Samuel West - recent and upcoming radio

Sam and Romola Garai were the readers for "Greeneland", last week's episode of Words and Music. It is available on iPlayer for 22 more days.
Also on BBC Radio 3 - he is in three programs from the Sounds of Shakespeare season.

• 22 April. Garrick's Ode (live broadcast in which he plays Garrick). This performance is sold out.
• 23 April. Record Review, a discussion of archive recordings. This will be broadcast live from a pop up studio at the RSC's The Other Place.
• 27 April. Free Thinking, a discussion about The Winter's Tale.

Sam did some readings for Shakespeare in Silence, which will be broadcast 17 April on BBC Radio 4.

He will be in the second series of Blood, Sex and Money on BBC Radio 4. It is an Emile Zola adaptation by Dan Rebellato (Sam's Twitter, @exitthelemming). Other cast members include John Heffernan, Anna Maxwell Martin and Robert Jack (John's Twitter, @johnjheffernan). It will be broadcast in mid-May (Dan's Twitter, @DanRebellato).

In March, Sam tweeted about how Rebellato wrote the script and how it was performed.

.@DanRebellato's Zola radio script is one long scene in one room. Yesterday did it in bits, today whole thing in one go. West End transfer?

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) March 22, 2016

Samuel West - The Somme Remembered, Shakespeare Solos, The Book of Disquiet, Present Laughter

Sam is the reader for "The Somme Remembered" at Milton Court on 11 February (via @BBCSingers).


(screencap from the Shakespeare Solos trailer) He plays Henry V in Shakespeare Solos, a video series from the Guardian which begins 1 February (via @hollowcrownfans).

My Storify for The Book of Disquiet is below. Sam performed in the English language premiere of the work at Montclair State University earlier this month. The New York Times described Sam's performance as "riveting."
It will next be performed at the Coronet Theatre 24-25 February.

He is the reader for Shakespeare's Silence, a documentary which will be broadcast 17 April on BBC Radio 4 (Silents Now and Judith Buchanan's Twitter, @jrbyork 1|2|3).

Garrick's Ode will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on 22 April (BBC Media Centre via Gramophone).

Present Laughter will tour to the Cambridge Arts Theatre 25-30 July, prior to a West End transfer (via cambridgebid.co.uk). Sam stars as Garry Essendine in this production, which will be initially performed June-July at the Theatre Royal Bath.

This week, Sam played Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in a radio play (his Twitter, @exitthelemming).

The Aurora Orchestra, Sam and Katherine Parkinson will perform Kreutzer vs. Kreutzer in the Southbank Centre's 2016/17 season (the Centre's Twitter, @southbankcentre). They previously performed the work at The Globe in July 2015.

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Sam and Zoe Richards discussed Mr Selfridge on the Radio 2 Arts Show on Friday; here's a picture of them in the studio.


(screencap from CBeebies Bedtime Stories) Last Sunday, he read "The Jumblies" by Edward Lear on CBeebies Bedtime Stories. It is available on iPlayer for 23 more days.

Andrew Lycett tweeted a picture of Sam at a Rudyard Kipling event at Burgh House on 14 January. Lycett and Piers Plowright discussed Kipling's life and work.

Sam is the reader for the Sunday Feature "Charles Dickens: Great Expectations" (via @jadehamilton1). It was broadcast on 10 January.

Kipling in Love "In the Pride of His Youth" was repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra on New Year's Day.

Samuel West - Henry V, Rudyard Kipling, Mr Selfridge series 4 premiere

[updated 4 January]

Here is a round up of Sam's performances and events in January.

• 7 January. Henry V by Walton with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/CBSO (via his Twitter, @exitthelemming). The concert will be broadcast 11 January on BBC Radio 3.
• 14 January. He is the reader for "Satiable Curiosity - An Evening with Rudyard Kipling" at Burgh House with Andrew Lycett.
• 21-24 January. The Book of Disquiet by Michel Van der Aa at Montclair State University.

The fourth (and final) series of Mr Selfridge premieres 8 January. Sam (as Frank Edwards) appears briefly in a clip featuring new characters the Dolly sisters (deadline.com).


