''Sharpe's Enemy'' is a British

television drama In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, the fourth of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. This episode is based on the 1984 novel of the same name by

Bernard Cornwell Bernard Cornwell (born 23 February 1944) is an English-American author of historical novels and a history of the Waterloo Campaign. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe. He has also written ''The Saxon ...

Plot

In 1813, a band of deserters, British, French, and others, led by Sharpe's nemesis Obadiah Hakeswill and French renegade Pot-au-Feu, takes over a Portuguese village. Lady Isabella, the wife of Sir Augustus Farthingdale, the English military envoy to Portugal, is taken captive. The brigands demand a ransom for her and for another lady taken earlier, Sarah, the spouse of French Colonel Dubreton. Sharpe delivers the money for Lady Isabella, while Dubreton does the same for his wife. Sarah mysteriously recites a verse of poetry. Hakeswill, however, demands double the amount and gives each man five days to deliver the second installment. When Sharpe returns to camp,

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

, the British commander, decides that drastic action is required to discourage

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), whic ...

before it can infect his army. Sharpe also reports seeing a Major Ducos, who accompanied Dubreton. This worries Major Nairn, the head of Wellington's military intelligence. He suspects that Ducos, his French counterpart, is scouting the route for a French invasion of Portugal. The village happens to be directly in the most likely path. Sarah's poem"

Eloisa to Abelard ''Eloisa to Abelard'' is a verse epistle by Alexander Pope that was published in 1717 and based on a well-known medieval story. Itself an imitation of a Latin poetic genre, its immediate fame resulted in a large number of English imitations thro ...

" by

Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (21 May 1688 O.S. – 30 May 1744) was an English poet, translator, and satirist of the Enlightenment era who is considered one of the most prominent English poets of the early 18th century. An exponent of Augustan literature, ...

, with full text

here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...

. conceals a clue to the captives' whereabouts. Sharpe comes up with a risky plan to rescue the women. When Farthingdale objects by quoting regulations that a major must lead a detachment of this size, Wellington presents him with a letter from the Prince Regent, who has followed Sharpe's exploits with admiration, promoting Sharpe to major. Sharpe sneaks into the village with Sergeant Harper and his "chosen men" on Christmas Eve, when the enemy is drunk and distracted, and frees the captives. While they wait for Captain William Frederickson to bring up his company, it is revealed that Lady Isabella had been a prostitute and Sharpe's lover. With time on their hands, they resume their sexual relationship. The battle goes almost as planned. The deserters are killed or captured, except for Hakeswill, who escapes. He runs into Sharpe's wife Teresa, who had been scouting the approaching French force. Hakeswill mortally wounds her, but is caught by Dubreton, who hands him over to Sharpe. Teresa dies in Sharpe's arms. Ducos delivers an ultimatum, demanding the surrender of the village. Sharpe refuses. When Farthingdale tries to negotiate, Sharpe stops him by threatening to reveal Isabella's past to the Lisbon court. The French attack, outnumbering the British 10 to 1, but fall into Sharpe's trap and are repulsed with

rocket artillery Rocket artillery is artillery that uses rocket (weapon), rocket explosives as the projectile. The use of rocket artillery dates back to medieval China where devices such as fire arrows were used (albeit mostly as a Psychological warfare, psycholo ...

. Hakeswill is

executed by firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

Cast

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean on 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bean made his professional debut in a theatre production of '' Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983. Retaining his Yorkshire ...

as Richard Sharpe * Daragh O'Malley as Sergeant Patrick Harper * Hugh Fraser as Lord Wellington * Michael Byrne as Major Nairn *

Pete Postlethwaite Peter William Postlethwaite, (7 February 1946 – 2 January 2011) was an English character actor. After minor television appearances, including in '' The Professionals'', his first major success arose through the British autobiographical fi ...

as Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill * Assumpta Serna as Comandante Teresa Moreno *

Jeremy Child Sir Coles John Jeremy Child, 3rd Baronet (20 September 1944 – 7 March 2022) was a British actor. Early life Coles John Jeremy Child was born on 20 September 1944 in Woking, Surrey, son of Foreign Office diplomat Sir Coles John Child, 2nd ...

as Sir Augustus Farthingdale *

Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model. As an actress, her best-known film roles have been as Vanessa Kensington in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in '' Bedazzled'' ( ...

as Isabella, Lady Farthingdale *

Helena Michell Helena Elizabeth Anne Michell is an Australian-born English actress. She is the daughter of the actors Keith Michell and Jeanette Sterke. Helena was born in Australia in 1963, but moved to England at an early age. She began her career as a ...

as Sarah Dubreton *

Tony Haygarth George Anthony Haygarth (4 February 1945 – 10 March 2017) was an English television, film and theatre actor. Life and career After leaving Marlborough College, Liverpool, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully in 1963 as a lifeguard in Torquay, and a ...

as Pot-au-Feu * Michael Mears as Rifleman Francis Cooper *

John Tams John Tams (born 16 February 1949) is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician born in Holbrook, Derbyshire, the son of a publican. He first worked as a reporter for the '' Ripley & Heanor News'' later working for BBC Radio De ...

as Rifleman Daniel Hagman *

Jason Salkey Jason Salkey (born 24 April 1962) is an English actor, best known for playing Harris, the "educated rifleman", in the television series '' Sharpe''. Salkey has also published a book and video diaries about working in ''Sharpe'' alongside Sean ...

as Rifleman Harris * Lyndon Davies as Rifleman Perkins *

Philip Whitchurch Philip Whitchurch (born 30 January 1951) is an English stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for playing Captain William Frederickson in three episodes of the Sharpe series between 1994-1997 and the role of Chief Inspector Philip ...

as Captain William Frederickson * Féodor Atkine as Major Pierre Ducos * François Guétary as Colonel Dubreton * Nicholas Rowe as Lieutenant Gilliand *

Vincent Grass Vincent Grass (born 9 January 1949) is a Belgian actor. He has appeared in a number of both European and American film and television productions, the first being the Belgian television production ''Siska Van Roosemaal'' in 1973. Grass played Fian ...

as General Chaumier *

Diana Perez Diana Perez-Rodgers (born January 13, 1981) is a former American television reporter who was employed by ABC News as anchor of ''World News Now'' and ''America This Morning''. Education and career Perez graduated from Hofstra University in 2003 w ...

as Ramona * Morgan Jones as Kelly * Iain Glass as Sergeant Rossner

Production notes

The programme was filmed in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

Soundtrack

* "

Spanish Ladies "Spanish Ladies" ( Roud 687) is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the Royal Navy. Origins A ballad by the name "Spanish Ladies" was registered in the English St ...

References

External links

*
Sharpe's Enemy at SharpeFilm.com
{{Bernard Cornwell 1994 British television episodes 1990s historical films 1990s war films Films based on British novels Films based on historical novels Films based on military novels Napoleonic Wars films

Enemy An enemy or a foe is an individual or a group that is considered as forcefully adverse or threatening. The concept of an enemy has been observed to be "basic for both individuals and communities". The term "enemy" serves the social function of d ...

War television films Fiction set in 1813 Films directed by Tom Clegg (director)