Gilbert & Sullivan: A Motley Pair

Opera star Simon Butteriss presents a lively look at the beginnings of great Victorian double act, Gilbert and Sullivan, and how they produced some of the most famous operas to date.

Simon Butteriss explores how the D'Oyly Carte's Comedy Opera Company assembled for The Sorcerer, and how HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance paved the way for the modern musical.

As tensions between the pair threatened to tear Gilbert and Sullivan apart, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte makes the decision to move the company to his newly built Savoy Theatre.

Simon Butteriss explores the success of The Mikado and the rewriting of Ruddigore, while hearing how a sceptical Jonathan Miller set about directing a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta.

Simon Butteriss examines how a quarrel over the cost of carpet proved fatal to Gilbert & Sullivan's relationship and how the new D'Oyly Carte fell while the Savoy Operas triumphed.