Apple Tree Yard

Last updated

Apple Tree Yard
Appletreeyard.jpg
Genre Psychological thriller
Created by Louise Doughty
Based onApple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty
Written by Amanda Coe
Directed by Jessica Hobbs
Starring
Composer Halfdan E
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Amanda Coe
  • Manda Levin
  • Lucy Richer
ProducerChris Carey
CinematographyMatt Gray BSC
Running time60 minutes
Production company Kudos Film & Television
Original release
Network BBC One
Release22 January (2017-01-22) 
6 February 2017 (2017-02-06)

Apple Tree Yard is a British television psychological thriller, adapted from the 2013 novel of the same name by Louise Doughty. [1] The four-part series was commissioned in 2016 and the first episode had its premiere on BBC One on 22 January 2017. [2] Emily Watson stars as the novel's original lead, Yvonne Carmichael, with Ben Chaplin portraying the role of her lover, Mark Costley. [3] Apple Tree Yard follows the story of Carmichael, a conflicted, moderately unhappily-married fifty-something scientist, who begins a covert yet flagrant affair with Costley whilst completely unaware of his background.

Contents

Cast

Plot

After giving a presentation in the House of Commons, Yvonne Carmichael (Watson) meets a lean and mysterious man (Ben Chaplin), who charms her by offering her a tour of the locked Secret Chapel of the Commons. They quickly take likings to one another and have sex in the historic former broom cupboard. Afterwards, Yvonne begins secretly to compose fantasy letters playing out a relationship with the stranger, Mr. X. The next day, Yvonne tracks Mr. X to a café opposite the Commons, inviting him for coffee. After engaging in unbridled, consensual coitus in the café toilets, they agree to an illicit affair fueled by the thrill of engaging in sexual acts, at times in public places. Yvonne becomes aware that her lover is unwilling to reveal his true identity, but begins to thrive on their shared secret. One night, after meeting with Mr. X in Apple Tree Yard, Yvonne attends a party for one of her colleagues. There, she is approached by a colleague, George (Elder), who reveals that he has harboured secret feelings towards her for some time. When she rejects his advances, George brutally rapes her.

Traumatised from the attack, Yvonne is forced to take time away from work. She slowly begins to confide in Mr. X, who advises her to speak to a rape expert before she decides whether to report the incident to the police. She decides against doing so, but also breaks off the affair. Yvonne tries to pluck up the courage to face her colleagues, but realises that she cannot get the image of George out of her head. She later makes the decision to resign from her job and focus more on her personal life. When she discovers that her husband Gary has spent the weekend away in bed with his intern, Yvonne completely abandons the idea of retirement and decides to reignite her affair with Mr. X. However, she begins to notice that George is stalking her. Yvonne is confronted by George in a local shop, causing her to accept Mr. X's offer to "resolve" the problem, expecting him to intimidate George by beating him up. They drive to George's house where, with Yvonne staying in the car, Mr. X goes inside. When he returns, looking anxious, she drives him away and they eventually part company.

Shortly afterwards, Yvonne and Mr. X, named by officials as Mark Costley, are arrested and charged with George's murder. During the ensuing trial process, Yvonne believes Mark will protect her by not revealing their affair. But when expert evidence in his favour is undermined by the prosecutor, Mark allows his barrister to disclose their affair whilst cross-examining Yvonne, and she is shown to be lying under oath. However, Yvonne's powerful testimony about her rape gains the jury's sympathy, and she is found not guilty of the killing—though she receives a suspended sentence for perjury. Mark is found guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. Yvonne subsequently visits him in prison, where she recalls a moment when she asked Mark to kill George, and to smash his face in. She says to Mark that she realises he has a personality disorder which means he took her request more literally than she intended.

Production

Regarding the rape scene involving Emily Watson and Steven Elder in the first episode, director Jessica Hobbs commented that the scene was "well researched" and reflected on testimony made by several real victims in order to make the scene as accurate as possible. Watson commented; "It was an incredibly hard day for everyone. We wanted it to be very sudden and very real. The people we spoke to described it as an out-of-body experience and so we tried to reflect that." She also noted that having worked closely with Chaplin in the past, it made filming their consensual sex scenes easier: "We've known each other a long time, and we didn't want to fumble about, waiting for someone to shout 'Cut!', which usually happens. We plotted and planned every detail. We wanted it to be realistic – what would it be like in that situation, in a cupboard with a complete stranger? Which was great. I'd never laughed so much and it felt... empowering!" [4]

However, the rape scene was heavily criticised by several victim support organisations, with Rape Crisis England and Wales spokeswoman Katie Russell branding the scene "harrowing".[ citation needed ] Apple Tree Yard was produced by Kudos Film & Television (production company).

