 Deepwater Horizon rig explosion. And in Tamsin Ogleby's future oil comedy Blood from Stone, a father-and-son energy company struggles with the new economics of the oil market. Is Ralph right about getting out for good? Is his dad Charlie more addict than businessman? And will we ever be able to give up oil? 
 
Anna Maxwell Martin, Raad Rawi, Jemma Redgrave, Paul Ritter, Nicholas Le Prevost , James McArdle, Nadine Marshall, Faye Marsay, Obi Abili, David Ajala, Jude Akuwudike, and Alun Armstrong are among the casts in these enthralling dramas. Also included are two short clips in which Nicolas Kent discusses the difference between directing for radio and stage, and explains his inspiration for The Price of Oil. 
 
Production credits 
Devised by Nicolas Kent, with Jack Bradley and Jonathan Myerson 
Produced by Jonquil Panting 
 
Listening Order 
 
Stand Firm, You Cads! 
Written by Jonathan Myerson. Directed by Nicolas Kent. Pianist: Laurie O'Brien 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 26 September 2015 
 
Looking for Billy 
Written by Nigel Williams. Directed by Nicolas Kent. Inupiat translations provided by Chelsey Zibell 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 September 2015 
 
The Weapon 
Written by Jonathan Myerson. Directed by Jonquil Panting 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 September 2015 
 
Baby Oil 
Written by Jonathan Myerson. Directed by Nicolas Kent 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 September 2015 
 
Someone's Making a Killing in Nigeria 
Written by Rex Obano. Directed by Jonquil Panting 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 October 2015 
 
No Two Days 
Written by Joy Wilkinson. Directed by Nicolas Kent 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 2 October 2015 
 
Blood from Stone 
Written by Tamsin Oglesby. Directed by Jonquil Panting 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 October 2015 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Rex Obano

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

Tobi Bakare

Cyril Nri

Pippa Nixon

Freddie Fox

Paapa Essiedu

Lucian Msamati

Jude Akuwudike

Ray Fearon

John Heffernan

Full Cast

Lover’s Rock, The Moors of England and more

A selection of contemporary dramas from leading Black playwright Rex Obano - plus bonus programme 
 
Rex Obano has written for the stage, television, radio and film. His plays have twice been shortlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award and he received the Roland Rees Bursary in 2018. He is part of the writing team for the BBC Radio series Faith, Hope and Glory and his TV credits include Shakespeare & Hathaway. Included here are five of his acclaimed dramas, as well as a fascinating discussion programme, Black Tudors. 
 
Lover's Rock - 1981. Politicised by the legacy of the New Cross Fire, in which 13 people died, young Black pacifist Ben turns to activism. Alongside Monroe, an aspiring producer of 'Lover's Rock' reggae, he finds himself at the sharp end of the Brixton Riots... Kobna Holdbrook-Smith stars as Ben, with Tobi Bakare as Monroe. 
 
City College - When a university professor of Black history makes a controversial statement suggesting slavery never happened, a maelstrom ensues. Threatened with reprisals, he is forced to confront his hidden past. Rex Obano's compelling drama about free speech stars Cyril Nri and Pippa Nixon. 
 
As Innocent As You Can Get - Nathaniel and Tunde depend on each other - one guilty outside prison the other innocent within, one a prison psychologist, the other a prisoner convicted under 'joint enterprise'. Freddie Fox and Paapa Essiedu star in this powerful urban drama, told in iambic pentameter rhyming couplets. 
 
Burned to Nothing - Matthew has returned to his birthplace in Nigeria, to find his missing teenage son. But the police are also searching for Keith, who has become caught up in the politics of a turbulent land - a land he has fallen in love with. This gripping thriller stars Lucian Msamati, Jude Akuwudike, Lorraine Burroughs and David Ajala. 
 
The Moors of England - It is the 16th Century, and Sir Robert Cecil is writing a proclamation to expel 'blackamoors' from England. So Cecil's servant Fortunatus, a Black Muslim refugee, takes drastic action to change the course of history... Ray Fearon and John Heffernan star in this captivating drama about ambition and anarchy, introduced by historian and author Miranda Kaufmann. 
 
Black Tudors - Rex Obano and Miranda Kaufmann discuss the history behind The Moors of England, exploring the genesis of the play and the real-life experiences of Black migrants in Elizabethan England. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written by Rex Obano 
 
Lover's Rock 
Directed by David Hunter. First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 11 November 2012 
 
City College 
Directed by Femi Elufowoju, jr. 
Rex Obano would like to dedicate City College to the actor Seun Shote, who died in 2021. First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 10 October 2021 
 
As Innocent As You Can Get 
Directed by David Hunter. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 7 February 2016 
 
Burned to Nothing 
Directed by Femi Elufowoju, jr. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 January 2011 
 
The Moors of England 
Directed by David Hunter. 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 4 November 2018 
 
Black Tudors 
With Rex Obano and Dr Miranda Kaufmann 
First broadcast BBC Radio 3, 4 November 2018 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Rex Obano

Books by Rex Obano

Series by Rex Obano

Faith, Hope and Glory

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