The Edwardians (anthology series)
The Edwardians is a television miniseries[1] or anthology series[2] which was produced by the BBC, and first aired on BBC Television in 1972–73.[1] In the United States, the series aired on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in 1974.[1] Consisting of eight 90 minute episodes, each episode examines a different individual of historical importance from the Edwardian era with one episode being devoted to Henry Royce and Charles Rolls. The figures who have a single episode devoted to each are Horatio Bottomley; E. Nesbit; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; Robert Baden-Powell; Marie Lloyd; Daisy Greville, Countess of Warwick; and David Lloyd George.[3]
Unproduced episode
In 1971 the BBC commissioned the English dramatist Trevor Griffiths to write an episode, titled Such Impossibilities, dramatising the actions of trade unionist Tom Mann during the 1911 Liverpool general transport strike, in which he confronted the armed state. The BBC chose not to produce the script on stated grounds of cost, but more likely having deemed it too Marxist.[4][5] The script was eventually published in 1977 by Faber & Faber in the joint volume Through the Night and Such Impossibilities: Two Plays for Television.
Cast
- Thorley Walters as King Edward VII (in two episodes)[6][7]
- Michael Jayston as Henry Royce
- Robert Powell as Charles Rolls
- Timothy West as Horatio Bottomley
- Judy Parfitt as E. Nesbit
- Nigel Davenport as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Ron Moody as Robert Baden-Powell
- Georgia Brown as Marie Lloyd
- Virginia McKenna as Daisy Greville
- Anthony Hopkins as David Lloyd George
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mr Rolls and Mr Royce" | Gerald Blake | Ian Curteis | 21 November 1972[8] |
| 2 | "Horatio Bottomley" | Alan Clarke | Julian Bond | 28 November 1972[9] |
| 3 | "E. Nesbit" | James Cellan Jones | Ken Taylor | 5 December 1972[10] |
| 4 | "Conan Doyle" | Brian Farnham | Jeremy Paul | 12 December 1972[11] |
| 5 | "Baden-Powell" | Robert Knights | John Prebble | 19 December 1972[12] |
| 6 | "The Reluctant Juggler" | Brian Farnham | Alan Plater | 26 December 1972[13] |
| 7 | "Daisy" | James Cellan Jones | David Turner | 2 January 1973[6] |
| 8 | "Lloyd George" | John Davies | Keith Dewhurst | 9 January 1973[7] |
References
- ^ a b c Television Review: MASTERPIECE THEATRE: THE EDWARDIANS. Vol. 275. 10 July 1974. p. 35.
{{cite book}}:|work=ignored (help) - ^ Hannah Andrews (2021). "3.1 Metabiography in 'Babs' and 'Daisy'". Biographical Television Drama. Springer International Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 9783030646783.
- ^ Stanton B. Garner (1999). Trevor Griffiths: Politics, Drama, History. University of Michigan Press. p. 105.
- ^ Coates, Ken (1991). The History of the Transport and General Workers' Union. Blackwell Publishing. p. 347.
- ^ "Trevor Griffiths, socialist playwright who embraced television to 'cut across classes' – obituary". Daily Telegraph. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
- ^ a b "The Edwardians: Daisy". BBC Programme Index. 2 January 1973. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ a b "The Edwardians: Lloyd George". BBC Programme Index. 9 January 1973. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians: Mr Rolls and Mr Royce". BBC Programme Index. 21 November 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians: Horatio Bottomley". BBC Programme Index. 28 November 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians: E. Nesbit". BBC Programme Index. 5 December 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians: Conan Doyle". BBC Programme Index. 12 December 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians (Baden-Powell)". BBC Programme Index. 19 December 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- ^ "The Edwardians: The Reluctant Juggler". BBC Programme Index. 16 December 1972. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
External links