''Lost Empires'' is a 1986 television miniseries adaptation of

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's 1965 novel of the same name and starred Colin Firth,

John Castle John Michael Frederick Castle (born 14 January 1940) is an English actor. He is best known for his film and television work, most notably playing Bill in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Blowup'' (1966) and Geoffrey in '' The Lion in Winter'' (19 ...

and Laurence Olivier. Produced by Granada Television, it was shown as a serial, and premiered on the UK's ITV network between 24 October and 5 December 1986.

Plot

After the death of his mother, Richard Herncastle (Colin Firth) is offered a job by his uncle, his mother's brother. Nick Ollanton is a stage conjurer in variety theatre and Richard joins the act where he meets the other members of the team and the rest of the acts on the bill as they travel around Britain appearing at the Empires, the old variety theatres that have since vanished. He becomes our eyes as he experiences the last few months of peace before

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

breaks out and changes the world forever. During the course of the seven episodes (eight hours), Firth's character, young Richard Herncastle, sees the "whole wide world" from backstage at the music hall variety shows with which the magic act travels, just as his uncle Nick (

) has promised—hilarity, beauty, love, lust, fear, despair. Richard comes of age just as the world enters the fateful year of 1914—the outbreak of World War I, when the greatest of all disappearing acts becomes imminent: the disappearance of millions. The series has the second to last appearance of Olivier as a fading comedian named Harry Burrard, who has long since lost his audience and his comic abilities. Harry should have retired years before, however he has nowhere else to go and his brain is collapsing into paranoia. The role is a sort of older version of Olivier's Archie Rice, from '' The Entertainer'' (1960).

Cast

* Colin Firth as Richard Herncastle *

as Nick Ollanton *

Gillian Bevan Gillian Bevan (born 13 February 1956) is an English actress, best known for her roles in British television shows and West End theatre. In 1988 she played Dorothy in the Royal Shakespeare Company's revival of their version of '' The Wizard of O ...

as Cissie Mapes * Beatie Edney as Nancy Ellis * Laurence Olivier as Harry Burrard *

Carmen du Sautoy Carmen Du Sautoy (born 26 February 1950) is a British stage, television and film actor. Early life Du Sautoy was born in London. She has played a wide variety of leading roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre, in Lon ...

as Julie Blane *

Pamela Stephenson Pamela Helen Stephenson, Lady Connolly (born 4 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born psychologist, writer, and performer who is now a resident in both the United Kingdom and the United States. She is best known for her work as an actress and co ...

as Lilly Farris * Jim Carter as Inspector Crabbe

Awards

The series was nominated for six Television BAFTA Awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make-up. In the US Olivier received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie.

Video and DVD

The series has been released on both VHS and DVD format.

References

External links

*
Photograph of cast.
1986 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series Period television series ITV television dramas 1980s British television miniseries Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows Television shows set in England {{UK-tv-prog-stub