Cock of the Walk is an ingenious reconstruction of an episode in English social and religious history. It is based in the mid-Victorian era, at the turn of the Great Exhibition, and has echoes today.
Pope Pius IX hopes that the newly appointed Cardinal Wiseman, Archbishop of Westminster, will spread the papal message throughout Britain. But he has misjudged the strength of the ‘anti-popery’ establishment and the power of the press. Should the British retaliate with a naval blockade? Lord Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary rejects the idea. The Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, is indecisive on this and other matters, including the erection of the Crystal Palace. He half hopes it will fall down and so divert attention from Wiseman. Thomas Carlyle bemoans the lack of political vision, of leadership….
Meanwhile other activities are afoot, including political intrigue. The Queen and Prince Albert are brazen in their views of those in the corridors of power. Her Majesty cannot abide that upstart Disraeli. A medley of contemporary figures, the good and the great, flit across the stage. These and the ambience of the period are authentically captured in an entertaining narrative, spiced with a selection of satirical engravings from Punch.
