''Paradise Postponed'' (1986) is a British 11-episode TV serial based on the 1985 novel by writer John Mortimer. The series covered a span of 30 years of postwar British history, set in a small village.

Plot

The series explores the mystery of why Reverend Simeon Simcox, a "wealthy Socialist rector", bequeathed the millions of the Simcox brewery estate to Leslie Titmuss, the son of Simcox's accountant George Titmuss, who has risen from doing odd jobs for the rector to be a city developer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

cabinet minister.JOHN J. O'CONNOR, "TV WEEKEND; 'PARADISE POSTPONED,' A NEW SERIES ON 'MASTERPIECE THEATER' "
''New York Times,'' 17 October 1986, accessed 29 February 2016 Simeon's sons Fred, a jazz-drumming country doctor, and Henry, once Britain's brightest and angriest writer who now works for Hollywood, conduct inquiries into their father's life as they try to understand the will. The setting of the work in an English village shows it absorbing and reflecting the upheavals of British society from the 1940s to the 1970s, and the many changes of the post-World War II society.

Cast

* Michael Hordern - Rev. Simeon Simcox *

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actress.Annette Crosbie fi ...

- Dorothy Simcox *

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor. He is known for television roles including Hogarth in '' Big Breadwinner Hog'' (1969), the future King George IV in ''Prince Regent'' (1979); smooth neighbour Paul Ryman in the sitco ...

- Henry Simcox * Paul Shelley - Fred Simcox * Colin Blakely - Dr. Salter * Eleanor David - Agnes Simcox, née Salter * Jill Bennett - Lady Grace Fanner * Richard Vernon - Sir Nicholas Fanner *

Zoë Wanamaker Zoë Wanamaker (born 13 May 1949) is an American-born British actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. Wanamaker was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001 by Qu ...

- Charlotte 'Charlie' Titmuss, née Fanner * David Threlfall - Leslie Titmuss * Colin Jeavons - George Titmuss * Albert Welling - Rev. Kevin Bulstrode * Harold Innocent - Jackson Catelow * Thomas Heathcote - Tom Nowt * Claire Oberman - Lonnie Simcox, née Hope

Production

The TV series was directed by

Alvin Rakoff Alvin Rakoff (February 6, 1927 – October 12, 2024) was a Canadian director of film, television and theatre productions. He worked with actors including Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Sean Connery, Judi Dench, Rex Harrison, Rod Steiger, Henry ...

and was mainly shot in

Henley-on-Thames Henley-on-Thames ( ) is a town status in the United Kingdom, town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Thames, in the South Oxfordshire district, in Oxfordshire, England, northeast of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, west of M ...

and

Marlow, Buckinghamshire Marlow ( ), historically Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow, is a town and civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the River Thames, south-southwest of High Wycombe, west-northwest of Maidenhead and ...

in the second half of 1985. A three-part sequel, entitled '' Titmuss Regained'', aired in 1991.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' described the series as a "decided disappointment," with Mortimer having perhaps taken on too much. The technique of time shifts from the present to near past is said to be confusing more than illuminating of its characters. While containing a "distinct whiff of snobbery", the character of the lower-class Leslie Titmuss who rises on his wiles is developed as the most fascinating figure in the cast. In a 2014 retrospective review, Toby Manning of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' described the series as "beautifully acted", which "simply oozes nostalgia for a bygone Britain", and called the character Titmuss "quite simply one of the most compelling characters in TV history."Toby Manning, "Paradise Postponed box-set review"
''The Guardian,'' 27 February 2014, accessed 6 April 2019

References

External links

* *

''Time'' magazine (1986)

''The New York Times'' (1986) {{John Mortimer 1986 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series 1980s British television miniseries ITV television dramas Television shows based on British novels Period television series Works by John Mortimer Television shows produced by Thames Television Television series by Euston Films British English-language television shows Television series about Christian religious leaders Films directed by Alvin Rakoff