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions) [5]
1"Episode 1"Jessica HobbsAmanda Coe22 January 2017 (2017-01-22)8.80
Yvonne Carmichael seems to have it all - a respected career, a beautiful home and family. However, nothing is ever as it appears, and when she receives an unexpected proposition from an enigmatic stranger, she is shocked by the passion he awakens in her. But gradually she begins to realise that there is much more to her lover than meets the eye, and she could be playing a very dangerous game indeed.
2"Episode 2" [6] Jessica HobbsAmanda Coe29 January 2017 (2017-01-29)8.08
In the aftermath of what has happened, a devastated Yvonne shuts down. She feels unable to talk to the police or her husband, but as a campaign of terror is mounted against her, she is pushed to her limits and turns to her former lover, Costley, for advice. They meet for one last time and share a passionate afternoon together, before Costley takes control of the situation and Yvonne is plunged from one nightmare into another.
3"Episode 3" [7] Jessica HobbsAmanda Coe5 February 2017 (2017-02-05)8.12
Yvonne's life is turned upside down yet again, when she is ripped away from her family and arrested for murder. In shock, Yvonne denies everything, but the police are convinced that she and Costley colluded in cold blood. Their trial begins and very quickly Yvonne realises that everything she thought she knew about her lover was a lie. And now he's all that's standing between her and a prison sentence.
4"Episode 4" [8] Jessica HobbsAmanda Coe6 February 2017 (2017-02-06)7.33
What starts out as a simple, reckless mid-life affair between a genetic scientist named Yvonne and a Westminster paper pusher takes an intriguing turn; then suddenly gets very dark indeed.

Home media release

The four-part series was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 20 February 2017. [9]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryNominationResult
2018 46th International Emmy Awards Best Performance by an Actress Emily Watson [10] Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose</span> Famous sentence

The sentence "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" was written by Gertrude Stein as part of the 1913 poem "Sacred Emily", which appeared in the 1922 book Geography and Plays. In that poem, the first "Rose" is the name of a person. Stein later used variations on the sentence in other writings, and the shortened form "A rose is a rose is a rose" is among her most famous quotations, often interpreted as meaning "things are what they are", a statement of the law of identity, "A is A."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Watson</span> English actress (born 1967)

Emily Margaret Watson is an English actress. She began her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992. In 2002, she starred in productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya at the Donmar Warehouse, and was nominated for the 2003 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the latter. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her debut film role as Bess McNeil in Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996) and for her role as Jacqueline du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998), winning the British Independent Film Award for Best Actress for the latter. For her role as Margaret Humphreys in Oranges and Sunshine (2010), she was also nominated for the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role.

<i>The Beiderbecke Affair</i> British ITV comedy drama, 1st of trilogy

The Beiderbecke Affair is a television series produced in the United Kingdom by ITV during 1985, written by the prolific Alan Plater, whose lengthy credits in British television since the 1960s included the four-part mini series Get Lost! for ITV in 1981. The Beiderbecke Affair has a similar style to Get Lost!, wherein Neville Keaton and Judy Threadgold played in an ensemble cast. Although The Beiderbecke Affair was intended as a sequel to Get Lost!, Alun Armstrong proved to be unavailable and the premise was reworked. It is the first part of The Beiderbecke Trilogy, with the two sequel series being The Beiderbecke Tapes (1987) and The Beiderbecke Connection (1988).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Doughty</span> English novelist, playwright and journalist

Louise Doughty is an English novelist and screenwriter. She is best known for her bestselling novels, including Apple Tree Yard. She has also worked as a cultural critic for newspapers and magazines. Her weekly column for The Daily Telegraph was published as A Novel in a Year in 2007. Doughty was the presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme A Good Read in 1998 to 2001.

Ben Chaplin is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in films, including The Truth About Cats & Dogs, Washington Square, The Thin Red Line, Birthday Girl, Murder by Numbers, Stage Beauty, The New World, The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, Dorian Gray, Cinderella, Snowden, The Legend of Tarzan, and The Dig. His TV roles include Game On, Mad Dogs and The Nevers.

<i>Funland</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

Funland is a comedy / thriller serial, produced by the BBC that was first screened from 23 October 2005 to 7 November 2005, on the digital channel BBC Three. Created by Jeremy Dyson and Simon Ashdown, the series consists of a fifty-minute opening episode followed by ten half-hour instalments.

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a series of radio dramas based on Arthur Conan Doyle's detective Sherlock Holmes. Written by Bert Coules as a pastiche of Doyle's work, the series was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2002, 2004, 2008–2009 and 2010. There are sixteen episodes, all of them produced and directed by Patrick Rayner of BBC Scotland. Clive Merrison stars as Holmes, having portrayed the detective in a 1989–1998 BBC radio series of dramatisations of every Sherlock Holmes story by Doyle. Andrew Sachs appears as Dr. Watson, replacing Michael Williams after Williams died following the Radio 4 run of Sherlock Holmes adaptations. Each of the stories is based on a throwaway reference from an actual Doyle short story or novel. The first two series are repeated regularly on BBC Radio 4 Extra.

