Tumanbay (radio drama)

This article is about a BBC radio programme. For other uses, see Tuman bay.

Tumanbay
Presentation
Genre	Fantasy Historical period drama
Written by	John Dryden and Mike Walker [1]
Directed by	John Dryden
Voices	Rufus Wright Olivia Popica Matthew Marsh Gareth Kennerley Raad Rawi Sarah Beck Mather Nina Yndis John Sessions Laure Stockley Akin Gazi Darwin Brokenbro Alexander Siddig
Language	English
Length	44:29 - 45:50
Production
Production	Emma Hearn Nadir Khan John Dryden
Theme music composed by	Sacha Puttnam
Audio format	MP3
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	34
Publication
Original release	2 December 2015 – 13 July 2020
Provider	BBC Radio Panoply Media
Related
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qcrhv

Tumanbay is a historical fantasy radio drama. The story is set in Tumanbay, the capital of a fictional empire, and involves political intrigue. Both a supernatural force and political unrest threaten the city. The setting is inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt. ^[2]

Broadcast

The first ten episodes of Tumanbay were first broadcast in the UK on BBC Radio 4 between December 2015 and February 2016. A second series, consisting of eight episodes, was broadcast between April and June 2017. In September 2017, in a deal between BBC and Panoply Media, the first two series were made available to international audiences on the Panoply network. ^[3] Transmission of a third series of eight episodes, began on 4 February 2019 on BBC Radio 4. The first episode of the fourth series, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 25 May 2020. ^[4]

Characters ^[5]

Gregor

Gregor (Rufus Wright) is Head of the Palace Guard and one of Sultan Al-Ghuri's inner circle of advisors. His duties include espionage and counterespionage, and his methods are at once subtle and brutal. Gregor's childhood was spent as a slave in the far reaches of the Empire alongside his brother, Qulan, now Commander of the Imperial Army. The brothers were bought out of poverty by their master and trained in the arts of diplomacy and combat. At court, Gregor must contend with the rivalry of his nemesis, the Vizier Cadali, and with the vicissitudes of serving a cruel and fickle Sultan.

Heaven

Heaven (Olivia Popica) is 14. Her desire to see the world and take her place in it is tempered only by her reluctance to be married off in order to do so. As spring in Tumanbay is short-lived and soon gives way to the heat of summer, so must its children grow up fast. Heaven leaves behind the land of her childhood and sets sail with her mother Ila for Tumanbay, where the girl's father Ibn, a successful slave trader, is preparing her wedding. But fate, it seems, has other plans for Heaven, plans that will test her ability to survive and force her to become a woman.

Cadali

Cadali (Matthew Marsh) is the Vizier and the Sultan's chief advisor. Cadali's loyalties are to himself, to his Sultan and to Tumanbay, in that order. He possesses a finely-tuned sense of self-preservation coupled with a cunning and strategic mind. He trusts no one and demonstrates the ability to appear about the palace wherever he is least expected or wanted. Cadali also has an overwhelming fondness for sugar plums.

Sultan Al-Ghuri

Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) came to power following the untimely death of his brother, the previous Sultan. Having taken his brother's first wife Shajar as his own, he dotes on her son, his nephew Madu. Al-Ghuri's other foible is his love of perfume. Yet he wears the burden of office heavily, obsessively aware of the ever-present threat of assassination and of the fragility of the dynastic line.

Shajar

Shajar (Sarah Beck Mather) is Sultan Al-Ghuri's First Wife, and as such, head of the palace harem. Her son, Madu, is the only issue from her previous marriage to the former Sultan, Al-Ghuri's predecessor and brother. Shajar grew up in poverty and soon learnt to exploit her dazzling beauty in exchange for power and wealth. But Shajar understands that beauty is ephemeral and that she must fight to preserve her position and to safeguard her own future and that of her son.

