Banished (TV series)

Last updated

Banished
Banished TV series titlecard.jpg
GenreHistorical Drama
Created by Jimmy McGovern
Written by
Directed by
Composer David Hirschfelder
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • Australia
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Sita Williams
  • Brett Popplewell
  • Simon Hailey
Production location Sydney
CinematographySteve Lawes
Running time58-60 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release5 March (2015-03-05) –
16 April 2015 (2015-04-16)

Banished is a British drama television serial created by Jimmy McGovern. The seven-part serial first aired on 5 March 2015 on BBC Two and was inspired by events in the eighteenth century when Britain established a penal colony in Australia. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Banished was not renewed for a second series. [4]

Plot

Set in the first penal colony founded by the British in New South Wales in the year 1788, in which the British convicts live alongside their Royal Navy marine guards and their officers. A thousand prisoners are guarded by one hundred men, and with five men for every woman, tensions are high from widespread polyamory and rape. Several characters from the real First Fleet are portrayed, though not necessarily accurately.

Production

The series, a co-production between RSJ Films and See-Saw Films, was co-commissioned by BBC Two and BBC Worldwide. The commissioners for BBC Two are Ben Stephenson and Janice Hadlow. Filming took place in Sydney in April 2014 and Manchester afterwards. [5] [6] [7] [8] The series premiered on 25 June 2015, on BBC First in Australia and BBC UKTV in New Zealand. [9] [10]

Cast

In alphabetical order: [11]

Episodes (2015)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)  [12]
1"Episode 1"Daniel PercivalJimmy McGovern5 March 2015 (2015-03-05)4.43
When prisoner Elizabeth Quinn is found in the men's quarters, the rules of the penal colony are tested. The female prisoners are expected to fraternize only with the soldiers and not other prisoners unless they are married; an impossible situation because she and her lover, Tommy Barrett, have spouses back in England. Governor Phillip, to maintain order, agrees to have Barrett hanged and gives the task to Reverend Johnson who will not marry them as he does not sanction the Governor's legal power to divorce the pair.
2"Episode 2"Daniel PercivalJimmy McGovern12 March 2015 (2015-03-12)3.29
Starving James Freeman plots with Tommy Barrett and Elizabeth Quinn to kill the blacksmith who has been stealing all his food. The plot goes awry, forcing Barrett to kill the blacksmith in the sleeping quarters before witnesses. The witnesses agree to stay silent. With the body disposed of the Governor cannot hang anybody even though he suspects Freeman. Kitty McVitie, a prisoner who has a protector and lover in Private MacDonald, catches the eye of Major Ross and he offers the Private promotion to Corporal and extra food in exchange for sex with McVitie for two nights a week; with no alternative they agree, but the intervention of the Reverend Johnson meant that the relationship must be platonic.
3"Episode 3"Daniel PercivalJimmy McGovern19 March 2015 (2015-03-19)3.23
Stubbins volunteers to be the new blacksmith to gain remission on his sentence and is being taught to read and write to the consternation of the colony letter writer Letters Molloy. Elizabeth and Barrett's blessing of marriage by the Reverend Johnson at the site of his proposed church is halted by her sickness caused by her pregnancy. The Governor also calls a halt to the building of the church. Major Ross's demands on Kitty McVitie that she should spend three nights a week with him prove too much and in her desire to kill herself the blacksmith's body is discovered; James Freeman flees into the bush.
4"Episode 4"Jeffrey WalkerJimmy McGovern26 March 2015 (2015-03-26)3.20
McVitie is threatened with a hundred lashes by Major Ross, who takes her suicide attempt as an insult; but intervention by the Reverend Johnson leads to a compromise satisfactory to Ross's desires and the restart of the church construction. Mrs Johnson is given hope for the future by the insight of Anne Meredith. Freeman returns to the colony after a run-in with an escaped prisoner who was thought to be dead, Jefferson. Freeman is sentenced to be hanged and the Governor unsuccessfully canvasses the prisoners for a hangman; finding no volunteer, the Governor has to do it himself, and with Freeman in the noose on the scaffold, offers him a way out.
5"Episode 5"Jeffrey WalkerJimmy McGovern and Shaun Duggan2 April 2015 (2015-04-02)2.74
The prisoners' suspicions are aroused by Freeman's escape from the hangman's noose, believing he has turned informer; punishable by death at the hands of the prisoners. Major Ross's batman, Mulrooney, is killed by a poisonous snake and Ross uses the death to try to drive a wedge between Kitty McVitie and Corporal MacDonald. A poker game between Timmins, Macdonald, Buckley, Freeman, and Barrett turns nasty when Barrett uses his wife, Elizabeth, as a stake and a truth is revealed about Buckley and Elizabeth.
6"Episode 6"Jeffrey WalkerJimmy McGovern9 April 2015 (2015-04-09)2.72
Barrett goes berserk and finds Buckley and beats him to near death, placing the governor Phillip in a dilemma with Major Ross demanding Barrett be hanged and the Reverend Johnson pleading leniency. With food supplies dwindling, Ross proposes withdrawing food from the dying and feeding the corpses to the prisoners so that his soldiers can remain fed. Ross convinces Sergeant Timmins that in the event that the Governor should not sentence Barrett to death, then Timmins should arrest the governor. The governor decides to sentence Barrett to death and allows Barrett and his companions to get drunk. Ross's plan to break up McVitie and MacDonald come to fruition when she agrees to having sex with him. Freeman, knowing he will be the hangman and will be killed by the other prisoners, goes to the scaffold and puts the noose around his own neck.
7"Episode 7"Jeffrey WalkerJimmy McGovern16 April 2015 (2015-04-16)2.89
Kitty McVitie agrees to live with Major Ross despite MacDonald imploring her to marry him. Mrs Johnson enquires if she can take Anne Meredith home to England when she and her husband return, but the truth behind her transportation threatens their friendship. At the hanging of Tommy Barrett, the convicts' plan to turn their backs is thwarted by Major Ross's intervention using MacDonald to kill any prisoner refusing to watch. The governor orders Freeman to do his duty and orders Private Buckley to act as Freeman's bodyguard on pain of his own death. Governor Phillip uses the defiance of the convicts to cut the dwindling rations.

