''The Great Fire'' is a four-part television drama first shown on ITV from 16 October to 6 November 2014. It is set during the Great Fire of London in England in 1666. It was written by

Tom Bradby Thomas Matthew Bradby (born 13 January 1967) is a British journalist and novelist who currently presents the ''ITV News at Ten''. He was previously political editor for ITV News from 2005 to 2015, and presented '' The Agenda with Tom Bradby'', ...

and produced by

Ecosse Films Ecosse Films is a British film and television production company based in London. Ecosse Films produces programs for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Showtime, Sky Atlantic, Starz Channel and WGBH. History The first production of Ecosse Films was the 1 ...

. Each hour-long (including

commercial break A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...

s) episode is set in one day of the fire.

Plot

The series portrays events from the point of view of the Farriner family, in whose bakery on

Pudding Lane Pudding Lane is a small street in London, widely known as the location of Thomas Farriner's bakery, where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. It runs between Eastcheap and Thames Street in the historic City of London, and intersects Monum ...

the fire started, and from the point of view of the royal court in responding to the fire. The storyline includes events that are not recorded from the real fire. The fire was shown as starting when Farriner's daughter left the oven's stoke-hatch open and the fire ejected a hot ember which ignited loose straw on the wooden floor. It suggests Farriner had a contract to supply baked goods to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and was suffering financial difficulties as a result of the Navy persistently delaying payment. It also follows a sub-plot in which there is a suspected Catholic plot to kill King Charles II, in which the Farriners become suspected of complicity.

Cast

Andrew Buchan Andrew Buchan (born 19 February 1979) is an English stage and television actor known for his roles as Mark Latimer in the ITV drama ''Broadchurch'' (2013–17), as Scott Foster in the BBC political drama '' Party Animals'' (2007), as John Merc ...

Thomas Farriner Thomas Farriner ( – 20 December 1670) was a British baker and churchwarden in 17th century London. Allegedly, his bakery in Pudding Lane was the source point for the Great Fire of London on 2 September 1666. Career Farriner joined the B ...

Rose Leslie Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie (born 9 February 1987) is a Scottish actress who rose to fame as Gwen Dawson in the ITV drama series ''Downton Abbey'' and Ygritte in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones''. She starred as Maia Rindell for t ...

as Sarah, Thomas Farriner's (fictional) sister-in-law * Jack Huston as King Charles II of England *

Daniel Mays Daniel Mays (born 31 March 1978) is an English actor. Early life Born in Epping, Essex, the third of four boys, Mays was brought up in Buckhurst Hill, Essex, by his electrician father and bank cashier mother. He attended the Italia Conti Acad ...

as Samuel Pepys *

Perdita Weeks Perdita Rose Weeks (born 25 December 1985) is a British actress who plays Juliet Higgins in the CBS-turned-NBC reboot series ''Magnum P.I.'' Life and education Weeks was born in South Glamorgan, to Robin and Susan (née Wade) Weeks, was educat ...

as Elizabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife *

Oliver Jackson-Cohen Oliver Mansour Jackson-Cohen (born 24 October 1986) is an English actor and model. He is best known for his role as Adrian Griffin in the 2020 adaptation of ''The Invisible Man'' and for his roles as Luke Crain and Peter Quint in the Netflix ...

as James, Duke of York (the king's brother, the future King

James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

) *

Charles Dance Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in '' The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in '' ...

as Lord Denton, the king's (fictional) spymaster * Nicholas Blane as Thomas Bloodworth, Lord Mayor of London * Andrew Tiernan as Vincent, a prisoner in Newgate Prison *

Antonia Clarke Antonia Sophia E. Clarke (born 24 May 1995) is an English actress and singer. Her films include ''Altar'' (2014) and '' All My Friends Hate Me'' (2021). On television, she is known for her roles as young Emmeline in the BBC Two film ''The Thirte ...

Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond Frances Teresa Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (8 July 1647Encyclopædia Britannica – 15 October 1702) was a prominent member of the Court of the Restoration and famous for refusing to become a mistress of Charles II of England. For her ...

* Uriel Emil as Signor Romero *

Sonya Cassidy Sonya Cassidy is a British actress. Career Cassidy is known for her roles as Clara in the BBC period drama '' The Paradise'', as Celine Ashworth in the police detective series ''Vera'', as the Oracle in Syfy fantasy series ''Olympus'', and as ...

Catherine of Braganza Catherine of Braganza ( pt, Catarina de Bragança; 25 November 1638 – 31 December 1705) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland during her marriage to King Charles II, which lasted from 21 May 1662 until his death on 6 February 1685. She ...

Filming locations

Cobham Hall Cobham Hall is an English country house in the county of Kent, England. The grade I listed building is one of the largest and most important houses in Kent, re-built as an Elizabethan prodigy house by William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham (1527� ...

was used to film some of the London street scenes and

Penshurst Place Penshurst Place is a historic building near Penhurst, Kent, south east of London, England. It is the ancestral home of the Sidney family, and was the birthplace of the great Elizabethan poet, courtier and soldier, Sir Philip Sidney. The ori ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

doubled as the exterior of the King's palace.

Reception

''The Guardian'' was moderately positive, describing it as, 'decent enough drama, if not quite as great as its title would like it to be, and it is lifted by a fine cast, particularly Charles Dance as the sinister intelligence officer Lord Denton.' ''The Independent'' also praised the cast, but said the series lacked suspense. ''The Telegraph'' gave it two stars.

References

External links

* 2014 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings 2010s British drama television series ITV television dramas 2010s British television miniseries Great Fire of London Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows Television series set in the 17th century Television shows set in London Cultural depictions of Charles II of England Cultural depictions of Catherine of Braganza {{UK-tv-prog-stub