Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In October 1912, the Imperial Family of Russia retreated to a hunting lodge in the forests of Spała, Poland.
It was supposed to be a holiday.
Instead, eight-year-old Tsarevich Alexei—the only son of Nicholas II and heir to the Russian throne—suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage. The doctors could do almost nothing. His mother, Empress Alexandra, prepared herself for the possibility that her son was dying.
Then came a telegram from Grigori Rasputin.
Alexei recovered.
In this episode of The Common Room, we use Royce Ryton’s remarkable BBC radio drama Holiday in Spała as the doorway into the true story behind it.
How accurately does the play portray the Romanovs? What really happened to Alexei at Spała? Why did Alexandra place such extraordinary faith in Rasputin? And how could the illness of one little boy ultimately matter to the fate of the largest empire on earth?
Drawing on eyewitness accounts from people who were actually there—including Pierre Gilliard, General Alexander Spiridovitch, and Anna Vyrubova—we meet Nicholas and Alexandra not merely as figures in a history book, but as a father and mother facing something terrifying.
And hanging over everything is what we know but they don’t.
World War I is less than two years away.
Nicholas has less than five years left on the Russian throne.
The Romanov dynasty, which has ruled Russia for three centuries, is approaching its end.
For one autumn in 1912, however, none of that has happened yet.
There is only a hunting lodge in the Polish forest, a desperately ill little boy, a frightened mother—and a mysterious message from Siberia.
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
🎧 This Deep Dive includes Spoilers. We invite you to First Listen to the play
youtu.be/4-paKA-Br-0?si=nK9V3IstSnkLZWu0
Holiday in Spała — Chesterton Radio
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Chesterton Radio is an independent little station devoted to great stories, classic radio drama, literature, history, faith, conversation, and the permanent things.
If you enjoy what we’re building, please consider becoming a supporter. Your help keeps the Little Station broadcasting and makes programs like The Common Room possible.
Support us on Substack:
Buy Me a Coffee
:buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
Patreon:
patreon.com/chestertonradio
🌎 Chesterton Radio World
Chesterton Radio on Substack
ChestertonRadio.Substack.com
Chesterton Radio on YouTube
youtube.com/@ChestertonRadio
The Open Door — 24/7 Radio
Live.ChestertonRadio.com
Come in. Pull up a chair.
The Open Door is always on.
Get full access to CHESTERTON RADIO at chestertonradio.substack.com/subscribe (chestertonradio.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
In October 1912, the Imperial Family of Russia retreated to a hunting lodge in the forests of Spała, Poland.
It was supposed to be a holiday.
Instead, eight-year-old Tsarevich Alexei—the only son of Nicholas II and heir to the Russian throne—suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage. The doctors could do almost nothing. His mother, Empress Alexandra, prepared herself for the possibility that her son was dying.
Then came a telegram from Grigori Rasputin.
Alexei recovered.
In this episode of The Common Room, we use Royce Ryton’s remarkable BBC radio drama Holiday in Spała as the doorway into the true story behind it.
How accurately does the play portray the Romanovs? What really happened to Alexei at Spała? Why did Alexandra place such extraordinary faith in Rasputin? And how could the illness of one little boy ultimately matter to the fate of the largest empire on earth?
Drawing on eyewitness accounts from people who were actually there—including Pierre Gilliard, General Alexander Spiridovitch, and Anna Vyrubova—we meet Nicholas and Alexandra not merely as figures in a history book, but as a father and mother facing something terrifying.
And hanging over everything is what we know but they don’t.
World War I is less than two years away.
Nicholas has less than five years left on the Russian throne.
The Romanov dynasty, which has ruled Russia for three centuries, is approaching its end.
For one autumn in 1912, however, none of that has happened yet.
There is only a hunting lodge in the Polish forest, a desperately ill little boy, a frightened mother—and a mysterious message from Siberia.
Stories • Ideas • Wonder
🎧 This Deep Dive includes Spoilers. We invite you to First Listen to the play
youtu.be/4-paKA-Br-0?si=nK9V3IstSnkLZWu0
Holiday in Spała — Chesterton Radio
❤️ Support Chesterton Radio
Chesterton Radio is an independent little station devoted to great stories, classic radio drama, literature, history, faith, conversation, and the permanent things.
If you enjoy what we’re building, please consider becoming a supporter. Your help keeps the Little Station broadcasting and makes programs like The Common Room possible.
Support us on Substack:
Buy Me a Coffee
:buymeacoffee.com/chestertonradio
Patreon:
patreon.com/chestertonradio
🌎 Chesterton Radio World
Chesterton Radio on Substack
ChestertonRadio.Substack.com
Chesterton Radio on YouTube
youtube.com/@ChestertonRadio
The Open Door — 24/7 Radio
Live.ChestertonRadio.com
Come in. Pull up a chair.
The Open Door is always on.
Get full access to CHESTERTON RADIO at chestertonradio.substack.com/subscribe (chestertonradio.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
