The Diary of Samuel Pepys | |
---|---|
Genre | Historical |
Written by | A.R. Rawlinson |
Starring | Peter Sallis Douglas Wilmer |
Composer | Christopher Whelen |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 14 |
Production | |
Producer | Chloe Gibson |
Production company | BBC |
Original release | |
Network | BBC 1 |
Release | 7 March – 13 June 1958 |
The Diary of Samuel Pepys is a British historical television 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]
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]
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 there now missing. [5]
Samuel Pepys was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament, but is most remembered today for the diary he kept for almost a decade. Though he had no maritime experience, Pepys rose to be the Chief Secretary to the Admiralty under both King Charles II and King James II through patronage, diligence, and his talent for administration. His influence and reforms at the Admiralty were important in the early professionalisation of the Royal Navy.
Charles II was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Anne Hyde was the first wife of James, Duke of York, who later became King James II and VII.
Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton, was an English nobleman, the son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, and his first wife, Jane Savage.
Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield PC FRS was a peer in the peerage of England.
Sir William Penn was an English admiral and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1670. He was the father of William Penn, founder of the colonial Province of Pennsylvania, which is now the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, 27 July 1625 to 28 May 1672, was an English military officer, politician and diplomat from Barnwell, Northamptonshire. During the First English Civil War, he served with the Parliamentarian army, and was an Member of Parliament at various times between 1645 and 1660. Under The Protectorate, he was also a member of the English Council of State and General at sea.
Peter John Sallis was an English actor. He was known for his work on British television. He was the voice of Wallace in the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit films and played Norman "Cleggy" Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine from its 1973 inception until the final episode in 2010, making him the only actor to appear in all 295 episodes. Additionally, he portrayed Norman Clegg's father in the prequel series First of the Summer Wine.
Frances Teresa Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox was a prominent member of the Court of the Restoration and famous for refusing to become a mistress of Charles II of England. For her great beauty she was known as La Belle Stuart and served as the model for an idealised, female Britannia. She is one of the Windsor Beauties painted by Sir Peter Lely.
Mary "Moll" Davis, also spelt Davies or Davys, was a courtesan and mistress of King Charles II of England. She was an actress and entertainer before and during her role as royal mistress.
Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, the theatre was called Lincoln's Inn Fields Playhouse, also known as The Duke's Playhouse, The New Theatre or The Opera. The building was rebuilt in 1714, and used again as a theatre for a third period, 1714–1732. The tennis court theatre was the first public playhouse in London to feature the moveable scenery that would become a standard feature of Restoration theatres.
Events from the year 1669 in England.
The Duke's Company was a theatre company chartered by King Charles II at the start of the Restoration era, 1660. Sir William Davenant was manager of the company under the patronage of Prince James, Duke of York. During that period, theatres began to flourish again after they had been closed from the restrictions throughout the English Civil War and the Interregnum. The Duke's Company existed from 1660 to 1682, when it merged with the King's Company to form the United Company.
London was a 76-gun second-rate ship of the line in the Navy of the Commonwealth of England, originally built at Chatham Dockyard by shipwright John Taylor, and launched in June 1656. She gained fame as one of the ships that escorted Charles II from Holland back to England during the English Restoration, carrying Charles' younger brother James Duke of York, and commanded by Captain John Lawson.
Charles II of England has been portrayed many times.
Silius Titus, of Bushey, was an English politician,Captain of Deal Castle, and Groom of the Bedchamber to King Charles II. Titus was an organizer in the attempted escape of King Charles I from Carisbrooke Castle.
Thomas Povey FRS, was a London merchant-politician. He was active in colonial affairs from the 1650s, but neutral enough in his politics to be named a member from 1660 of Charles II's Council for Foreign Plantations. A powerful figure in the not-yet professionalised First English Empire, he was both "England's first colonial civil servant" and at the same time "a typical office holder of the Restoration". Both Samuel Pepys and William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia, railed at times against Povey's incompetence and maladministration.
Roger Pepys was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1678. He is chiefly remembered as Samuel Pepys's "Cousin Roger". He and his children appear regularly in Samuel's great Diary. Relations between the two men were always good.
Carey or Cary Dillon, 5th Earl of Roscommon, PC (Ire) (1627–1689) was an Irish nobleman and professional soldier of the seventeenth century. He held several court offices under King Charles II and his successor King James II. After the Glorious Revolution he joined the Williamite opposition to James and was in consequence attainted as a traitor by James II's Irish Parliament in 1689. In that year he fought at the Siege of Carrickfergus shortly before his death in November of that year.
Rosebush was a vessel of the British Navy and is named as one of his Majesty's ships in 1660, commissioned by James, Duke of York who at that time was commander of the Royal Navy.