''Esther Waters'' is a British period

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

which originally aired on

BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

in four episodes from 14 November to 5 December 1964. It is an adaptation of the 1894 novel of the same title by George Moore.Baskin p.71 Like the novel it focuses on the struggle of Esther Waters who, in

Victorian England In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edward ...

, is abandoned by her lover when pregnant. Despite the social stigma of being a fallen woman she chooses to raise the child as a single mother. The novel had previously been made into a 1948 film ''

Esther Waters ''Esther Waters'' is a novel by George Moore first published in 1894. Overview Set in England from the early 1870s onward, the novel is about a pious young woman from a poor working-class family who, while working as a kitchen maid, is seduced ...

''. A further television adaptation ''

'' followed in 1977.

Main cast

* Meg Wynn Owen as Esther Waters * John Bennett as William Latch * Pauline Letts as Mrs. Barfield * Gwendolyn Watts as Margaret Gale * Daphne Heard as Mrs. Latch *

Gordon Gostelow Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics. Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...

as Fred Parsons * Anne Ridler as Miss Rice * Carl Bernard as Mr. Randall *

Blake Butler John David Blake Butler (22 October 1924 – 15 April 1981) was an English actor best known for his role as the lecherous chief librarian Mr. Wainwright during the first and third series of ''Last of the Summer Wine'' in 1973 and 1976 res ...

as Mr. Ward * Elizabeth Bell as Sarah *

John Dearth John Dearth (16 October 1920 – 17 March 1984) was a British actor, known for playing countless roles in nearly 30 episodes of ITV series ''The Adventures of Robin Hood''. He is also remembered for playing two villains in science fiction seri ...

as Esther's father * Ruth Porcher as Esther's mother * Tracy Reed as Miss Peggy *

Doris Hare Doris Breamer Hare, MBE (1 March 1905 – 30 May 2000) was a British actress, comedian, singer, and dancer best known for portraying Mabel Butler in the British sitcom '' On the Buses'' and its film spin-offs, after replacing the original actr ...

as Mrs. Randall

References

Bibliography

*Baskin, Ellen . ''Serials on British Television, 1950-1994''. Scolar Press, 1996.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0427222 BBC television dramas 1964 British television series debuts 1964 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British television miniseries English-language television shows Television shows based on British novels Television series set in the 19th century