A BBC Radio Full cast dramatisation

Miriam and Youssef

A compelling 10-part drama about the founding of Israel, told through the parallel voices of a Jewish immigrant and an exiled Palestinian 
 
1917. As the British enter Palestine with the aim of facilitating a Jewish homeland, young Arab Youssef Bannourah befriends Harry Lister, an English civil servant who has come to live in his village of Deir Yassin. Impressed by Youssef's intelligence, Harry finds him a job working for the British administration. Meanwhile, fleeing Jewish persecution in Russia, Miriam Cohen and her mother Sara set sail for the promised land. On arrival, they move to a newly constructed kibbutz near Jerusalem, where - divided by faith and a fence - Miriam meets Youssef for the first time. 
 
Both dream of a nation where Jews and Arabs can live together in harmony. But their youthful idealism soon turns to disillusionment, and as tensions rise and violence erupts in the holy city, they become embroiled in political upheaval and terrorism. And for naive, well-meaning Harry Lister, Britain's inability to keep the peace - and her promises - will have fateful consequences... 
 
Spanning 31 years from the closing days of the First World War to 1948, this epic, multi-perspectival drama is narrated by an older Miriam and Youssef, who recount the story to their children. Moving seamlessly between past and present, it takes in key figures and pivotal moments in Israel's history, including the Balfour Declaration, the 1930s Arab Revolt, the bombing of the King David Hotel and the UN vote to partition Palestine. 
 
Written by acclaimed playwright Steve Waters, Miriam and Youssef takes a nuanced look at the turbulent chain of events that led to the birth of the State of Israel, shedding fascinating light on the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Among the diverse cast are a host of top Middle Eastern and British actors, including native Israeli Shani Erez as Miriam, Egyptian-born Amir El-Masry as Youssef and Londoner Blake Ritson as Harry Lister. 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Waters 
Produced by Radio Drama London for BBC World Service 
Music written and performed by Glenn Sharp 
Sound design: Caleb Knightley 
 
Cast 
Miriam - Shani Erez 
Youssef - Amir El-Masry 
Young Miriam - Ava Merson-O'Brien 
Young Youssef - Rafi Essex/Jo Ben Ayed 
Young Zahra - Nikhita Essex 
Harry Lister - Blake Ritson 
Sara - Jessica Turner 
Abu Khalid - Rami Nasr 
Umm Khalid - Sirine Saba 
Mahmoud/Menachim Begin - Daniel Rabin 
Yehoshua - Philip Arditti 
Ben-Gurion/Rabbi - Elliot Levey 
Mufti - Dana Haqjoo 
Major Dennis/Haganath Major - Clive Hayward 
Zahra - Lara Sawalha 
Judah Magnes/McMasters - Neil McCaul 
Musa Alami - Sargon Yelda 
Mohammed - Ramzi Dehani 
Palestinian woman - Nathalie Armin 
With Heather Craney, Hasan Dixon and Steve Waters 
Other parts played by members of the cast 
 
 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 April-1 July 2020 
 
 
©2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Steve Waters

Diana Rigg

Philip Arditti

Dana Haqjoo

Moe Bar-El

Afsaneh Dehrouyeh

Amir El-Masry

Peter Polycarpou

Paul Chahidi

Vincent Ebrahim

Full Cast

A BBC Radio full cast drama

A gripping BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the 1970's Iranian Revolution 
 
Something is coming. What is on the horizon for the people of Iran? Can America's friendship with Iran survive? From Jimmy Carter's optimistic visit to Tehran in December 1977 to the trial of the state's enemies in 1979, this nine-part drama tells the story of the Iranian Revolution, where protestors took to the streets in support of the exiled religious leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, and the Shah requested help from an America already torn apart by its own conflicts. 
 
In a time of hope, of tyranny, of change, of oppression, in a tale of power, betrayal and fear, this true story will transport you to the 1970s, when the Iranian Revolution would change the world - forever. 
 
Featuring Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones, All Creatures Great and Small), Bijan Daneshmand (The Night Manager, The Boy from Aleppo that Painted the War) and Carolyn Pickles (Broadchurch, Land Girls). 
 
Cast 
Narrator - Diana Rigg 
The Shah - Bijan Daneshmand 
President Carter - Nathan Osgood 
The Ayatollah Khomeini - Selva Rasalingam 
Zbigniew Brzezinski - Sam Dale 
William Sullivan - Tony Turner 
Farah Pahlavi - Nathalie Armin 
Rosalynn Carter- Carolyn Pickles 
Nassiri - Peter Polycarpou 
Mehdi - Moe Bar-El 
Haikaz / Sadegh Ghotbzadeh - Philip Arditti 
Gary Sick - David Seddon 
Warren Christopher - Don Gilet 
Molly - Saffron Coomber 
Sharpour Bakhtiar - Peter Polycarpou 
General Gharabaghi / General Oveissi - Vincent Ebrahim 
Carole Bauman - Clare Corbett 
Sadegh Khalkhali - Bhasker Patel 
Ebrahim Yazdi - Paul Chahidi 
Hassan - Amir El-Masry 
Joan - Alexandra Constantinidi 
Iraj - Ashley Kumar 
Ahmad - Ronny Jhutti 
Amir - Dana Haqjoo 
Shirin - Afsaneh Dehrouyeh 
Nargess - Sara Zeymour 
 
Production credits 
Written by Steve Waters 
Composer- Ghanvar Khaleghi 
Sound Design - Caleb Knightley 
Produced and Directed by Marc Beeby 
 
'Exactly the type of drama at which the BBC excels' Guardian 
 
Originally broadcast January-March 2019 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

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