Tumanbay (radio drama)

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

Tumanbay
Presentation
Genre	Historical period drama
Written by	John Dryden
Directed by	John Dryden
Voices	Rufus Wright Olivia Popica Matthew Marsh Raad Rawi Sarah Beck Mather Nina Yndis John Sessions Laure Stockley Akin Gazi Darwin Brokenbro Alexander Siddig
Language	English
Length	45 minutes
Production
Production	Emma Hearn Nadir Khan John Dryden
Theme music composed by	Sacha Puttnam
Audio format	MP3
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	10
Publication
Original release	2015
Provider	BBC Radio
Related
Website	www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qcrhv

Tumanbay is a multi-character epic of political intrigue set in the fictional city of Tumanbay, heart of a vast empire, which is threatened by a rebellion and a mysterious force devouring the empire from within. The setting is inspired by the Mamluk slave dynasty of Egypt.

Characters

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 Shajah 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 baring 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 unwitting companion of Heaven, 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.

Episodes

Season 1 (2015-2016)

#	Title	Length (minutes:seconds)	Original release date
1	"A Head Start"	44:39	December 2, 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	December 9, 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.
3	"Coming of Age"	44:48	December 16, 2015 (2015-12-16)
Fourteen year old daughter (Olivia Popica) of slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) is adrift at sea in a small boat and captive to an escaped slave (Akin Gazi). Now she must depend on her slave captor for her survival. Madu (Danny Ashok), the spoilt nephew of the Sultan, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for hard graft in the army.
4	"Hidden Knowledge"	44:33	December 23, 2015 (2015-12-23)
Shajar, the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather), plots her son Madu's (Danny Ashok) succession to the throne. While Gregor, Master of the Palace Guard, is determined to discover what it is she has taken from the aged Hafiz and is having repaired in the workshop of a pair of artisans in the city. Marching with the army out to the provinces, Madu's slave find solace with an unlikely companion.
5	"Strangle Hold"	44:36	December 30, 2015 (2015-12-30)
General Qulan (Christopher Fulford) finds the Provincial Governors less than enthusiastic as he arrives to gather the armies to fight rebel "queen" Maya. In Tumanbay, Gregor is under pressure to find the spies but his investigations keep leading him back to Shajar the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather) and a reliquary she has secreted away.
6	"In the Beginning"	44:33	January 6, 2016 (2016-01-06)
Tumanbay is in chaos after the murder of a highly placed individual. Heaven and her slave companion find themselves prisoners of a nomadic tribe in the desert. Having failed in his duty of keeping the Palace safe, Gregor attempts to unlock the secret of the missing reliquary and find out why it is worth killing for.
7	"A Tale of Two Cities"	44:45	January 13, 2016 (2016-01-13)
Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) dreams of victory against rebellious provincial leader Maya. Meanwhile Gregor (Rufus Wright) is in pursuit of missing slave-girl Sarah (Nina Yndis) and must venture into the catacombs beneath the city, haven to those who wish to escape the brutality of the City above.
8	"The Purge"	44:36	January 20, 2016 (2016-01-20)
Sultan (Raad Rawi) is increasingly insecure and fearful for his life, so begins a purge of the Palace. Slave trader Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi), is reunited with the daughter he thought he had lost. And her slave companion finally comes face to face with Gregor (Rufus Wright), the man who stole his kingdom.
9	"Jaws of Victory"	44:33	January 27, 2016 (2016-01-27)
A trade delegation from across the ocean, brings to Tumanbay the very latest in war merchandise. Convinced of victory by the words of the prophet child, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is now ready to march out with his armies and destroy rebellious provincial leader Maya. His nephew Madu (Danny Ashok) has only one desire - to escape the city with his army comrade and lover Daniel (Gareth Kennerley). But Daniel is not everything he seems.
10	"Sword of Faith"	44:29	February 3, 2016 (2016-02-03)
As the people of Tumanbay await news of the Sultan's (Raad Rawi) great victory, Gregor (Rufus Wright) the heartless player discovers he has a heart and that he has been played.

Reception

The first season of the podcast was well-received. June Thomas in Slate called it the "Best podcast of the year". Because of its medieval setting, large cast of characters, and themes of political intrigue, the podcast was often compared with the HBO TV series, Game of Thrones.