Series telling the story of some of the world's greatest names, from Byron to Pankhurst, in an accessible, comic manner. Features Mark Steel and Martin Hyder.
Join Mark as he charts Chaplin's course through 20th Century history, how through the initial success of the Little Tramp character he managed to negotiate the right to direct his own films and how this character came to be seen as a symbol of resistance to the regimented rules of modern society.
For me, the Radio 4 series of The Mark Steel Lectures was a delight. In each episode, he proved himself to be one of the few people who can talk passionately and entertainingly about relatively academic subjects. Some were naturally more interesting than others - a subject like Aristotle is always going to be difficult to sell to a comedy audience, after all - but all were entertaining, with a good balance of facts and jokes. This was often achieved by concentrating as much on the subjects' personalities as their achievements, and usually the best moments would be the asides, reflecting how modern society would interpret each subject's activities and eccentricities.
