Brideshead Revisited (TV Serial)
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''Brideshead Revisited'' is a 1981 British television serial starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. It was produced by
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...
for broadcast by the ITV network. Significant elements of it were directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who handled the initial phases of the production, before Charles Sturridge carried on with the series. The first episode is credited to both men equally. The serial is an adaptation of the novel '' Brideshead Revisited'' (1945) by
Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...
. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles Ryder—including his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle. The screenplay was written by Derek Granger (the series' producer) and others. Although the credits attribute the screenplay to John Mortimer, Mortimer's script was not used.Jones, Alice
"Life after Brideshead"
''
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''. 1 October 2008.
Charles Sturridge declared that 95% of the dialogue was from Waugh's original text. The 11-episode serial premiered on ITV in the UK on 12 October 1981; on
CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
in Canada on 19 October 1981; and as part of the ''
Great Performances ''Great Performances'' is a television anthology series dedicated to the performing arts; the banner has been used to televise plays, musicals, opera, ballet, concerts, as well as occasional documentaries. It is produced by the PBS member statio ...
'' series on PBS in the US on 18 January 1982. In 2000, the serial was tenth on the list of the
100 Greatest British Television Programmes The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best British television programmes of any ...
compiled by the
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, based on a poll of industry professionals. In 2007, the serial was listed as one of ''
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'' magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-''Time''. In 2010, it was second in ''
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'' newspaper's list of the top 50 TV dramas of all time. In 2015, ''
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'' listed it at number 1 in its list of the greatest television adaptations, stating that "''Brideshead Revisited'' is television's greatest literary adaptation, bar none. It's utterly faithful to Evelyn Waugh's novel yet it's somehow more than that, too."


Episodes


Cast

* Jeremy Irons as Charles Ryder * Anthony Andrews as Lord Sebastian Flyte * Diana Quick as Lady Julia Flyte (Later in the series as Julia Mottram) * Simon Jones as Earl of Brideshead, usually referred to as Bridey *
Phoebe Nicholls Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 7 April 1957) is an English film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in '' Brideshead Revisited'' and as the mother of John Merrick in ''The Elephant Man''. Personal life Ni ...
as Lady Cordelia Flyte * Claire Bloom as Lady Marchmain *
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
as Lord Marchmain *
John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud ( ; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Britis ...
as Edward Ryder, Charles's father * Stéphane Audran as Cara * Charles Keating as Rex Mottram MP * Jeremy Sinden as Viscount Boy Mulcaster *
Mona Washbourne Mona Lee Washbourne (27 November 1903 – 15 November 1988) was an English people, English actress of stage, film, and television. Her most critically acclaimed role was in the film ''Stevie (1978 film), Stevie'' (1978), late in her career, for ...
as Nanny Hawkins * John Grillo as Mr Samgrass * Nickolas Grace as Anthony Blanche *
Jane Asher Jane Asher (born 5 April 1946)''The International Who's Who of Women'', 3rd edition, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman, Europa Publications, 2002, p. 29 is an English actress and author. She achieved early fame as a child actress and through her associatio ...
as Lady Celia Ryder, Charles's wife, Boy Mulcaster's sister * Jenny Runacre as Brenda Champion, Rex's ladyfriend *
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...
as Father Mowbray * Michael Bilton as Hayter, butler to the Ryder household * Bill Owen as Lunt, Charles's manservant at Oxford * Roger Milner as Wilcox, butler to the Flyte household * Jonathan Coy as Kurt, Sebastian's friend in Morocco *
Niall Tóibín Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an Irish people, Irish comedian and actor. Born in Cork (city), Cork into an Irish language, Irish speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. H ...
as Father Mackay * Stephen Moore as Jasper, Charles's cousin


