''The Happy Valley'' is a British television drama, first shown on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

on 6 September 1987 in the ''Sunday Premiere'' strand. It was written by David Reid, directed by Ross Devenish, and produced by

Cedric Messina Cedric Messina (14 December 1920 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa — 30 April 1993 in London) was a South-African born British television producer and director who worked for the BBC and is best remembered for his involvement in television pro ...

. It stars

Holly Aird Imogen Holly Aird (born 18 May 1969) is an English television actress. She was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. Career Aird was spotted by a casting director at age nine whilst at Bush Davies Ballet School and starred in the 1980 dramatisation o ...

as Juanita Carberry, Michael Byrne as her violent father, and

Denholm Elliott Denholm Mitchell Elliott (31 May 1922 – 6 October 1992) was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for ''Trading Places'' (1983), '' A Private Fu ...

Jock Delves Broughton Sir Henry John Delves Broughton, 11th Baronet, DL (10 September 1883 – 5 December 1942), was a British baronet who is chiefly known for standing trial for the murder of the 22nd Earl of Erroll. The event was the basis of the film '' White Mi ...

Plot

It is set in the British colony of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in the 1940s, and tells the true story of the murder of Josslyn Victor Hay, the 22nd Earl of Erroll, as seen through the eyes of 15-year-old Juanita Carberry, the daughter of John Carberry, a friend of Broughton's.

Cast

as Sir Henry 'Jock' Delves Broughton *

as Juanita Carberry * Kathryn Pogson as June Carberry * Michael Byrne as John Carberry *

Cathryn Harrison Cathryn Mary Lee Harrison (25 May 1959 – October 2018) was an English actress. Early life Harrison was the daughter of the actor and singer Noel Harrison and Sara Lee Eberts, and the granddaughter of actor Sir Rex Harrison. Career Harr ...

as Helen Tapsell *

Amanda Hillwood Amanda Hillwood (born Amanda Mary Smith; 26 February 1957) is an English actress. Biography Hillwood is the daughter of Mark and Angela Smith (née Angela Hill-Wood, granddaughter of Sir Samuel Hill-Wood, 1st Baronet). Through her mother, s ...

as Lady Diana Delves Broughton * Peter Sands as Lord Erroll *

Richard Heffer Richard Elliott Heffer (born 28 July 1946) is a British actor, known for his roles on television in the 1970s and 1980s. His film career included appearances in ''Women in Love'' (1969), '' Waterloo'' (1970), '' Penny Gold'' (1973), '' The Sign o ...

as Asst. Supt. Poppy * Mawa Makondo as Warganjo * Kavundla as Gatimu *

Roshan Seth Roshan Seth (born 2 April 1942) is a British-Indian actor, writer and theatre director who has worked in the United Kingdom, United States and India. He began his acting career in the early 1960s in the UK, but left acting the following deca ...

as Defence Solicitor * Frank Lazarus as Doctor * John Cartwright as Constable *

Abdulla Sunado Abdullah may refer to: * Abdulla, another form of the name Abdullah * Arkin Abdulla, Uyhghur musician * Abdul Samad Abdulla, Maldivian politician and the Minister of Foreign Affairs * Shakhawan Abdulla, Iraqi politician * ''Abdulla'' (1960 fil ...

as Witchdoctor * Oliver Rowe as Ian Eatwell

Storyline remake

Lord Erroll's murder was also dramatised in the feature film '' White Mischief'', which was released seven months after the first transmission of ''The Happy Valley''.

References

External links

* 1987 television films 1987 drama films BBC television dramas British television films British films based on actual events Films set in Kenya Films set in the British Empire {{UK-tv-film-stub

Plot

Cast

Storyline remake

See also

References

External links