The first lyricist-composer double-act who sought to transform the conventions of Victorian music halls and operas to make them more accessible, Gilbert and Sullivan enjoyed extraordinary successes with their innovative and whimsical works, including The Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore and The Mikado.

 

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Their musicals still polarise opinion: while they are loved and performed by their fans to countless audiences around the world, their detractors dismiss them as embarrassingly overblown.

This series looks at how the successes of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas paved the way for the development of musical theatre throughout the 20th century and remain a pervasive influence in all theatrical forms.

Tracing the origins, triumphs and disasters of the famous pair, the series features contributions from Germaine Greer, Sir Jonathan Miller, Michael Ball and the late Sir Charles Mackerras.

From the early development and promotion under the producer Richard D’Oyly Carte, who built the Savoy Theatre purely as a venue to present their works, Gilbert and Sullivan became wildly successful, achieving sell-out runs for their international hits HMS Pinafore and The Mikado before a quarrel over a carpet nearly destroyed their relationship.

Presented by singer and actor Simon Butteriss, who has starred in acclaimed Gilbert and Sullivan roles all over the world. Recent productions include starring roles at La Scala Milan, the English National Opera and in Mike Leigh’s Oscar winning film Topsy Turvy.