Amadeus, Equus & more: Four Full-Cast BBC Radio Productions
Peter Shaffer’s three most renowned plays, plus a radio monologue performed by Dame Judi Dench
Sir Peter Shaffer was one of the most distinguished and successful British playwrights of his generation. He won the Tony Award for both Amadeus and Equus, and the film adaptation of Amadeus garnered eight Oscars. In 1997, he was awarded an OBE, and he was knighted in the 2001 New Year honours list. This collection contains his best-known plays and a monologue specially written for radio, first broadcast in 1989.
Amadeus – Antonio Salieri is 18th-century Vienna’s favourite composer – until a brilliant young upstart, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, appears on the scene and takes his crown. Consumed by jealousy, Salieri plots his rival’s downfall… Directed by Sir Peter Hall, this sensational drama is performed by the cast of the original National Theatre production, including Paul Scofield, Simon Callow and Felicity Kendal.
Equus – When psychiatrist Martin Dysart is asked by the local magistrate to treat a disturbed 17-year-old boy who has blinded six horses, he soon finds himself in the midst of a nightmare. Starring Peter Barkworth and Ian Sharrock.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun – In 1532, Francisco Pizarro and his 167 soldiers captured the last Inca Emperor, Atahuallpa. This gripping drama, starring Gerald Murphy and Norman Rodway, tells the story of the conquest of Peru, and the power struggle and fatal friendship between the Spanish conquistador and the Sun-God King.
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’ – Alone in her Clapham flat, Angela Parsons dictates a potentially explosive memoir onto her cassette recorder. It is an account of her life, death and a shocking scandal involving Hollywood’s most beloved film star… With Dame Judi Dench as Angela Parsons.
Text copyright © Peter Shaffer 1964 (The Royal Hunt of the Sun), 1973 (Equus), 1979 (Amadeus), 1989 (‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’)
Cast and credits
Written by Peter Shaffer
Amadeus
Antonio Salieri – Paul Scofield
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Simon Callow
Constanze Mozart – Felicity Kendal
Joseph II – John Normington
Gottfried, Baron van Sweiten – Nicholas Selby
Count Franz Orsini Rosenberg – Willoughby Goddard
Johann Kilian von Strack – Basil Henson
Venticelli – Donald Gee/Dermot Crowley
Citizens of Vienna – Nigel Bellairs, Susan Gilmore, Peggy Marshall, Robin Meredith, Anne Sedgwick, William Sleigh, Glenn Williams
Equus
Martin Dysart – Peter Barkworth
Alan Strang – Ian Sharrock
Heather Salomon – Jennifer Piercey
Frank Strang – Malcolm Hayes
Dora Strang – Jane Wenham
Jill Mason – Jenny Twigge
Harry Dalton – Ronald Herdman
Young Horseman – Philip Sully
Nurse – Jan Carey
Other voices – Richard Gibson, Nigel Greaves, David Parfitt, Jonathan Scott
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
King Atahualpa – Gerald Murphy
Pizarro – Norman Rodway
Old Martin – Bob Peck
Hernando de Soto – Edward de Souza
Diego de Trujillo – Gordon Reid
Young Martin – Matthew Sim
Pedro de Candia – Keith Drinkel
Fray Vincente de Valverde – Nigel Anthony
Felipillo – David Holt
Domingo – Nicholas Mercie
Challcuchima – John Fleming
Miguel Estete – Martyn Reid
Salinas – Peter Gunn
Rodas – John Webb
Other parts played by members of the cast
‘Whom Do I Have the Honour of Addressing?’
Angela Parsons – Dame Judi Dench
© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Peter Shaffer (Author), Bob Peck, Felicity Kendal, Full Cast, Gerald Murphy, Judi Dench, Norman Rodway, Paul Scofield, Peter Wynn Barkworth, Simon Callow (Narrator)
Audiobook
