The Diary of Samuel Pepys is a British historicaltelevision series which was originally broadcast on the BBC in 1958.[1] Based on the diaries of the naval administrator Samuel Pepys, it portrays life at the court of Charles II from the year 1660 to 1669.
The series debuted on Friday 7th March 1958 and the series was based on the diaries of Samuel Pepys from the age of 27 to 36. The series portrays life at the court of Charles II from 1660 to 1669. With 162 speaking parts, The Diary of Samuel Pepys was one of the largest BBC productions to date.[2]
Review
This series was Peter Sallis's first appearance as a principal character on television as well as his first extended television role. A reason for this was that he bore a resemblance when compared to contemporary picture portraits of Samuel Pepys. The series was dramatised by A R Rawlinson for Chloe Gibson. Chloe Gibson was one of the first female producers for BBC television.[3]
Using the diaries as a template, Sallis captured the wit, verve and cheeky humour of Pepys and was lauded for his performance.[4]
Episode status
The series was a 14 episode part series that ran from 7 March 1958 - 13 June 1958 with each episode being 30 minutes long. Out of all 14 episodes produced for the series, episodes 1, 7, 8 and 13 are available to watch on TV Brain. As for the other 10 episodes from the series it's believed they are now missing.[5]
Baskin, Ellen . Serials on British Television, 1950-1994. Scolar Press, 1996.
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