Miniseries (1997)
Release date: 1997-10-09
Director: Alvin Rakoff
Writer: Hugh Whitemore
Novel: Anthony Powell
Episodes (4):
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1. The Twenties
The first film looks at the life of Kenneth Widmerpool, a tubby, much-teased boy at school who is to grow into a determined influence on his friends. Among these friends is Nicholas Jenkins, who is having an adulterous affair.
Release date: 1997-10-09
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2. The Thirties
Nick Jenkins and his friends have moved from twenty- to thirty-somethings. Marriages are beginning to crumble and youthful optimism is fading fast. Nick's affair with Jean Templer is coming to an end, but all unhappiness is swept aside when he meets Isobel Tolland, who takes him into London's bohemian life. A world of heavy drinking, all-night parties and colourful eccentrics. But, across the Channel in Germany, Hitler's power is rising and war seems inevitable.
Release date: 1997-10-16
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3. The War
WWII has broken out and Nick Jenkins is in the army, leaving behind his wife Isobel, who is expecting their first child. Meanwhile, Kenneth Widmerpool makes the most of his connections and soon rises through the ranks to enjoy power and prestige. This episode also sees the arrival of Pamela Flitton, a dangerously beautiful woman who can cast a spell on all the men she meets - even the normally cool-headed Widmerpool.
Release date: 1997-10-23
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4. Post War
A decade has passed. Nick and his wife Isobel have moved to the country. Widmerpool has become a Labour MP and is dabbling in Eastern European politics. His wife Pamela is behaving even more outrageously, and gossip surrounding her bizarre sex life is raging.
Release date: 1997-10-30
Cast
Simon Russell Beale
as Widmerpool
James Purefoy
as Nicholas Jenkins
James Fleet
as Moreland
Jonathan Cake
as Peter Templer
Paul Rhys
as Charles Stringham
Claire Skinner
as Jean
Miranda Richardson
as Pamela Flitton
Adrian Scarborough
as JG Quiggin
Edward Fox
as Uncle Giles
John Standing
as Nicholas Jenkins (older)
Annabel Mullion
as Mona
Oliver Ford Davies
as Le Bas
Robin Bailey
as Uncle Alfred
Nicholas Jones
as Bob Duport
Nigel Lindsay
as Odo Stevens
Nicholas Rowe
as David Pennistone
Michael Williams
as Ted Jeavons
Sarah Badel
as Lady Molly
Zoë Wanamaker
as Audrey Maclintick
Harriet Walter
as Mildred
Caroline Harker
as Priscilla
Eileen Atkins
as Brightman
James Callis
as Gwinnett
Paul Brooke
as Maclintick
James D'Arcy
as Nicholas Jenkins (student)
Alan Bennett
as Sillery
Joanna David
as Isobel (older)
Emma Fielding
as Isobel
John Gielgud
as St. John Clarke
Frank Middlemass
as Edgar Deacon
Chris Lang
as Chips Lovell
Richard Pasco
as Sir Magnus Donners
Patrick Godfrey
as General Conyers
Tony Osoba
as Colonel Flores
Nicola Walker
as Gypsy Jones
Emily Mortimer
as Polly Duport
Robert Pugh
as Biggs
Lucy Fleming
as Jean (older)
Julian Wadham
as General Liddament
Jamie Glover
as Robert Tolland
Andrew Havill
as Sunny Farebrother
Colin Baker
as Canon Fenneau
Mark Dexter
as Tompsitt
Richard Leaf
as Barnabas Henderson
Carmen du Sautoy
as Miss Weedon
Amanda Walker
as Mrs. Conyers
Anastasia Hille
as Matilda
James Villiers
as Buster Foxe
Geraldine Alexander
as Susan
Sarah Crowden
as Miss Orchard
Barbara Durkin
as Betty
David Yelland
as Mr Jenkins
David MacCreedy
as Bracey
Bryan Pringle
as Smith
Tim Wylton
as Albert
Jeremy Child
as Roddy Cutts
Matthew Sim
as Scorpio Murtlock
Luke de Lacey
as Stringham (student)
Rupert Wickham
as Jimmy Stripling
Rest of the cast - click here to expand
Gillian Barge - Mrs Erdleigh, Grant Thatcher - Mark Members, Kate Cavanagh - Billson, Danny Worters - Nicholas Jenkins (boy), Osmund Bullock - Erridge, Nicola King - Mrs Jenkins, Michael Wade - Dr Brandreth, Rohan McCullough - Flavia Wisebite, Kevin Colson - Louis Glober, Bobby Webster - Templer (student), Amy Simcock - Jean (student)
Crew - click here to expand
Hugh Whitemore - Executive Producer, Alvin Rakoff - Producer, Alvin Rakoff - Director, Hugh Whitemore - Writer, Ardan Fisher - Editor, Justin Krish - Editor, Ian Wilkinson - Sound Editor, Lorraine Goodman - Associate Producer, Joyce Gallie - Casting, Sarah Garner - Script Supervisor, Geraldine Stephenson - Choreographer, Emma Mager - Production Coordinator, Mark Warman - Orchestrator, Chris Seager - Director of Photography, Liz Pearson - Post Production Supervisor, Clive Derbyshire - Sound Recordist, Peter Brayham - Stunt Coordinator, Chris Roope - Art Direction, Tony Jackson - Sound Recordist, Jake Bernard - Editor, Wayne Brooks - Sound Editor, Sally Osoba - Casting Coordinator, Ross Adams - Sound Effects Editor, Simon Bishop - Sound Recordist, Mary Hillman - Makeup Designer, Eileen Diss - Production Design, Humphrey Bangham - Art Direction, Ray Freeborn - Production Supervisor, Sharon Long - Costume Supervisor, Carl Davis - Original Music Composer, Barbara Kidd - Costume Design, Dany Everett - Costume Design, Anthony Powell - Novel