Shardlake: Sovereign

BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramas

By: C. J. Sansom

Narrated by: Bryan Dick, Justin Salinger

An atmospheric BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation based on C. J. Sansom's best-selling Tudor crime novel featuring hunchback lawyer detective Matthew Shardlake.

Autumn, 1541. King Henry VIII has set out on a spectacular Royal Progress to York, aiming to strike fear and awe into his rebellious northern subjects. Shardlake and his assistant, Barak, arrive in the city a day ahead of the 3,000-strong procession. Officially there to prepare petitions for the King, they have also been tasked with a secret mission by Archbishop Cranmer: to ensure the welfare of one of the Northern conspirators, Sir Edward Broderick, who is to be brought back to London for questioning in the Tower.

Tensions are running high in the city, and soon Shardlake is called to investigate a suspicious death - and stumbles upon a daring plot that has the potential to shake England to its core.

C. J. Sansom's Shardlake series has sold over 2 million copies, and this atmospheric dramatisation starring BAFTA-winning actor Jason Watkins (The Lost Honour of Christopher Jeffries) brings his début novel to electrifying life.

Fast-paced and suspenseful, it is both an engrossing murder mystery and a brilliantly realised portrayal of Tudor England.

Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

©2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2016 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Terrific overview

This broadcast was a terrific overview of C. J. Sansom’s book also titled Sovereign. I missed the details and Steven Crossley’s take on Shardlake. I did enjoy hearing the correct pronunciation of some of the words and it is nice to hear the different voices.