A couple of radio repeats: Votes for Women is available on iPlayer until 26 January and Archive on 4 "Attention All Shipping" will be broadcast 9 January on BBC Radio 4 Extra. In the latter, Sam reads a whole shipping forecast.

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In mid December, Sam wrote about Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan for Ruth and Martin's Album Club. His piece suggests that whisky is a good drink to go with the album.

Jon Foster from Origin Housing tweeted this picture of Sam receiving a cheque donation on behalf of Scene & Heard.

It’s genuinely a privilege for @originhousing to support @sceneandhearduk’s awesome Somers Town work.@exitthelemming pic.twitter.com/GXWwIP8Ixi

— Jon Foster (@jonfoster) December 3, 2015

Sam, who is a patron of Scene & Heard, tweeted this about one of their recent performances

At @SceneandHeardUK. Delighted, as ever. Fave line from Lara, aged 9: "My mum was a flamingo. Loved the colour pink. Wore it every day."

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) December 3, 2015

The Shakespeare Institute tweeted this picture of Sam as David Garrick. He will perform Garrick's Ode with Ex Cathedra, April-May this year.

Here's a sneak preview of our Garrick, wig and all @exitthelemming https://t.co/YLZFruyDH7 pic.twitter.com/MGbNkomfF8

— ShakespeareInstitute (@ShakesInstitute) December 8, 2015

Samuel West - CBeebies bedtime stories, Book of Disquiet, Ode to Shakespeare

On 18 December, Sam will be the guest on Ruth and Martin's Album Club. He will listen to something from 1965 for the first time (via their Twitter, @RamAlbumClub).

He has recorded five bedtime stories for CBeebies, which will be broadcast in January (his Twitter, @exitthelemming).

Sam confirmed that he will perform Garrick's Ode to Shakespeare on tour with Ex Cathedra from 22 April to 28 May, in various venues in the Midlands (the Guardian reported this in 2014).

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Last week, Sam went to a protest against the closure of The Cass (the Sir John Cass Art, Architecture and Design Faculty, London Metropolitan University) - see this tweet from the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) and pictures from @highburyonfoot/Caroline Russell 1|2
The NCA has tweeted their response to the UK government's Spending Review. It was written by Sam, who is the chair of the organisation.
He read from AA Gill at the Comment Awards (@ruthmastenbroek, @susiesymes1, @ayeshahazarika and @exitthelemming).
Sam tweeted a diagram (?) of stage directions from Book of Disquiet rehearsals. It will be performed 21-24 January at Montclair State University (click here for tickets) and the Southbank Centre 24-25 February.

Here is a selection of tweets about D'Apres Shakespeare (Rouen Théâtre des Arts 20 November et Le Havre, Le Volcan 21 November).

Two discoveries in tonight's gig: Debussy's Le Roi Lear and Alwyn's The Magic Island. Only 15 mins between them, but sparkling jewels both.

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) November 20, 2015

In memory of the terrible events of a week ago, we begin tonight with Burgundy's great plea for peace from Henry V: pic.twitter.com/WIx4TKJvon

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) November 20, 2015

In tonight's concert I have to read some Caliban. Enjoying making up an accent; Jamaican Suffolk probably closest.

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) November 20, 2015

.@conductorleo rehearsing Walton's Hamlet this morning w/ @OperaDeRouen in a mixture of French, English & Italian. pic.twitter.com/1gC7QWv1mc

— Samuel West (@exitthelemming) November 19, 2015

So proud to have the great Sam West @exitthelemming in town for our Shakespeare concert @operaderouen on Friday #Walton #Alwyn #Berlioz

— Leo Hussain (@conductorleo) November 18, 2015

Sam recorded his contribution to the Portrayal of Disability conference (19 November) due to a scheduling conflict (rehearsals for D'Apres Shakespeare).

The Peace Brigades International website has a recap and photos from "Shakespeare and the Law" (16 November). Sam, Juliet Stevenson, Sheila Hancock and Alex Jennings performed excerpts from The Merchant of Venice, Hamlet, Measure for Measure, Twelfth Night and Henry IV.