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Unmade Movies: Alexander MacKendrick's Mary Queen of Scots
Unmade Movies: Alexander MacKendrick's Mary Queen of Scots
Jan 29, 2026 9:51 PM

Author:Alexander Mackendrick,Jay Presson Allen,Glenda Jackson,Ellie Bamber,Full Cast

Unmade Movies: Alexander MacKendrick's Mary Queen of Scots

Alexander Mackendrick's unproduced screenplay about the most turbulent year of Mary Stuart's life

'Rain-drenched spectacular... [Glenda] Jackson brings authority and asperity, but so much more' New Statesman

The annals of movie history are full of lost treasures - spectacular scripts from world-renowned writers that could have been classics, had they only been made. Now, for the first time, some of these forgotten gems have been brought to life, fully realised as vivid, cinematic radio productions. Scripted by major 20th Century writers, including Harold Pinter, Arthur Miller, Alfred Hitchcock and Dennis Potter, they star a host of A-list actors and feature richly evocative, atmospheric soundtracks.

One of seven 'unmade movies' available on audio, Mary Queen of Scots follows one tumultuous year in the life of the 16th Century monarch. It's 1566, and two clans are at war. Two religions - Catholic and Protestant - are in conflict. And two countries - England and Scotland - are about to collide. At the centre of this turmoil is 23-year-old Queen Mary: pregnant, isolated and vulnerable. Caught in a web of treachery, betrayal and murder, she must use her steely intelligence and every skill at her disposal to maintain her rightful position on the throne...

The acclaimed director of Whisky Galore! and The Ladykillers, Alexander Mackendrick spent nearly two decades struggling to adapt Mary Stuart's story for the silver screen, before retiring from filmmaking in 1969. Almost 50 years later, his cherished project was finally revived, directed by 'BAFTA Breakthrough Brit' Hope Dickson Leach and produced by Sandy Lieberson, Mackendrick's intended producer for the film. Narrated by the multi-award-winning Glenda Jackson, who twice played Elizabeth I in the 1970s, it stars Ellie Bamber (The Serpent) as Mary. Settle back and let yourself get carried away by this sweeping tale of passion, power, triumph and tragedy...

Production credits

Original screenplay by Alexander Mackendrick and Jay Presson Allen

Directed by Hope Dickson Leach

Executive Producers: Laurence Bowen, Peter Ettedgui, Sandy Lieberson and Frank Stirling

Sound Design: Wilfredo Acosta

Original music by Hutch Demouilpied

A Dancing Ledge production for BBC Radio 4

Cast

Mary Stuart - Ellie Bamber

Narrator - Glenda Jackson

Maitland - Mark Bonnar

Bothwell/Kerr - Emun Elliott

Darnley - Edward Holcroft

Morton - Bill Paterson

Ruthven/Du Croc/Knox - Struan Rodger

Murray/Rizzio/Taylor/Scout - Kevin Guthrie

Paris/Porter - Jamie Quinn

Mary Seton/Mary Fleming - Katharine O'Donnelly

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 8 December 2018

© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

(p) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Reviews

Rain-drenched spectacular... [Glenda] Jackson brings authority and asperity, but so much more

—— New Statesman

Staggeringly good . . . had me hanging on every word

—— Louisa Reid, author of Wrecked and Lies Like Love

Man Down is truly special. A love letter to youth, life, love and hope, it's utterly compelling, completely original and will undoubtedly be one of the standout books of 2022. An absolute must read.

—— Adam Simcox, author of The Dying Squad

Good books make you feel something. Great books change the way you feel about everything. Man Down is a great book. No one is writing about young men's lives with as much warmth, empathy and humour as James Goodhand is right now.

—— Samuel Pollen, author of The Year I Didn't Eat

An excellent look at what it means to 'be a man' amid a culture of peer pressure and toxic masculinity while navigating desire and friendship. Loved it.

—— Anna Stevens, author of Godblind

Emotionally complex, dark and clever - a very unexpected, thoughtful and original book. I can honestly think of no other YA quite like it.