Home (<i>The X-Files</i>) 2nd episode of the 4th season of The X-Files

"Home" is the second episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files, which originally aired on the Fox network on October 11, 1996. Directed by Kim Manners, it was written by Glen Morgan and James Wong. "Home" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the overarching mythology of The X-Files. Watched by 18.85 million viewers, the initial broadcast had a Nielsen rating of 11.9. "Home" was the only episode of The X-Files to carry a TV-MA rating upon broadcast and the first to receive a viewer discretion warning for graphic content if the system had been present at the time; the TV Parental Guidelines rating system would be introduced two months later, on December 19, 1996. Critics were generally complimentary, and praised the disturbing nature of the plot; several made comparisons to the work of director Tobe Hooper. Some reviewers felt the violence was excessive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Morgan</span> Fictional character from Hollyoaks

Luke Morgan is a fictional character from the British Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Gary Lucy. He was introduced by the show's creator Phil Redmond as part of the Morgan family, and made his first appearance on 29 March 1999. The character was involved in a male rape storyline, which was branded "groundbreaking" and met with controversy. Lucy opted to leave the role in 2001 after two years, although he returned for two episodes in August 2002. The character's reintroduction was announced on 21 May 2017 and he returned on 24 July. Lucy took a break from the series in 2018 to appear in a play. The character made a few brief appearances throughout 2019 before he returned permanently in August. Luke was killed off in 2022, with his final scenes airing on 9 June 2022. He returned briefly in 2023 as a vision to his former fiancée Cindy Cunningham.

"Schizogeny" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the science fiction television series The X-Files. It premiered on the Fox network on January 11, 1998. It was written by Jessica Scott and Mike Wollaeger, directed by Ralph Hemecker, and featured guest appearances by Bob Dawson, Myles Ferguson, Katharine Isabelle, Chad Lindberg, and Sarah-Jane Redmond. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. "Schizogeny" earned a Nielsen household rating of 12.9, being watched by 21.37 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed to negative reviews, with several critics calling it the worst episode of The X-Files.

Roadrunners (<i>The X-Files</i>) 4th episode of the 8th season of The X-Files

"Roadrunners" is the fourth episode of the eighth season and the 165th episode overall of the science fiction television series The X-Files. "Roadrunners" is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology. The episode first aired in the United States on November 26, 2000, on Fox and on March 1, 2001, on Sky1 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Rod Hardy. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3 and was watched by 13.6 million households. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oona Chaplin</span> Spanish actress (born 1986)

Oona Castilla Chaplin is a Spanish actress. Her roles include Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones, Kitty Trevelyan in the BBC drama The Crimson Field, and Zilpha Geary in the series Taboo.

<i>Zander the Great</i> 1925 film

Zander the Great is a 1925 American silent comedy drama film directed by George W. Hill, in his first directing role for MGM. The film stars Marion Davies. The screenplay by Frances Marion is based upon the Edward Salisbury Field 1923 play of the same name.

"Murder House" is the third episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on October 19, 2011. The episode was written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

Amanda Coe is an English screenwriter and novelist.

"The Abominable Bride" is a special episode of the British television programme Sherlock. The episode was broadcast on BBC One, PBS and Channel One on 1 January 2016. It depicts the characters of the show in an alternative timeline: the Victorian London setting of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The title is based on the quote "Ricoletti of the club foot and his abominable wife" from "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" (1893), which refers to a case mentioned by Holmes. The story also draws on elements of original Conan Doyle stories of Holmes such as "The Five Orange Pips" (1891) and "The Final Problem" (1893).

"The Six Thatchers" is the first episode of the fourth series of the British television programme Sherlock and the eleventh episode overall. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One, BBC First, PBS and Channel One on 1 January 2017.

<i>To Walk Invisible</i> Television drama about the Brontë family

To Walk Invisible is a British television film about the Brontë family that aired on BBC One on 29 December 2016. The drama was written and directed by Sally Wainwright and focused on the relationship of the three Brontë sisters; Charlotte, Emily and Anne, and their brother, Branwell.

Olivia Vinall is an English/Belgian actress known for her roles in Apple Tree Yard (2017), The Woman in White (2018) and as Detective Matilda Stone in Queens of Mystery in 2019.

References

  1. "Five things to know about Apple Tree Yard". Evening Standard. 22 January 2017.
  2. Doughty, Louise. "Apple Tree Yard - Louise Doughty".
  3. "Apple Tree Yard - BBC One".
  4. Vincent, Alice (23 January 2017). "Emily Watson felt 'traumatised' by Apple Tree Yard rape scene". The Telegraph.
  5. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Barb.co.uk. Retrieved 12 January 2014. (No permanent link available. Search for relevant dates.)
  6. "Episode Two". BBC One . Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  7. "Episode Three". BBC One . Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  8. "Episode Four". BBC One . Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  9. "Apple Tree Yard". 20 February 2017 via Amazon.
  10. "International Emmy Award Nominations Unveiled". Variety. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2018.