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The Wager by David Grann

Book of the Week: Episode 4 - Sailing into the Gulf of Pain

Duration: 14 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW

David Grann's account of the fate of an 18th century warship continues. Today, its captain, David Cheap, faces a gruelling test when he is confronted by treacherous seas and furious storms around Cape Horn. Luke Treadaway reads.

David Grann, the internationally best-selling and award winning writer, brings us the story of the treacherous events that took place on the Wager, an eighteenth century British warship, when it was lost at sea. Grann's enquiry into this story of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder sheds light on what happened when the Wager's crew were stranded on an uninhabitable island thousands of miles from home. The fate of those few men who made it home, reveals shocking insights into Great Britain's justice system in the Age of Empire.

David Grann is the author of The Lost City of Z, and Killers of the Flower Moon which is now a Hollywood blockbuster.

Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Elizabeth Allard Show less

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