—— Gina Blaxill, author of Saving Silence

A gritty, gripping tale of a young man searching for meaning in a life that's far from ordinary.

—— Malcolm Duffy, author of Sofa Surfer

The language of Morrison's third novel astounds from its first pages to its triumphant conclusion... an epic of the African-American experience

—— Abdulrazak Gurnah , Week

Toni Morrison has written a brilliant prose tale that surveys nearly a century of American history as it impinges on a single family

—— New York Times Book Review

Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon grips as a novel of extraordinary truth, wisdom and humour

—— Sunday Telegraph

A stunning novel that's steeped in black history

—— Marc Chacksfield , ShortList

Examines religious freedom through the lens of myth and magic . . . The convincing enemies-to-lovers romance, fascinating religion-based magic system, and thoughtful examination of zealotry make this a notable debut.

—— Publishers Weekly

Combining religion, magic, and evocative language, Ava Reid has created a daring fantasy world full of imagination and fierce heroics.

—— Luanne G. Smith, bestselling author of The Vine Witch

Rich with vivid description, fantastical monsters, and magic unmatched by most other books for its pure physicality, this story may be strongly influenced by Jewish folklore, but the voice is original, perhaps as it's refreshingly female.

—— The Jewish Book Council

I enjoyed The Wolf and the Woodsman very much. Évike is a memorable protagonist, deeply flawed but trying, almost despite herself, to do the right thing. The writing is assured and compelling throughout, and the worldbuilding is richly imagined, densely textured, and endlessly delightful.

—— Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor

Ava Reid has boldly announced herself as a literary force with The Wolf and the Woodsman. The novel is impressive in its beauty, characters, and uncompromising nature and is all the more impressive for being Reid's debut novel.

—— SFF World

The Wolf and The Woodsman is one hell of a ride. Évike is an unlikely heroine, torn by warring duties and identities but despite it all, she discovers a power that could save a nation from itself. But only if she lives. I couldn't put it down.

—— Greta Kelly, author of The Frozen Crown

A powerful feminist story about acceptance, The Wolf and the Woodsman is perfect for fans of The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and John Gwynne's The Shadow of the Gods.

—— British Fantasy Society

One of the best books I've read this year. From page one, I could tell that I was in expert hands . . . Juniper & Thorn is out there waiting for you to read it and be seen in a way you've been aching for. Please go and read it.

—— Tor.com

Indian author Pankaj Mishra has dedicated his career to analyzing the psychology of Asia's rising masses, particularly its young men. His latest work, a novel, Run and Hide, is his most searing look at the subject yet

—— The Intercept

A beautifully written novel that captures the complexities and challenges of growing up in India and the simultaneous struggle to find meaning and a way forward in life

—— Booklist

A well-written and engaging tale

—— Publishers Association

There is more than a whiff of The Great Gatsby . . . Mishra's satire recalls Tom Wolfe or Bret Easton Ellis

—— Prospect

Whether writing about a Himalayan village or cosmopolitan London, Pankaj Mishra combines a powerful historical understanding of the contemporary world with psychological insight and a deep feeling for landscape. In Run and Hide, he has created an absolutely new kind of immigrant story-one in which achieving your wildest dreams might mean giving up everything, even once you return home

—— Nell Freudenberger

There is an arresting contrast in style between the political writings on which [Mishra's] reputation is chiefly built and the more introspective mode on display in his memoir and fiction. Those weaned on the gripping velocity and adamantine syntax of Mishra's essays may be surprised by the assiduous lucidity and serene poise of his new novel Run and Hide

—— The New Statesman

Mishra is a masterful eyewitness to the modern world, equally unafraid of nuance, earnestness and absurdity. [Run and Hide] is a slow, careful book about a fast and reckless world. This is not a destination novel; it is a journey novel. One well worth taking

—— San Francisco Chronicle

Mishra has a bit of Balzac in him-for instance, his belief that character reveals itself through surface detail, if that detail is observed ruthlessly enough . . . Run and Hide is a novel of modern India that takes some of the big-picture phenomena from Age of Anger and-as good social novels have always done-gets us to engage on the level of feeling by returning those abstractions to human scale

