Tyrant

In his grand office in the Palace, President Galkin rehearses the speech he will give on the 30th anniversary of the coup that brought him to power. He has a burning desire to write his name in history. There seems no end to his fascination in himself, his rise, his triumphs over his enemies, his achievements in bringing a degree of prosperity to his people.

Then a visitor arrives.

Esther was a compatriot in the struggle for liberation from the old regime. He assumes she has come to witness his celebration speech. But something isn’t right.

Gabriel Galkin…Phil Davis
Esther…Clare Perkins
Alex…Nuhazet Diaz Cano

Sound design and music by Jon Nicholls
Director: Jeremy Mortimer
Executive Producer: Joby Waldman

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 4

Mike Walker is one of the UK’s foremost radio dramatists. His awards include the Drama Award (World Service) in 2001’s Sony Radio Awards for his original play Alpha, the 1991 Sony Award for Best Original Script, and a Sony Silver Community Award for the drama Oxford Road. As well as writing original plays, Mike has adapted numerous books for Radio 4, both contemporary and classic, including War and Peace, David Copperfield and A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Recent commissions for Radio 4 include Tumanbay, which he co-created with John Dryden, and Tsar.

Phil Davis is an actor, writer, director, and narrator known for his extensive work in British film, television, and theatre. Before becoming a professional actor he joined both the National Youth Theatre and Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop. An early film role was as Chalky in Quadrophenia (1979). He then landed the role of midshipman Edward "Ned" Young in The Bounty (1984) - co-star Daniel Day-Lewis later rated him as one of his greatest inspirations. He appeared in the TV series To Have and to Hold with Amanda Redman. He began a long association with Mike Leigh with roles including Cyril the motorcycle courier in High Hopes (1988) and as Stanley, the husband of the abortionist in Vera Drake (2004). More recent roles include Smallweed in the BBC adaptation of Bleak House (2005), Jeff Hope in the first episode of Sherlock (2010), crime family solicitor Micky Joy in Silk, Jud the malevolent servant in Poldark (2015), and DI Tom Piper in crime drama Black Work. In 2013 he starred as the human incarnation of the devil in the final series of BBC's Being Human. In 2017 he played Ebenezer Scrooge in David Edgar's adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Clare Perkins is an actor whose career spans television, film, theatre and radio. A graduate of Rose Bruford College, she has worked extensively across the UK and internationally. Her television credits include EastEnders, The Outlaws, Silo, The Wheel of Time, The Crown, Death in Paradise, Flack and Bodies. Her film work includes Secrets, Lies, Bullet Boy, Censor and Medusa Deluxe. Her extensive theatre credits include productions at the National Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Shakespeare’s Globe and Kiln Theatre, including Bacchae, Sweat, Emilia, The Wife of Willesden and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She has also performed extensively in radio drama, including numerous productions for BBC Radio 4.