''The Gay Cavalier'' was a

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

British television adventure series set during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

and starring

Christian Marquand Christian Henri Marquand (15 March 1927 – 22 November 2000) was a French actor. Early life Marquand was born in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, to a Spanish father and an Arab mother. He was the brother of actor Serge Marquand and filmmaker N ...

as a fictionalised Captain

Claude Duval Claude Du Vall (or Duval) (c. 164321 January 1670) was a French highwayman in Restoration England. He worked in the service of exiled royalists who returned to England under King Charles II. Little else is known of his history. According to p ...

. The series was made by

Associated Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

and shown on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

between May and August 1957. In truth, Duval was a successful gentleman

highwayman A highwayman was a robber who stole from travellers. This type of thief usually travelled and robbed by horse as compared to a footpad who travelled and robbed on foot; mounted highwaymen were widely considered to be socially superior to foo ...

who came from France to post-Restoration England, but ''The Gay Cavalier'' portrayed him in heroic fashion. In each of the series 13 episodes, Duval was to be seen embarking on an adventure which required him to undertake such tasks as retrieving a piece of treasure, thwarting a plot by the

Roundheads Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...

or saving a woman in trouble. Each of the adventures was self-contained and Duval was often accompanied on these exploits by a female companion (usually a different one in each episode). The series also featured a number of other actors who generally appeared in one of the adventures. These included

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a career spanning more than sixty years, Lee became known as an actor with a deep and commanding voice who often portrayed villains in horr ...

John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...

Conrad Phillips Conrad Philip Havord (13 April 1925 – 13 January 2016), known professionally as Conrad Phillips, was an English television and film actor. He is best known for playing William Tell in the adventure series ''The Adventures of William Tell'' (1 ...

, Nigel Stock and

Sam Kydd Samuel John Kydd (15 February 1915 – 26 March 1982) was a British actor. Most of his film roles were very small but he appeared in more than 290 films, more than any other British actor, including 119 between 1946 and 1952. His best-known ro ...

. The series was similar in genre to others of the time, such as

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Epic film, epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and written by Norman Reilly Ra ...

, and though it was shot on film, it is unique in that not one of its episodes has survived.

External links

*
Brief description of The Gay Cavalier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay Cavalier, The ITV television dramas 1950s British drama television series 1957 British television series debuts 1957 British television series endings Lost television shows Television series set in the 17th century British adventure television series Television shows produced by Associated-Rediffusion Black-and-white British television shows British English-language television shows