—— The New York Times Book Review

Mishra is a superb journalist, and the sensory vitality of his second novel is a reminder that fiction is the ultimate information compressor. Unleashed in the realm of human feeling, Mishra's keen observational powers are spectacularly alive

—— Jennifer Egan

Chan's high-concept novel may toy with dystopia but it remains chillingly plausible, a portrait of our fanatical culture of judgement against women, and mothers in particular, taken to a grotesquely logical extreme

—— Metro

A nail-biting explosive story exploring the pressures of 'perfect' parenting

—— Woman's Own Magazine

The writing is at times hilarious and scalpel sharp

—— Independent (Ireland)

Part science fiction, part incarceration narrative and part Cultural Revolution memoir, it is as gripping as it is terrifying - and for mothers struggling to 'do the right thing', all too believable

—— Spiked Online

Propulsive and provocative

—— Daily Express

The School For Good Mothers is a perceptive, prescient and daring debut that presents a dystopia that doesn't feel as far away as we'd like it to

—— Culturefly

An unforgettable an haunting story about the thoughts, opinions and choices you make

—— Woman's Weekly

Reminiscent of The Handmaid's Tale, this eerie page-turner is a captivating depiction of a dystopian world that feels entirely possible. It's not only the gripping story of Frida's personal struggle, but also a thought-provoking work of commentary on American motherhood

—— TIME

I was fascinated and intrigued by this feminist dystopian novel

—— Daily Mail

So brilliant and haunting and ahead of its time... the only book that has ever stopped me from sleeping

—— Jessie Cave

A wonderful immersive experience

—— Daily Mail

A beautiful read - a real pageturner

—— Women's Hour, BBC Radio 4

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson weaves social history into the backbone of the story, in a way that's nothing short of masterful.

—— Herald

A resonant story of identity, family and the meaning of home

—— Mail on Sunday

A delight to read, each page of Black Cake is more interesting than the last. Wilkerson masterfully weaves social history into the backbone of the story

—— Press Association

Prepare to be hooked

—— The Handbook

Impressive

—— Evening Standard

A rich story around immigration and identity ... the novel beautifully captures the struggles of family and identity and the liberation that comes from those struggles

—— Irish TImes

Engrossing . . . Wilkerson's brilliant descriptions are positively sumptuous for the mind's eye

—— Heromag

An incredible family saga spanning 60 years, jumping across continents and time, forming a multi-layered book about secrets and inheritance

—— Guardian.com

A delicious and gripping tale that sweeps the reader across decades and continents, turning everything the siblings think they know about themselves and their family on its head'

—— Jyoti Patel, Guardian

Lovable, funny. Doesn't disappoint

—— Sunday Life

Keyes at the peak of her powers

—— Scotsman

Praise for Marian Keyes

—— :

Messy, tangled complex humans who reminded me that few of us ever really sort out our lives at all

—— Jojo Moyes

A novel that is warm and witty but never afraid to tackle the big stuff

—— Elizabeth Day , Mail on Sunday

Magnificently messy lives, brilliantly untangled. Funny, tender and completely absorbing!

—— Graham Norton

Keyes knows how to make serious issues relatable - and get a few grownup laughs, too

—— Guardian

There should be a word to describe the sadness and satisfaction you feel when you read the last page of a Marian Keyes novel: the ending is perfect but you still want more, more, more

—— Liane Moriarty

Charming, funny and poignant. But also profound, heartbreaking

—— Nina Stibbe

Keyes at her best: capturing everyday voices with humour and empathy with writing that you'll devour in a weekend. Just pure and simple joy

—— Stylist

Funny, thought-provoking and will get you right in the feels

—— Red

Sensitive, funny, wonderful, immensely touching

—— Nigella Lawson

Marian Keyes's gift for storytelling is utterly magnificent

—— Liz Nugent

Rachel Walsh is back with a bang. Wickedly shrewd and fun

—— RTE Guide, 'Top 10 Fiction of 2022'
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