4 Extra Debut. England is in turmoil. On the night before a decisive battle, Merlyn and King Arthur are wondering why? Stars David Warner. From November 2014.

T. H. White's classic retelling of the King Arthur story dramatised by Brian Sibley. England is in turmoil. On the night before a decisive battle, Merlyn and Arthur meet to talk about what has brought the King and country to this perilous state.

Original music by Elizabeth Purnell

Directors: Gemma Jenkins, Marc Beeby and David Hunter

The radio debut of all five books of The Once and Future King in an adaptation by the award-winning dramatist, Brian Sibley, whose credits include dramatisations of The Lord of The Rings trilogy, Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast novels and most recently, Ray Bradbury's The Illustrated Man.

White's imagining of Arthur's childhood in The Sword in The Stone, his use of myth to deliver a powerful anti-war message and the humanity of his depiction of doomed love marks this cycle of novels as one of the defining works of 20th century fantasy fiction.

White uses the Arthurian legends to explore epic themes of national identity, democracy and the virtues of right over might.