Reception

The drama series premiered on 5 March 2015 and gained 3.4 million viewers, giving BBC2 a rare ratings victory over both BBC1 and ITV. It was BBC2’s second biggest new drama launch for several years, behind Wolf Hall , which began in January with an overnight audience of 3.9 million. [13]

The Guardian newspaper named the series "I'm a Convict, Get me Out of Here!" with reference to the reality TV series I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! . [14] The Telegraph gave the TV series two stars out of five because of its "grim" nature and comparing it to the TV series Lost . [15]

McGovern, responding to criticisms over the lack of Indigenous Australians on the series, said that "The time-frame in Banished is very short – something just over two weeks – and there is not sufficient time to develop and do justice to indigenous characters". [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth McGovern</span> American actress (born 1961)

Elizabeth Lee McGovern is an American actress. She has received many awards and nominations, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination.

James Stanley McGovern is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama series Cracker (1993–1995), for which he received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He also received recognition for creating drama series such as Hillsborough, The Lakes, The Street, and Accused, among others. On 8 December 2021, McGovern was conferred the Freedom of Liverpool in recognition of his life's work.

Danny Brocklehurst is an English screenwriter, playwright, and former journalist. He has won both BAFTA and Royal Television Society writing awards. He was featured in the writers' section of Broadcast magazine's Hot 100 in 2007. His 2024 Netflix drama Fool Me Once is the 6th most successful Netflix show of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russell Tovey</span> English actor (born 1981)

Russell George Tovey is an English actor. He is best known for playing the role of werewolf George Sands in the BBC's supernatural comedy-drama Being Human, Rudge in both the stage and film versions of The History Boys, Steve in the BBC Three sitcom Him & Her, Kevin Matheson in the HBO original series Looking and its subsequent series finale television film Looking: The Movie, and Patrick Read in American Horror Story: NYC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Mercurio</span> British TV writer, director (born 1966)

Gerald Gary Mercurio is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mercurio was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Television Society and the Baird Medal by RTS Midlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal TV (Australian TV channel)</span> Australian cable television channel

Universal TV is an Australian cable and satellite television channel, owned and operated by NBCUniversal International Networks. It has been available on most subscription television platforms in Australia since 1998.

Genevieve O'Reilly is an Irish-born Australian actress. She is known for her work in the Star Wars franchise as young Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and the Disney+ series Andor and Ahsoka. She is also known for her career in films, with credits including the 2004 film Avatar, the 2009 period drama The Young Victoria, and the 2010 romantic movie Forget Me Not. In 2016, O'Reilly appeared in the role of Tarzan's mother in The Legend of Tarzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Walters</span> English actor (born 1975)

Stephen Walters is an English actor. A regular in British television and film, he has played a wide range and variety of character roles in both drama and comedy. Walters is most commonly associated with unpredictable, complex figures. He was nominated for a Royal Television Society Best Actor award in 2013 for his role in the Sky Arts drama Ragged and in 2023 for a Supporting Actor (Male) award for his role in the ITV drama Anne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nico Mirallegro</span> English actor (b. 1991)

Nico Cristian Mirallegro is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Barry "Newt" Newton in the soap opera Hollyoaks (2007–2010), Finn Nelson in My Mad Fat Diary (2013–2015), Joe Middleton in The Village (2013), and Johnjo O'Shea in Common (2014). His feature film credits include Spike Island (2012), Anita B. (2014), The Pass (2016), and Peterloo (2018).

