Baby Oil

Daniel Betts, James McArdle and Michael J Shannon star in Jonathan Myerson's imagined political drama, based on real events in the propaganda campaign at the outbreak of the First Gulf War.

1991: the start of the First Gulf War. As the first bombs fall on Baghdad, a young man walks into the Marines Recruiting Office and demands to join up... because the war is his fault.

Baby Oil follows a young staffer’s last crazy weeks in the White House, as George Bush Snr’s administration struggles to sell to the American people the unpalatable idea of committing US troops to defend an oil-rich monarchy like Kuwait.

That is until the young staffer finds the perfect way…

The Price of Oil season of factual dramas explores the history of oil - and the price we've paid for it. It takes us from 1951 to 2045, and around the world from Iran to Alaska, Libya, Nigeria, Turkmenistan, Washington and onto Scotland's offshore rigs, to explore the role oil has played in shaping our world.

Devised by Nicolas Kent, with Jack Bradley & Jonathan Myerson, the season was produced by Jonquil Panting for BBC Audio.

As director of London’s Tricycle theatre for almost 30 years, Nicolas Kent championed responsive factual and political drama, including seasons of plays by renowned writers about Afghanistan (The Great Game) and nuclear weapons (The Bomb). Now he brings that experience to BBC Radio 4, to tell the story of oil.

Recruiting Sergeant/Admiral ..... Daniel Betts
Forbes McEwen III ..... James McArdle
George H W Bush ..... Michael J Shannon
Dick Cheney ..... Sam Dale
UK Military Attache ..... Chris Pavlo
Drake ..... Stephen Critchlow
Diana ..... Jessica Turner
Cashier ..... Alex Tregear
Nayirah ..... Rhiannon Neads

Baby Oil was directed by Nicolas Kent.