{"product_id":"book-i268","title":"The Mark Steel Lectures","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRadical comedian Mark Steel profiles sixteen historical figures who shaped their era\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSony Award-winning satirist and stand-up comedian Mark Steel takes us through the life stories of some of his favourite historical characters in this acclaimed radio series, which ran for three series on BBC Radio 4 before transferring to TV in 2003. From Oliver Cromwell to Ludvig van Beethoven, Mark’s chosen personalities are all passionate, driven – and more than a little eccentric...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAmong the inspirational people he profiles are W. G. Grace, one of cricket’s greatest players and the first modern celebrity; Mary Shelley, a radical’s daughter who married a poet and invented science fiction; Che Guevara, who became a left-wing hero despite chronic asthma; and Aristotle, who deserves to be remembered for much more than a line in a \u003ci\u003eMonty Python\u003c\/i\u003e song.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn addition, he delves into the lives of Renaissance genius (and absent-minded buffoon) Leonardo da Vinci; Carthaginian elephant-wrangler and scourge of the Romans, Hannibal; jazz singer Billie Holiday, whose trademark song ‘Strange Fruit’ was so inflammatory that Columbia refused to record it; and gravity-defining mathematician Isaac Newton, who was obsessed with alchemy and tried to turn lead into gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIllustrated with idiosyncratic sketches featuring \u003cb\u003eMelanie Hudson, Martin Hyder, Kim Wall, Carla Mendonça, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eFemi Elufowoju Junior\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003eDebbie Isitt\u003c\/b\u003e, these informative, accessible and hugely entertaining lectures celebrate the remarkable men and women whose ideas and enthusiasm changed the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten and performed by Mark Steel\u003cbr\u003eWith Melanie Hudson, Martin Hyder, Kim Wall, Carla Mendonça, Femi Elufowoju Junior and Debbie Isitt\u003cbr\u003eProduced by Phil Clarke (Series 1) and Lucy Armitage (Series 2 \u0026amp; 3)\u003cbr\u003eExecutive producer: Paul Schlesinger\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003eContents:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeries 1\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOliver Cromwell\u003cbr\u003eW. G. Grace\u003cbr\u003eCharlie Chaplin\u003cbr\u003eThomas Paine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeries 2\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLord Byron\u003cbr\u003eAristotle\u003cbr\u003eLeonardo da Vinci\u003cbr\u003eChe Guevara\u003cbr\u003eBillie Holiday\u003cbr\u003eKarl Marx\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSeries 3\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLudwig van Beethoven\u003cbr\u003eHannibal\u003cbr\u003eIsaac Newton\u003cbr\u003eMary Shelley\u003cbr\u003eMuhammad Ali\u003cbr\u003eNapoleon Bonaparte\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-30 August 1999 (Series 1), 13 March – 17 April 2001 (Series 2), 18 September – 23 October 2002 (Series 3)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49351300251952,"sku":"BDi268","price":14.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/460715-i268-Square.jpg?v=1734308023","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-i268","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}