What happens
Two young drummer boys, Jakin and Piggy Lou, serve in a British infantry regiment on the North Indian frontier, known to the men as the Four and Fit. Their regiment is ordered north to join other units against a gathering Afghan force, and the two boys, left behind as too young, press their officers until they are allowed to march with the troops. Their regiment, made up largely of raw recruits, comes under sniper fire on the long march and is in poor condition when it reaches the front. This episode of the Escape series is adapted from Rudyard Kipling's story, and the transcript gives no air date beyond the listing and no lead actors beyond the cast named at the close of the broadcast.
Late 1800s British India, the North Indian border with Afghanistan, the Khyber Valley region, a regimental barracks and then the open plain near the front
Characters: Jakin, Piggy Lou, Colonel, Sergeant, Chris, Smiller, General
Listen for: The drummer boys' banter, the regiment's collapse under fire, and the final scene on the battlefield
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.