''A Respectable Trade'' is a 1995 historical novel by

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

set in the

Bristol docks Bristol Harbour is the harbour in the city of Bristol, England. The harbour covers an area of . It is the former natural tidal river Avon through the city but was made into its current form in 1809 when the tide was prevented from going out p ...

in 1787.

Adaptation

Gregory adapted her work into a four-part TV serial which was broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1998 and by the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

in the United States in the fall of 1999. The series was partially filmed on site in Bristol, utilising the former house (and now museum) of plantation and slave owner

John Pinney John Pretor Pinney (1740 – 23 January 1818) was a plantation and slave owner on the island of Nevis in the West Indies and was a sugar merchant in Bristol. He made his fortune from England’s demand for sugar. His Bristol residence is now ...

Reception

''A Respectable Trade'' was nominated in several

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

categories, including best serial, winning one BAFTA for Frances Tempest's historical costumes.Jerry Roberts ''Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors'' 0810863782 - 2009 -Page 314 "A Respectable Trade was nominated for best serial or special by the British Academy of Film and TV Arts, and won the BAFTA for Frances Tempest's costumes.."

Cast

Warren Clarke Warren Clarke (born Alan James Clarke; 26 April 1947 – 12 November 2014) was an English actor. He appeared in many films after a significant role as Dim in Stanley Kubrick's '' A Clockwork Orange''. His television appearances included '' D ...

, Josiah Cole a trader in sugar, rum and eventually slaves *

Emma Fielding Emma Georgina Annalies Fielding (born 7 October 1970) is an English actress. Early life and education The daughter of a British Army officer, Fielding spent some of her childhood in Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Northern Ireland and other ...

, Frances Scott, his new aristocratic wife *

Ariyon Bakare Ariyon Bakare () (born 1971) is an English actor, writer and director. He is known for his extensive work across theatre, television, and film. In 1998, he became the first Black man to play a lead role in a BBC period drama, portraying Mehuru ...

, Mehuru, an educated African slave *Grahame Fox, John Bates Slave driver

References

1995 British novels British novels adapted into television shows Novels about slavery 1990s British drama television series BBC television dramas Television shows based on British novels 1998 British television series debuts 1998 British television series endings Fiction set in 1787 Novels set in the 1780s Novels set in Bristol HarperCollins books {{BBC-stub Novels set in Georgian England