''After Pilkington'' is a

BBC television drama BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importan ...

film written by

Simon Gray Simon James Holliday Gray (21 October 1936 – 7 August 2008) was an English playwright and memoirist who also had a career as a university lecturer in English literature at Queen Mary, University of London, for 20 years. While teaching at Que ...

, starring

Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for ''Damage'' (1992) and ''Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...

Bob Peck Robert Peck (23 August 1945 – 4 April 1999) was an English actor who played Ronald Craven in the television serial ''Edge of Darkness'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He was also known for his role as game warden Robe ...

and Barry Foster. It was first broadcast as part of

BBC Two 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 an ...

's ''

Screen Two ''Screen Two'' was a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1985 to 1998 (not to be confused with a run of films shown on BBC2 under the billing ''Screen 2'' between April 1977 and March 197 ...

'' series, in 1987.

Plot

The quiet life of Oxford professor James Westgate (Bob Peck) is shattered when he is introduced to Penny (Miranda Richardson), the wife of his crass new colleague (Barry Foster). Westgate recognises her as his childhood sweetheart "Patch", and the two resume their friendship. Westgate is bored with his mundane college life, including his German friend Boris who experiments on animals in the lab, and his lady friend Amanda, as well as the attentions of a shy male student who claims to be in love with him. He is only too happy to be diverted into joining Penny/Patch in her search for missing archaeologist Pilkington (a fellow Oxford colleague). As Westgate's obsession with his childhood friend grows, he is drawn into a tangle of misunderstanding, intrigue, and murder. Bob Peck imbues his character with comic ineptitude. The film frequently has the 4th movement from Schubert's

Trout Quintet The ''Trout Quintet'' (''Forellenquintett'') is the popular name for the Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667, by Franz Schubert. The piano quintet was composed in 1819, when he was 22 years old; it was not published, however, until 1829, a year af ...

on the soundtrack.

Awards and nominations

* Best Actress (nomination): Miranda Richardson - BAFTA TV Awards * Best Fiction (won) -

Prix Italia The Prix Italia is an international Television, Radio-broadcasting and Web award. It was established in 1948 by RAI – Radiotelevisione Italiana (in 1948, RAI had the denomination RAI – Radio Audizioni Italiane) in Capri and is honoured with the ...

Cast

as James Westgate *

as Penny 'Patch' Newhouse * Reina James as Amanda *

Gary Waldhorn Gary Peter Waldhorn (3 July 1943 – 10 January 2022) was an English actor and comedian known for his roles in British television and theatre. He is particularly remembered for his work in the main casts of several British sitcoms. Notable role ...

as Boris * Barry Foster as Derek *Sarah Butler as Young Penny *Richard Grant as Young James *Richard Brenner as Wilkins * Mary Miller as Deirdre Pilkington * Derek Ware as Pilkington *Nigel Nevinson as Doctor *John Gill as Pottsy

References

External links

*
New York Times reviewMemorable TV review
1987 television films 1987 films BBC television dramas Prix Italia winners {{BBC-tv-prog-stub