The Raj Quartet is set in this tumultuous background for the British soldiers and civilians stationed in India who have a duty to manage this part of the British Empire, known as the 'jewel in the crown' of the British Monarch. The year 1942 is also marked by Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi’s call for the Quit India movement to the British rulers of India. Burma has fallen, and the Japanese invasion of the Indian subcontinent from the east appears imminent. World War II is at its zenith, and in South East Asia, the Allied forces have suffered great losses. The story of The Raj Quartet begins in 1942. The Times called it 'one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction.' The series was written during the period 1965–75.

Produced and directed by Sally Avens (The Jewel in the Crown, A Division of the Spoils) and Jeremy Mortimer (The Day of theScorpion, The Towers of Silence).The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. Dramtised by John Harvey (The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence) and Shelley Silas (A Division of the Spoils). The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders). In A Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India's independence, while the Laytons plan for their future - but the division of the country will spark tragic consequences for many. In The Towers of Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton's companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the local police superintendent - becomes infatuated with her and seethes with hatred for Hari. When Daphne Manners arrives in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and Ronald Merrick.

As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule. Summary: An epic full-cast dramatisation of Paul Scott's classic series of novels charting the last days ofthe British Raj.

The raj quartet