Production

The television adaptation of Waugh's novel was originally conceived as a six-hour serial. In the late summer of 1978, producer Derek Granger asked Michael Lindsay-Hogg to direct the serial. Eight months were spent casting, costuming, and scripting, with the critical decision to have voiceover provided by Charles Ryder. In April 1979, Lindsay-Hogg began principal photography on the islands of
Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...
and
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, where the sequences set in Morocco, Mexico, and Central America were filmed. Four months of shooting then followed at locations in England, including Oxford and
Castle Howard Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire, north of York. A private residence, it has been the home of the Earl of Carlisle, Carlisle branch of the House of Howard, Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle ...
, which Granger and Lindsay-Hogg had selected as Brideshead. In August, a technicians' strike brought all ITV production to a halt. By the time it was settled in October, Lindsay-Hogg was no longer available due to a prior commitment to another project. Sturridge, Charles. ''The Making of Brideshead: A Note from the Director''. Included in ''A Companion Guide to Brideshead Revisited'' in the Acorn Media UK DVD released 25 June 2002. Lindsay-Hogg was replaced by relative novice Charles Sturridge, whose previous experience had been limited to directing episodes of ''
Strangers A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity (social science), identity and Character structure, chara ...
'', ''
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'' and ''
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''. "The actors thought I was part of an insurance scam", Sturridge later said, "and that my inexperience would cause the production to fall through." Cast contracts had to be renegotiated to take into account the extended filming period. Jeremy Irons, who was planning to audition for the film ''
The French Lieutenant's Woman ''The French Lieutenant's Woman'' is a 1969 Postmodern literature, postmodern historical fiction novel by John Fowles. The plot explores the fraught relationship of gentleman and amateur naturalist Charles Smithson and Sarah Woodruff, the for ...
'' (1981), stipulated he would remain with ''Brideshead'' under condition he would be allowed time off to film ''French Lieutenant'' if he were cast. Rather than scrap the considerable completed footage in which the actor appeared, Granger agreed. The break in filming was fortunate in that
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
, previously unavailable, could now be cast in the serial. Sturridge and Granger agreed the six-hour script eliminated so much detail of Waugh's story, with its "telling nuances and provocative ideas" that its potency was compromised, and they set about expanding it to seven two-hour episodes. The decision was also made to have the protagonist Charles Ryder narrate the serial as he had in the novel. Olivier's tight schedule required he start immediately, but his scenes had not yet been written, and Sturridge and Granger hurried to complete them so the actor would have at least a week to learn his dialogue.
Mona Washbourne Mona Lee Washbourne (27 November 1903 – 15 November 1988) was an English people, English actress of stage, film, and television. Her most critically acclaimed role was in the film ''Stevie (1978 film), Stevie'' (1978), late in her career, for ...
was less fortunate and received her script the day she arrived on the set to begin filming. Shooting resumed on 5 November 1979. The week was divided into five days of filming and two days of writing. Sturridge and Granger were anxious to complete the teleplay as soon as possible, and by the time the ten-day break for Christmas ended, the script was finished.
Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...
had approved a larger budget for the extended format, and Sturridge scheduled the shooting of sequences in
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, London and on board the RMS ''Queen Elizabeth 2''. Everything was going according to plan, and then Irons was cast in ''French Lieutenant''. Since his character is in nearly every scene of the serial, Sturridge was forced to place ''Brideshead'' on a lengthy hiatus. During this period, he edited completed scenes and continued to hone the script, although ultimately John Mortimer received sole screen credit for it. Filming resumed in September 1980. Because ''French Lieutenant'' had fallen behind schedule, Irons was forced to work on both projects simultaneously. The Oxford scenes were filmed largely at Waugh's alma mater, Hertford College, and the rooms Charles occupies in the film were those in which Waugh lived after his second term. Portions of
Wadham College Wadham College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy Wadham, a ...
and Christ Church were also used. Most of the grounds, all the major public rooms, and several rooms in the private wings of Castle Howard represented Brideshead. Bridgewater House in
Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
was used for the exterior of Marchmain House, and its interiors were filmed in Tatton Hall. Rex and Julia's wedding was filmed in the chapel at
Lyme Park Lyme Park is a large Estate (land), estate south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It is managed by the National Trust and consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens and a Deer park (England), deer park in the Peak District National ...
. Venice locations included the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, the Scuola di San Rocco, and the Palazzi Barbaro. The ocean-liner deck scenes were filmed on the QE2 during an actual storm, but the ship's interiors were either sets or public rooms in the Adelphi Hotel in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and the Park Lane Hotel in London. The riot in the General Strike sequence was the last scene to be filmed, and principal photography was completed in January 1981 after forty-two weeks of filming. Post-production was scheduled for the next seven months. Early into the period, ITV decided two-hour episodes were too lengthy, and Sturridge was forced to restructure the entire serial, beginning and ending it with expanded episodes that would bookend nine episodes running slightly less than an hour each. Original director Lindsay-Hogg praised Sturridge's work on the serial: "Charles Sturridge ... did fabulous and beautiful work, both with the actors and the camera."


Home media

On the 40th anniversary of the release of the TV serial (12 October 2021),
Britbox BritBox is a British Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Video on demand#Subscription models, video on demand Streaming television, streaming service founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, ITV which operates in eight countries across Australi ...
released a 4K "remastered" version of Brideshead Revisited. It was not released in the UK.


Music

The music for the series was composed by Geoffrey Burgon. A soundtrack album was released on Chrysalis Records in 1981.


Charts


Awards and nominations


See also

* '' Brideshead Revisited'' (2008), film adaptation


References


Further reading

* * * *


External links

* {{Portal bar, England, Television, United Kingdom 1981 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series 1980s British LGBTQ-related television series BAFTA winners (television series) Best Miniseries or Television Movie Golden Globe winners 1980s British television miniseries Films based on works by Evelyn Waugh ITV television dramas Television shows based on British novels Television series by ITV Studios Television series set in the 1920s Television series set in the 1930s Television series set in the 1940s Television shows set in Oxford Television shows shot in Liverpool Television shows shot in London Television shows shot in York Television shows shot in Yorkshire University of Oxford in fiction Television shows produced by Granada Television British English-language television shows British LGBTQ-related drama television series