Sarah

Sarah (Nina Yndis) was captured and brought to Tumanbay along with her baby as a slave. The beautiful Sarah arouses admiration and curiosity amongst all who encounter her. Her striking blue eyes and pale skin, along with her enigmatic and sophisticated bearing belie her status as a slave. She is appointed servant to Shajar, the First Wife, following the death of the previous maid.

Head Eunuch

The Head Eunuch (John Sessions) is playful, yet ruthless. He has the plum position of deciding what is bought for the palace and what isn't. He recognises that the slave-girl, Sarah, is something different in Tumanbay.

Shamsi

Shamsi (Laure Stockley) is a prostitute who serves the Palace. She beguiles men. Yet she is constantly afraid, fearful of her own fate.

Slave

Like many sold into servitude in Tumanbay, the man known only as Slave (Akin Gazi) comes from noble origins in a country swallowed up by the empire in its hunger for land and resources. An involuntary companion of Heaven after he kidnaps her, he resents having to play bodyguard to a girl he sees as pampered and privileged.

Boy

Boy (Darwin Brokenbro) is in the service of Rajik and Pamira in the moving town. The Boy has the ability to command dogs and other animals. He is fascinated by Heaven's beauty and driven by the desire for family.

Wolf

Wolf (Alexander Siddig) is the leader of a proudly independent band of warrior-horsemen from the austere mountains sworn to the service of Qulan. Wolf's appetite for love matches his lust for war.

Daniel

Daniel (Gareth Kennerley) an enslaved soldier. Daniel is a slave sold to the palace. The sultan decides to put Madu (Danny Ashok) into the army to help him "learn to be a man." He arrives thinking he's going to be an officer in charge of things; that it's going to be more of the privileged lifestyle, but instead he is handed down to the slave infantry soldiers to "toughen him up." It's a total shock to his system. He really struggles to survive. He is saved by Daniel, and their relationship becomes a strong bond of friendship and then eventually love. ^[6]

Episodes

Series 1 (2015-2016)

Season 1 premiered online in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2015. ^[7]

1. "Tumanbay" . Retrieved 15 April 2024.
2. Johnston, Rich (30 November 2015). "Radio Drama Director John Dryden On The BBC's Epic Tumanbay – Look! It Moves! by Adi Tantimedh". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
3. Washenko, Anna (8 September 2017). "Panoply debuts six shows in its fall lineup, including its first scripted comedy". rainnews.com. RAIN News. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
4. ""BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 4,"".
5. "Tumanbay: Characters to watch out for". BBC Radio 4. BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
6. Thomas, June (28 January 2016). "The Creator of Tumanbay on the Radio Drama's Same-Sex Kiss". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
7. ""BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 1,"". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
8. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, The Last Boat". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
9. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, The Kill". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
10. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, Rats". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
11. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, Healing the Sick". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
12. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, Kiss My Fingers". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
13. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, Holy Father". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
14. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, Take My Hand". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
15. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 2, We Are Three". BBC. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
16. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
17. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, Two Moons". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
18. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, The Blind Man". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
19. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, Dark Enterprises". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
20. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, Accidental Hero". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
21. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, Fatima". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
22. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, Hostage of Fortune". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
23. "BBC Radio 4 - Tumanbay, Series 3, The Coming". BBC. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
24. Thomas, June (28 January 2016). "A Conversation with the Creator of Tumanbay, the Best Podcast of the Year". Slate. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
25. Hughes, Sarah (21 December 2015). "Tumanbay: can a Game of Thrones-style epic series work on radio?". The Guardian . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
26. Crawford, David (2 December 2015). "Is Radio 4 hoping for a Serial effect with new drama Tumanbay?". Radio Times . Retrieved 10 January 2018.

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#	Title	Length (minutes:seconds)	Original release date
1	"A Head Start"	44:39	2 December 2015 (2015-12-02)
Gregor (Rufus Wright) - Master of the Palace Guard - is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out an insurgence and crushing it.
2	"Ship of the Dead"	44:39	9 December 2015 (2015-12-09)
Another threat is making its way by sea. As slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) awaits for his family to arrive in Tumanbay, sickness has broken out on the ship carrying them.