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The Last Days of Troy

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The Last Days of Troy

By: Simon Armitage
Narrated by: Claire Calbraith, Colin Tierney, David Birell, Gillian Bevan, Jake Fairbrother, Lily Cole, Richard Bremmer, Simon Harrison
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About this listen

Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy, ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’, in Simon Armitage’s vivid, visceral adaptation of Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid

For ten years, the Greeks have been laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the war drags on, and the battlefields run scarlet with blood, the opposing forces are entrenched in a bitter stalemate. As Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war, the exhausted warriors go to extreme lengths in a desperate grab for victory…

Dramatised by multi-award-winning poet and playwright Simon Armitage, The Last Days of Troy was first produced as a stage play at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Shakespeare’s Globe, and this radio version features the original cast. Both a tense action adventure and a powerful commentary on the futility of war, it brings Homer’s ancient myth to dynamic life and explores themes that still resonate today, in a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, East versus West and with the same dangerous combination of pride, lies and self-deception that fuelled the Trojan War.

Cast and credits
Agamemnon..................................................................David Birrell
Achilles..................................................................Jake Fairbrother
Zeus..................................................................Richard Bremmer
Odysseus..................................................................Colin Tierney
Hera..................................................................Gillian Bevan
Andromache/Thetis................................................Claire Calbraith
Hector..................................................................Simon Harrison
Helen..................................................................Lily Cole
Paris..................................................................Tom Stuart
Athene/Briseis..................................................................Francesca Zoutewelle
Priam..................................................................Garry Cooper
Patroclus..................................................................Brendan O’Hea
Astyanax..................................................................Luca Rawlinson

Original music by Alex Baranowski
Directed for radio by Susan Roberts
First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall

©2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2018 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Action & Adventure Ancient Greece Greek Mythology Ancient History Royalty Funny War
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Critic reviews

Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humour…The Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war. (Fiona Sturges)

Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humour…The Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war. (Independent)

What listeners say about The Last Days of Troy

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great plot but not all performances are palatable.

This is beautifully written and some of the acting (the narrator and Priam, for example) is terrific - moving, even - but the female parts are stiffly played and Achilles is simply awful. Nonetheless, it’s as entertaining and thought-provoking as you’d hope from Simon Armitage.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Achilles actor was great

The story was too short! I liked the adaptation very much and would have loved it even more if there were more episodes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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one of the best plays I was given to see

I bought the audio book after being lucky enough to see the play at the Globe a fee years back. it was quite an amazing experience and I was am more than happy to relive it with the same actors . kudo to them for bringing this magnificent story to life ,thanks as well to the lively storytelling by Simon Armitage.

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5 people found this helpful

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BBC audio at its best

Although the play was originally at the National Theatre, the BBC sound department have added an excellent sound effects, giving the text added depth. On this basis, I would welcome more collaborations between the NT and BBC. Excellent.

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2 people found this helpful

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Too Short

A fine production but too short to do justice to this story I thought. I felt some of the voice acting lacked power as well.

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