A Ball in the Brain | The Script Department

"I lead from the front."

In Khartoum, General Gordon, a devout Christian and the ablest commander of his day, is besieged by the army of the Mahdi. Guided by his faith, Gordon courageously faces his end in a war drama that links the past and the present, the political and the spiritual.

Written by BAFTA-winning writer/director Stuart Urban and read by Pip Torrens (The Crown, Poldark, Preacher).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BAFTA-winner writer/director Stuart Urban

This is Stuart's podcast drama debut, whose recent credits include the well-reviewed documentary “The Mystery of Suzy Lamplugh” (2021) for Sky Crime and miniseries The Secret for ITV, which he was BAFTA-nominated for in 2017.

Renowned for his fact-based drama, Stuart delved deep into primary sources for an authentic retelling of the final, doomed, riveting journey of its principal character, General Gordon. Stuart describes the background and inspiration for the writing of this siege, with its great resonances today of colonialism, Islamism, militarism, race and slavery, at his blog.