In his new biography Tom Reiss reveals that Alexandre Dumas' father led a life of derring-do that is captured in his son's novels, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Born to a French nobleman, and a black slave in the colonies, the writer's father went on to rise rapidly through the ranks to become a general in the French army. General Alex Dumas' acts of heroism were met with great acclaim, but events conspired against him leading to an irrevocable reversal of fortune.

Read by Hugh Quarshie who appears regularly in BBC One's Holby City.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton.
Produced by Elizabeth Allard. Show less