''Artemis 81'' is a British

television play A television play is a television programming genre which is a drama performance broadcast from a multi-camera television studio, usually live in the early days of television but later recorded to tape. This is in contrast to a television mov ...

which was written by David Rudkin and directed by

Alastair Reid Alastair Reid (22 March 1926, in Whithorn – 21 September 2014, in Manhattan) was a Scottish poet and a scholar of South American literature. He was known for his lighthearted style of poems and for his translations of South American poets Jo ...

. Commissioned by BBC producer

David Rose David Rose may refer to: Business * David Rose (real estate developer) (1892–1986), American real estate developer and philanthropist * David L. Rose (born 1967), American business executive and scientist at MIT Media Lab * David S. Rose (bor ...

, it was broadcast by the BBC on 29 December 1981. It was one of the last TV performances from Anthony Steel.

Plot summary

Occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

novelist Gideon Harlax ( Hywel Bennett) is drawn into an epic battle between Helith (

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-earth ...

), the Angel of Light and

Asrael ''Asrael'' is a ''leggenda'' or opera in four acts by composer Alberto Franchetti and librettist Ferdinando Fontana. The plot, based on German fairy tale and folklore, displays the conflict between the spirit of evil and the spirit of Christian ...

( Roland Curram), the Angel of Death.

Selected cast

* Hywel Bennett - Gideon Harlax *Dinah Stabb - Gwen Meredith *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portraya ...

- Albrecht Von Drachenfels *

- Helith * Roland Curram - Asrael * Anthony Steel - Tristram Guise *

Margaret Whiting Margaret Eleanor Whiting (July 22, 1924 – January 10, 2011) was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.Mapes, Jillian.Margaret Whiting, Iconic Standards Singer, Dies at 86. ''Billboard' ...

- Laura Guise *

Ian Redford Ian Petrie Redford (5 April 1960 – 10 January 2014) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a midfielder or forward. He played for Dundee before joining Rangers for a then Scottish record transfer fee. At Rangers he won in three d ...

- Jed Thaxter *

Mary Ellen Ray Mary Ellen Ray (3 January 1931 – 10 September 2004) was an American-born actress who had a career in the United Kingdom. Early life She was born as Mary Ellen McPherson in Springfield, Missouri in 1931 to 17 year-old Hayzle McPherson and ...

- Sonia *Cornelius Garrett - Pastor * Ingrid Pitt - Hitchcock Blonde *

Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...

- Library Student *

Sylvia Coleridge Sylvia Coleridge (10 December 1909 – 31 May 1986) was a British stage, film, radio and television actress. She was married to Albert George Fiddes-Watt and their daughter Kate, born 1943, is also an actress as ''Kate Coleridge.'' Birth Coler ...

- Library Scholar

DVD release

''Artemis 81'' was released on DVD in 2007. It was incorrectly issued as ''Artemis '81''. The 81 is the number of a star, not a date.

References

External links

*
''Artemis 81''
a
www.davidrudkin.com
{{Alastair Reid 1981 plays BBC television dramas British supernatural television shows English-language television shows Films directed by Alastair Reid

Plot summary

Selected cast

DVD release

Further reading

See also

References

External links