Sarah Woods’ dramatisation of Karl Marx’s iconic work imagines what he would make of our 21st Century global economy. With present day themes weaved in, it begins with 'the commodity'.

"The commodity is, in the first place, an object outside us, a thing that by its properties satisfies human needs of whatever kind."

This is the story of the ultimate commodity: The smartphone. In 2018, at least half of the adult population owned one - estimated to rise to 70 per cent by 2020 - that's 6.1 billion people.

It's a story that takes us from the cobalt mines of Africa to the tech firms of the UK. And what Marx's analysis reveals, is that the objects we each carry in our pockets aren't in fact phones at all.

Marx is a figure who divides opinion, but Das Kapital is one of the most influential books of the modern world. It informed and inspired a political movement that shaped the 20th Century and remains a key text in the study of modern economics.

It's one of the few books that can claim to have changed the world.

Karl Marx …… David Threlfall
Richard Harvey …… David Threlfall
Sasha …… Kimberley Nixon
Delphin …… JP Oppong
Nathan …… Peter Bankole
Peter …… Samuel James
Jacob …… Sam Swainsbury
Trader …… Patrice Naiambana
Joanne …… Claire Cage

Sarah Woods works in collaboration with scientists, academics and charities to communicate current issues through innovative drama. For BBC Radio, she has written over 30 plays, series, adaptations and drama-documentaries. Borderland - imagined a future UK, divided by borders won the Tinniswood Award for Best Audio Drama at the 2018 BBC Audio Drama Awards.

Director: James Robinson

A BBC Cymru Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in May 2018. Show less