Strangle Hold

In the fifth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, General Qulan (Christopher Fulford) finds the Provincial Governors less than enthusiastic as he arrives to gather the armies to fight rebel "queen" Maya. In Tumanbay, Gregor is under pressure to find the spies but his investigations keep leading him back to Shajar the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather) and a reliquary she has secreted away.

Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within. Gregor (Rufus Wright), Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out this insurgence and crushing it.

Cast:
Gregor.....................................Rufus Wright
Sarah......................................Nina Yndis
Shajar.....................................Sarah Beck Mather
Cadali......................................Matthew Marsh
Physician.................................Vivek Madan
Wolf........................................Alexander Siddig
The Hafiz.................................Antony Bunsee
Bello........................................Albert Welling
Ibn..........................................Nabil Elouahabi
Maya's Envoy..........................Nadir Khan
Daniel.....................................Gareth Kennerley
Al-Ghuri..................................Raad Rawi
General Qulan........................Christopher Fulford
Provincial Governor Usman.....John Sessions
Fatima.................................Sirine Saba

Other parts played by:
Christian Hillborg
Alec Utgoff
Akbar Kurtha

Music - Sacha Puttnam
Sound Design - Steve Bond, Jon Ouin
Editors - Ania Przygoda, James Morgan
Producers - Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan, John Dryden

Written and Directed by John Dryden

A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4