Middlemarch (TV serial)

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Middlemarch
Middlemarch (TV serial).jpg
Based on Middlemarch
by George Eliot
Screenplay by Andrew Davies
Directed by Anthony Page
Starring Juliet Aubrey
Rufus Sewell
Douglas Hodge
Patrick Malahide
Trevyn McDowell
Julian Wadham
Robert Hardy
Peter Jeffrey
Michael Hordern
Theme music composer Stanley Myers
ComposersStanley Myers (episode 1)
Christopher Gunning (episode 2–6)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodesoriginally aired as 6, but 7 in the worldwide release
Production
Executive producers Michael Wearing
Rebecca Eaton
Producer Louis Marks
Production locations Stamford, Lincolnshire, England
Yeovil, Somerset, England
Cinematography Brian Tufano
EditorsJerry Leon
Paul Tothill
Running time75 minutes (x1)
60 minutes (x5)
Production company WGBH Productions for BBC
Original release
Network BBC2
Release12 January (1994-01-12) –
16 February 1994 (1994-02-16)

Middlemarch is a 1994 British television adaptation of the 1871 novel of the same name by George Eliot. Produced by the BBC in collaboration with the American station WGBH-TV, it was commissioned by Alan Yentob [1] and broadcast on BBC2, with episodes repeated a few days later on BBC1. [2] Comprising six episodes (seven episodes in the worldwide TV series), it is the second television adaptation of the novel. It was directed by Anthony Page from a screenplay by Andrew Davies, and starred Juliet Aubrey, Rufus Sewell, Douglas Hodge and Patrick Malahide.

Contents

Plot

Dorothea Brooke attempts to widen her underdeveloped intellect through marriage to the Reverend Edward Casaubon, a man twice her age. The marriage proves unsatisfying and ends with Casaubon's unexpected death. While still married, Dorothea meets Will Ladislaw, an event which leads to further complications. Meanwhile, Dr Lydgate gets married and goes ahead with his ambitious plans for a hospital, but finds himself in difficulty both financially and with local political pressures.

For a full-length summary of the novel see: Middlemarch plot summary.

Cast

Awards

Reactions

In a 28 March 1994 review for The New York Times , Elizabeth Kolbert said the mini-series was a hit in Britain as it "mesmerized millions of viewers here, setting off a mini-craze for Victorian fiction. In its wake there were Middlemarch lectures, Middlemarch comics, even a wave of Middlemarch debates. Authors and columnists argued in the London papers over whether Dorothea would, in fact, live happily ever after, whether Casaubon, if left alone, would have finished his great work and finally whether Will Ladislaw entered his marriage bed a virgin." [3] In an 11 April 1994 review in Time magazine, John Elson stated that the series "was a recent critical and popular success in Britain, leading to lectures and even debates on the novel. As a result of the show, a Penguin paperback of the novel topped best-seller lists for five weeks, and is still doing well. The town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, where exteriors were filmed, is preparing for a summertime influx of tourists." [4]

References

  1. ↑ "Alan Yentob, inspired TV executive behind BBC hit shows from Arena to Have I Got News for You". The Daily Telegraph. 25 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  2. ↑ "Middlemarch". BBC Online. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  3. ↑ Middlemarch Braves an Atlantic Crossing
  4. ↑ Middlemarch Madness?
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