Audiobooks by Matthew Solon

TakeOver: A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama Audiobook

A fast-paced, globe-trotting family saga of wealth, power, revenge and karma - with helicopters, private jets and a tiger reserve Meet the Majumdars, a family at war - with itself... Self-made tech mogul Ravi Majumdar fought his way up from nothing to make a billion-dollar fortune. Now he risks losing everything in his single-minded quest to defeat his enemy, Jai Singh: the man he once considered his best friend. Concerned for their inheritance, his children - Ash, the eldest son and would-be heir; Maya the brilliant business student; socialite and ex-Bollywood actress Zara; and sensitive Shaan, who yearns for his father's approval - fight for control of the company. But there are others bidding for the succession: Seraphina, Ravi's 'spiritual advisor', and Amit, their Indian cousin, whose humility belies his ambition... As Ravi plays 'divide and rule' with his offspring, the multinational corporation he has spent a lifetime building is brought to the brink of collapse. The warring siblings must join forces and work together if they are to see off the competition and save their father's business empire... Written by Ayeesha Menon and Matthew Solon, this exhilarating drama of high-stake deals and sibling rivalry, set in the world of the super-wealthy, plays out on the grand scale of a Shakespearean tragedy. Recorded in the UK and India, it stars Rajit Kapur as Ravi, with Abhin Galeya as Ash, Amrita Acharia as Maya, Munirih Grace as Zara and Danny Ashok as Shaan. Production credits Written by Ayeesha Menon and Matthew Solon Executive produced and directed by John Scott Dryden Produced by Emma Hearn and Nadir Khan Assistant Producer: Eleanor Mein Production Assistant: Anna Calandra Original music by Sacha Puttnam India Sound Supervisor Ayush Ahuja Editing and Sound Design: Eloise Whitmore Sound recording by Paul Clark, Ashyar Bulsara and Ayush Ahuja A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4 Cast Ravi Majumdar - Rajit Kapur Anya - Dolya Gavanski Ash - Abhin Galeya Maya - Amrita Acharia Zara - Munirih Grace Shaan - Danny Ashok Ian - Finbar Lynch Seraphina - Jennifer Armour Dr Lincoln - Emma Carter Jeet - Ronny Jhutti Amit - Tavish Bhattacharyya Jai - Vincent Ebrahim Karan - Zafar Karachiwala Sharma - Neil D'Souza Venitia - Laurel Lefkow John Myson - Ash Hunter Ben - Philip Desmeules Beth Mitchell - Natalie Simpson All other parts played by Lola Ogunyemi, Matthew Solon, Nadir Khan, Aseem Hattangady and Ayeesha Menon First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 June-1 July 2021 © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (p) 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Ayeesha Menon, Matthew Solon (Author), Abhin Galeya, Amrita Acharia, Danny Ashok, Munirih Grace, Rajit Kapur (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bid

After five years of planning and an 18-month campaign costing more than £15m, England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup ended in humiliation in front of millions of TV viewers around the world. This thrilling drama tells the behind-the-scenes story of what happened in Zurich in the days leading up to the momentous announcement on 2nd December 2010. The England bid team - which included David Beckham and Prince William - arrived with high hopes. They had a strong bid and their presentation to the FIFA voting executives went without a hitch. But behind the confident facade, a desperate struggle was taking place as England jostled with other countries, courting FIFA executive members, lobbying for votes and making deals. This is a gripping story of hope, broken promises and disappointment, starring John Sessions and written by Matthew Solon. Directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Production for BBC Radio 4.

Matthew Solon (Author), John L. Sessions, John Sessions (Narrator)

Audiobook

Five Days In May

Written by Matthew Solon. This BBC Radio 4 'Saturday Play' tells the story of the tense negotiation that followed the 2010 general election, which led to the country's first post-war coalition. Based on interviews with those who were at the meetings, political journalists and on published material - and using actors to play all the key characters - this is a compelling account of those five momentous days in May. Under extreme pressure and suffering from lack of sleep, the politicians argued and negotiated. There was nothing inevitable about a Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. Revealing key moments of the negotiations, the drama unpicks what went on behind closed doors and shows how an alliance between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats gradually formed, and how it withstood the resignation of Gordon Brown. Based on painstaking research, this is a must-listen 60-minute play. It's a compelling and entertaining account by award-winning writer Matthew Solon of the most extraordinary British election outcome in 70 years. Starring Samuel West as David Cameron, Nicholas Boulton as Nick Clegg and Gerard Kelly as Gordon Brown. Also included in the cast are Henry Goodman (Peter Mandelson), John Sessions (Ed Balls), Philip Jackson (William Hague), Emun Elliot (Danny Alexander), Anthony Calf (David Laws), Rupert Frazer (Chris Huhne), Ian Hughes (George Osborne), Charlotte Longfield and Wilf Gilmour. Produced and directed by John Dryden. A Goldhawk Essential Production for BBC Radio 4.

Matthew Solon (Author), Gerard Kelly, Henry Goodman, Nicholas Boulton, Samuel West (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Day That Lehman Died

A BBC World Play written by Matthew Solon and directed by John Dryden. On 15 September 2008, Lehman Brothers, one of the oldest and largest investment banks in the world, with its headquarters in New York, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. It was the largest bankruptcy filed in US history and sent the already unstable global financial markets into an uncontrollable tailspin. Based on insider interviews, this 60-minute BBC Radio drama is a fictionalised reconstruction of what happened in one weekend. Starring John Shea, John Rothman, Rob Campbell and Mark La Mara. Winner of the Peabody Award, the Wincott Award for Programme of the Year and silver-winner in The Sony Awards' Drama Award. A Goldhawk Essential Production recorded on location in New York.

Matthew Solon (Author), John Rothman, John Shea, Mark La Mara, Rob Campbell, Ron Campbell (Narrator)

Audiobook