The Penny Dreadfuls - For Your Delectation
It is no secret that historians rearly agree on anything. If they did we would only have one book on Hitler rather than about a billion. But the one thing they come close to agreeing on is that one cannot speak of the Victorian era without mentioning the Faversham family.
The Penny Dreadfuls Present... is a series of radio sketches presented by comedy troupe The Penny Dreadfuls, which consists of Humphrey Ker, David Reed and Thom Tuck. Originally broadcast on BBC Radio 7, and repeated on BBC Radio 4, the series is set in Victorian Britain and the British Empire, with each episode focusing on the lives of one of the Brothers Faversham.
The Brothers Faversham are the sons of the wealthy Kentish aristocrats Lady Alexandria and Sir Digby Faversham. Alexandria (Ingrid Oliver) was Victorian Britain's sexiest, deadliest and most pregnant spy. Her offspring became renowned for exploits in almost every field of life possible in Victorian Britain.
So far, The Penny Dreadfuls have broadcast the life story of the first nine of the Brothers Faversham. The first series looked at Horatius, Victorian Britain's most decorated solider; Theseus, a crime solver respected even more than Sherlock Holmes; Leonidas, an explorer who left no stone in the Empire unturned; and Augustus, the country's greatest ever illusionist (turned megalomaniac).
The second series covered the lives of Titus "T.C." Faversham, the era's most successful sporting hero who shunned turning professional; Maximillian, the greatest horror writer of the period and creator of books such as The Sinster Tale of the Voice in the Darkness and The House That Was a Scary House; Marcus, the finest actor of his generation who often worked with working class playright Arthur Chuck Norris; and wealthy industrialist twins Perseus (aka "Percy") and Lucius, who were bitter rivals in their adulthood.
Each episode not only explored the lives of one of the Brothers, but it also included other sketches of the Victorian era, whether it be the early exploits of Alexandria, or an advert for the latest technological development (Nothing says It's a road! like new Tarmacadam
).
Since 2009 The Penny Dreadfuls have moved away from Victorian times to cover other periods of history in a series of specials. Their first covered the life of Guy Fawkes with Kevin Eldon playing the title role. Their second in 2011 covered the French Revolution, starring Richard E. Grant as Maximilien Robespierre. In 2012 they told the story of little-known Englishman Hereward The Wake; in 2014 they presented a more accurate version of Macbeth (played by Greg McHugh) and in 2015 they focused on Homer's Odyssey. The latest special - in 2016 - focuses on the 22-year-old Charles Darwin making the trip to South America.