Episode details

Sounds,19 Dec 2023,25 mins

How Italy’s hard-right claimed JRR Tolkien

The Story

Available for 189 days

This weekend, Rishi Sunak was in Rome meeting Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni. As well as being a fan of the British PM, she's also a devotee of one of the UK's most famous writers - author of The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien. An exhibition on his life and work has opened in the city, so how did he become a cultural icon for the for Italy’s hard-right? Guest: Tom Kington, Italy Correspondent, The Times. Host: Luke Jones Clips: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring/New Line Cinema, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert/CBS, MiC Italia, Vista Agenzia Televisiva Nazionale, France 24, Facebook/Giorgia Meloni, Reuters, CGTN, Fanpage.it, DW News, Barbarossa/Martinelli Film Company International/Rai Fiction. This podcast has been acquired by the BBC. It is not complied by BBC Editorial Standards but covered by the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.

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