Pretender Prince: Episode 5: The King over the Water

Limelight

BBC

Drama, Fiction

4.4 • 604 Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After defeat at the battle of Culloden in 1746, the Highland army is decimated. His dream of a restored Stuart monarchy now shattered, Prince Charles goes on the run in the Highlands and islands.

At a secret hideaway on Skye, he meets the young Flora MacDonald who will risk her life to help her would-be king. But can they evade the pursuing Redcoat army? Her solution – to disguise the prince as her female servant.

Jack Lowden presents the tragic story of the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. Written by Colin MacDonald with original music by Duncan Chisholm.

Narrator……………………………………………..…..Jack Lowden

Bonnie Prince Charlie ……………….…………..Lorn Macdonald Flora MacDonald…..……………………………....Hannah Donaldson Colonel John O’Sullivan ……………………….Gavin Mitchell Harris…………….………………….………………......Sam James Smith Hucking………………………………………………...Douglas Yannaghas

Written by............................................................Colin MacDonald

Music arranged by...........................................Duncan Chisholm Music performed by Duncan Chisholm, Ingrid Henderson, Martin O’Neill and Ross Ainslie. With contributions by historians, Jacqueline Riding, Alistair Moffat and Maggie Craig

Edited by..............................................................Kris MacConachie Studio Managers..............................................Sean Mullervy and Kris MacConnachie Executive Producer..........................................Gordon Kennedy Broadcast Assistant.........................................Clare Hipkiss

Producer/Director............................................Bruce Young

Recorded at BBC Scotland Drama Studios, Pacific Quay, Glasgow An Absolutely production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:14.2	This is Pretender Prince, the story of the rise and fall of Bonnie Prince Charlie
0:19.8	and the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745.
0:23.3	It's written by Colin MacDonald.
0:25.4	The narrator is Jack Loudon.
0:27.5	Episode 5. The King Over the Water.
0:33.3	There are three people in this story now.
0:36.1	Fugitives in the Western Isles, on the run, hiding from certain death.
0:41.8	24-year-old Flora MacDonald, enlisted to help by Pony Prince Charlie's allies,
0:47.0	the prince himself, and John O'Sullivan, his right-hand man.
0:51.7	There's a price on the prince's head in today's value of eight million pounds. Right now,
0:58.0	the three are concealed in the basement of a priest's house on a Moorland's edge.
1:03.0	It's our only hope, Your Majesty. Only? We can't move by night. We can't show lights and the
1:10.0	ground's too rough.
1:14.3	Moving by daylight there'll be no other way to hide you.
1:16.2	Red coats are everywhere.
1:18.6	My people will not betray me.
1:19.8	No, they will not.
1:22.2	But you will be seen.
1:25.6	And once seen by the wrong person, you will be found.
1:30.3	And once found, you are dead. How do you propose I become this woman?
1:38.3	I will dress you, Your Majesty. I will teach you but you'll need to shave. I can help with that.
	...

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