Macbeth by William Shakespeare

David Tennant makes his first ever venture into playing the tyrannical Scottish King.

2023 will be the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare's First Folio which contained 36 of his plays. Macbeth is thought to have been written in 1603.

A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders the reigning King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death.

Music by 0171
Sound design by Joe Bedell-Brill
Produced and Directed by Clive Brill
A Brill production for BBC Radio 4
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 24 April 2022

CAST
Macbeth: David Tennant
Lady Macbeth: Daniela Nardini
Banquo/Caithness: Stuart McQuarrie
Macduff: Alec Newman
Lady Macduff/3rd Witch/Apparition: Naana Agyei Ampadu
Malcolm/3rd murderer: Owen Whitelaw
Ross: Stuart Bowman
Lennox: John Hollingworth
Duncan/Old Man/2nd Murderer: Ron Donachie
Porter/Angus: Forbes Masson
Captain/1st Murderer/Siward: Fergal Mcelherron
Doctor: Richard Wilson
Menteith/Seyton/Donalbain: Jos Vantyler
Young Siward: Ty Tennant
1stWitch/Apparition/Gentlewoman: Genevieve Gaunt
2nd Witch/Apparition/Servant: Ayesha Antoine
Young Macduff: Alexander Ryan