Pete McTighe is a British screenwriter and executive producer. He is originating writer of Wentworth, a female ensemble prison drama series that won Most Outstanding and Most Popular Drama at the Logie Awards. He is the creator and writer of the BBC1 mystery thriller series The Pact and has written various television productions in the UK and internationally including Doctor Who, The Rising, Glitch, Nowhere Boys and A Discovery of Witches. McTighe has received five Australian Writers Guild Award and one Welsh BAFTA nomination for his work.

Alice Nutter is an English musician, best known as part of the anarchist music group Chumbawamba, and writer for theatre, radio and television.

<i>Accused</i> (2010 TV series) British TV drama series

Accused is a British television anthology series created by Jimmy McGovern. The drama series first aired on 15 November 2010 on BBC One and has run for two series. Each episode follows a different character as they await their verdict in court, and tells the story behind how they find themselves accused. The series has featured actors and actresses such as Christopher Eccleston, Benjamin Smith, Juliet Stevenson, Andy Serkis, Marc Warren, Naomie Harris, Sean Bean and Anne-Marie Duff as the accused in each episode.

Showcase is an Australian premium drama cable and satellite television channel. It was initially part of the Showtime Australia channels and was managed by PMP chief executive officer Peter Rose. In 2007 Rose said Showcase "provides a real home at last for quality drama in Australia, and this list of outstanding event television is just the start". Showcase launched with the Australian TV premieres of Dexter and Australian-made series Satisfaction.

<i>Wentworth</i> (TV series) Australian television series

Wentworth is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013, and it concluded on Fox Showcase with its 100th episode on 26 October 2021. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 to 1986. Lara Radulovich and David Hannam developed Wentworth from Reg Watson's original concept. The series is set in the modern day and initially focuses on Bea Smith's early days in prison and her subsequent rise to the top of the prison's hierarchy. From the fifth season onward, the series shifted to emphasize more of an ensemble format.

Sarah Williams is a British producer and screenwriter perhaps best known for writing the scripts to the 2005 television film Wallis & Edward and co-writing the 2007 feature film Becoming Jane. For her work adapting the novels Poppy Shakespeare and Small Island for television, Williams received two Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award nominations.

<i>Inside No. 9</i> BBC TV dark comedy series

Inside No. 9 is a British black comedy anthology television programme written and created by Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. It aired on BBC Two from 5 February 2014 to 12 June 2024, running for 9 series and 55 episodes. Each 30-minute episode is a self-contained story with new characters and a new setting, almost all starring Pemberton or Shearsmith. Aside from the writers, each episode has a new cast, allowing Inside No. 9 to attract a number of well-known actors. The stories are linked only by a setting related to the number 9 in some way, and a brass hare statue that is hidden in all episodes. Themes and tone vary from episode to episode, but all have elements of comedy and horror or perverse humour, in addition to a plot twist.

The Kettering Incident is an Australian television sci-fi drama program, first broadcast on Foxtel's Showcase channel on 4 July 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Shillinglaw</span> British media executive (born 1969)

Kim Danila Shillinglaw is a British media executive and non-executive director. A former controller of BBC Two and BBC Four, head of science and natural history commissioning at the BBC, and commissioner for children's entertainment at CBBC, she later became director of factual businesses at Endemol Shine. She is known for having transformed popular science on television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC First (Australian TV channel)</span> Subscription TV channel

BBC First was an entertainment subscription television channel broadcasting in Australia. It was the localized version of the internationally available BBC First. The channel was wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios.

References

  1. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (12 March 2014). "Jimmy McGovern's Banished debut BBC First order". Broadcast Now. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  2. ↑ Munn, Patrick (18 February 2015). "BBC Two Sets Premiere Date For 'Banished'". TV Wise. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. ↑ "BBC: Banished" . Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ↑ Goodacre, Kate (6 May 2015). "Banished cancelled by BBC Two as star Russell Tovey dubs axe "a sad day for drama"". Digital Spy. Hearst UK. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  5. ↑ Bulbeck, Pip (11 March 2014). "BBC Worldwide, BBC Two Commission Convict Drama 'Banished'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "MyAnna Buring and Russell Tovey to star in Banished". The List. 12 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Jimmy McGovern convicts drama commissioned". RTE. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  8. ↑ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (12 March 2014). "Jimmy McGovern announces Australian convict drama Banished". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "Cast announced for Jimmy McGovern's epic new series, Banished, for BBC Two". BBC. 11 March 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Foxtel in June: 200+ new shows including Orange Is The New Black, True Detective, Suits, PLL, Wimbledon and more". The Green Room. Foxtel. 1 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "BBC: Banished" . Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.
  13. ↑ John Plunkett (6 March 2015). "Banished leads BBC2 to ratings victory with more than 3m viewers". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  14. ↑ Sam Wollaston (6 March 2015). "Banished review: 18th century Australia or I'm a Convict Get Me Out of Here?". the Guardian. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Ceri Radford (5 March 2015). "Banished, episode 1, review: 'grim'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "BBC's Banished: Jimmy McGovern defends all-white cast". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.