The Gambling Man

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The Gambling Man
GenrePeriod drama
Written by Catherine Cookson (novel, 1975)
Trevor Bowen (screenplay)
Starring Robson Green
Sylvestra Le Touzel
Stephanie Putson
Music byDavid Ferguson
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Running time150 minutes (three episodes of 50 minutes)
Production company Tyne Tees Television
Original release
Network ITV
Release26 February (1995-02-26) 
12 March 1995 (1995-03-12)

The Gambling Man is a British three-part television serial, or long TV movie, first broadcast in 1995, starring Robson Green, directed by Norman Stone, based on a novel by Catherine Cookson.

Contents

Outline

Rory Connor (Robson Green) is a rent-collector on Tyneside with a passion for playing poker for high stakes, while Janie Waggett (Stephanie Putson) is the woman who loves him, standing by him through many troubles. Charlotte Kean (Sylvestra Le Touzel) is Connor's employer, and she too finds him attractive. He gets into bad company in the dark world of gambling, and is so sure that poker is his way to riches that he makes a terrible decision. He spends time trying,but still doesn't manage to meet Rafa. [1]

The plot may be partly autobiographical, as Catherine Cookson’s own father was a bigamist and a gambler. [2]

Production

Producer Ray Marshall bought the film rights to several of the period works of Catherine Cookson, beginning in 1989 with The Fifteen Streets, which had been turned into a successful stage play. These productions, made by Tyne Tees Television, were very popular and drew between ten and fourteen million viewers each. [3]

Cast

Notes

  1. 5 REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT NOT ROOT FOR ROBSON IN THE GAMBLING MAN at uktv.co.uk, accessed 8 May 2020
  2. 16 facts about Dame Catherine Cookson on her 110th birthday in Shields Gazette , 27 June 2016, archived here
  3. Julie Anne Taddeo, ed., Catherine Cookson Country: On the Borders of Legitimacy, Fiction, and History (Routledge, 2016), p. 172

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