Mike Walker

Four gripping historical dramas centred around key figures who shaped America in the 20th century Award-winning writer Mike Walker has created many acclaimed docudramas and historical dramas for Radio 4, including The Stuarts, Tsar, Caesar! and Plantagenet. This collection includes four nuanced dramas featuring a trio of controversial men who stamped their mark on American history: J Edgar Hoover, Lyndon Baines Johnson and Richard Baines Nixon. Among the casts are William Hootkins, Bob Sherman, Lorelei King, Nathan Osgood and Alex Lanipekun. J Edgar Hoover - This four-part drama charts the rise and fall of the notorious FBI director. Beginning in 1919, when a young Hoover uses his reputation for anti-Communist zealotry to further his ambitions, it takes in his single-minded pursuit of criminals including 'Public Enemy Number One' John Dillinger; his struggles with Bobby Kennedy and his relationship with his longtime deputy and close companion Clyde Tolson. LBJ - Inspired by real historical events, this two-part drama looks at the Kennedy administration, LBJ and the Vietnam War through the eyes of fictional journalist Lyle Weaver.

Offered a job working as speechwriter to Vice-President Johnson, idealistic Lyle can't resist the chance to become an insider, helping to drive change. But the White House is riven by power struggles and, forced to take sides, he fails to consider the personal cost of being one on LBJ's people. The Product - Vietnam, 1968. When their helicopter is shot down, a soldier and a reporter are stranded in the jungle. Battling together to reach safety, they share stories, and realise that they were part of opposing campaigns in the historic 1960 election which saw JFK narrowly defeat Nixon. Reflecting on a victory won through propaganda, dollars and dirty tricks, they recall the candidates they each supported - and consider the legacy of their choices. American Faith: Richard Milhous Nixon's Road to Watergate - An epic, intimate drama recounting the life and extraordinary career of one of America's most fascinating and enigmatic Presidents: from his upbringing as a Quaker shopkeeper's son to his involvement in the 1970s Watergate scandal that rocked the nation and forced his resignation. NB: Contains strong language and attitudes from the era in which these stories are set which would not be considered acceptable today.

A collection of dramas set in South and Central America by acclaimed dramatist Mike Walker An award-winning dramatist, author and feature writer, Mike Walker has written numerous original dramas for BBC Radio 4, including his epic chronicles Tsar, Caesar!, The Stuarts and Castle of the Hawk. Collected here are five of his gripping dramas from the 1980s and '90s, set around the Amazon rainforest and Nicaragua. Broken Wings and Bright Stars - Life in Tomas's small Brazilian fishing village hasn't changed for generations. But the old ways are dying, and few men now venture out to sea. For young Tomas, the future lies with the developers and their promise of jobs and money - so when his grandfather asks for his help building a boat, he is faced with a dilemma... Gary Cady stars as Tomas, with Michael Spice as Jose, in this first play in the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy. Dull Sun, Polished Moon - American filmmaker Bill Krause leads a crew into the Amazon jungle to make a documentary about tribal life, accompanied by his friend Father Alvarro, Tomas and Javari, a Brazilian Indian.

They want to record the truth - but the truth is complicated, and difficult to reconcile. This second drama in the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy stars Gary Cady, Ronald Herdman, Crawford Logan and Steve Hodson. Fallen Leaves, Dead City - In this final part of the Broken Wings and Bright Stars trilogy, Tomas, desperate to make a difference, has embarked on a dangerous venture. Forced to confront the consequences of his actions, he must put aside idealism and face some harsh realities. Starring Gary Cady, Frances Jeater, Richard Pascoe and Crawford Logan. Staying Still - When Jack Lowell is not organising survival courses for unfit executives on a remote Scottish island, he is living with an indigenous tribe in the Brazilian rainforest. Then tragedy occurs and his two worlds collide. Unhinged by grief, he seeks to extract payment for his losses... Nigel Anthony and Hilary MacLean star in this haunting tale of ritual, remorse and revenge. Companeros - Four strangers meet and decide to make a journey into the heart of Nicaragua, but when they happen upon a group of trigger-happy Contras, their nightmare begins... Starring Derek Newark, Angharad Rees, Trevor Nichols and Colin Stinton.

For almost six centuries, the House of Habsburg was one of the most powerful royal families in Europe - and beyond. They established an empire that began with a castle on a crag, and ended up extending over four continents. In these riveting dramas, Mike Walker traces their rise and fall.