Once the revolution is crushed, Army Intelligence looks around for soldiers who might be able to influence their comrades, steer them away from all this Bolshevik nonsense. And that’s how Corporal Adolf Hitler starts making speeches – it seems he has quite a talent for it. Even his old platoon members are amazed to see him transformed.

He is also sent to observe one of the many fringe political parties, to check they’re not getting too subversive. The German Workers Party has less than forty members and meets in a grimy room at the back of a grimy restaurant. The army orders him to join: Adolf Hitler becomes Party Member 55.

Starring Toby Stephens as Captain Mayr, Tom Mothersdale as Adolf Hitler and featuring Jack Laskey as Anton Drexler, founding Chairman of the German Workers Party.

Cast:
Captain Mayr - TOBY STEPHENS
Adolf Hitler - TOM MOTHERSDALE
Gottfried Feder - EDWARD BENNETT
King Ludwig - WILLIAM CHUBB
Kaiser Wilhelm - NICHOLAS FARRELL
President Hindenberg - DEREK JACOBI
Kurt Eisner - MICHAEL MALONEY
General Ludendorff - ANDREW WOODALL
Other parts were played by: JOSEPH ALESSI, OSCAR BATTERHAM, SCOTT KARIM, GEORGE KEMP,
SORCHA KENNEDY, JACK LASKEY, FORBES MASSON and LYNNE MILLER
The Narrator is JULIET STEVENSON

Sound designer – ADAM WOODHAMS
Studio Manager – MARK SMITH
Casting Director – GINNY SCHILLER
Original Score – METAPHOR MUSIC
Writer and Director – JONATHAN MYERSON
Producer – NICHOLAS NEWTON

A Promenade Production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds