The Politician's Wife

Last updated

The Politician's Wife
Written by Paula Milne
Directed by Graham Theakston
Starring
ComposerBarrington Pheloung
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Production location England
CinematographyTom McDougal
EditorAlan Jones
Running time185 minutes
Original release
Network Channel 4
Release16 May (1995-05-16) 
30 May 1995 (1995-05-30)
Related
The Politician's Husband

The Politician's Wife is a British television political drama broadcast on Channel 4 in 1995, written by Paula Milne, and starring Trevor Eve and Juliet Stevenson. Milne returned to the same themes in her BBC 2 drama miniseries, The Politician's Husband (2013).

Contents

Plot

Duncan Matlock (Trevor Eve) is a high-flying politician and Families Minister for the British government, who becomes embroiled in a tabloid scandal as it is discovered that he has been having a 10-month affair with a former escort turned parliamentary researcher (Minnie Driver). Duncan's wife, Flora (Juliet Stevenson), becomes the focus of media attention as her reactions to the revelations are played out. Initially she plays the part of the loyal wife, but as an aide of her husband's, Mark Hollister (Anton Lesser), feeds her details about the affair and various other political scandals that could be made to happen, she begins to sabotage her husband's integrity and reputation through a campaign of leaks and misinformation to the press and Conservative Party stalwarts. After a series of increasingly sensational and damaging stories in the press, her husband is forced to resign in humiliation. The last episode closes with the results of the by-election being announced on TV. Flora Matlock wins with the support of her party, whilst her husband is exiled to a minor post in Belgium.

Cast and characters

Reception

The show won Best Serial Drama at the 1996 British Academy Film Awards, [1] and Best International Drama at the 1995 Emmy Awards. [2] It received a positive review in the New York Times , which praised Stevenson and Eve's performances. [3]

Home media

The Politician's Wife was released on DVD by Acorn Media UK in August 2011.

The Politician's Husband

A companion series by Milne, The Politician's Husband , is a three-episode British television miniseries, first shown on BBC Two between 25 April and 9 May 2013. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Davis</span> Australian film, television, and stage actress (born 1955)

Judith Davis is an Australian actress. In a career spanning over four decades of both screen and stage, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequent collaborator Woody Allen described her as "one of the most exciting actresses in the world". Davis has received numerous accolades, including nine AACTA Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Macdonald</span> Scottish actress (born 1976)

Kelly Macdonald is a Scottish actress. Known for her performances on film and television, she has received various accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Mills</span> British-American actress (born 1941)

Juliet Maryon Mills is a British-American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francesca Annis</span> English actress

Francesca Annis is an English actress. She is known for television roles in Reckless (1998), Wives and Daughters (1999), Deceit (2000), and Cranford (2007). A six-time BAFTA TV Award nominee, she won the 1979 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the ITV serial Lillie. Her film appearances include Krull (1983), Dune (1984), The Debt Collector (1999), and The Libertine (2004).

Joanne Whalley is an English film and television actress. She was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1996 during her marriage to Val Kilmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jared Harris</span> British/Irish actor

Jared Francis Harris is a British actor. His roles include Lane Pryce in the drama series Mad Men (2009–2012), for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; King George VI in the historical drama series The Crown (2016–2017); and Valery Legasov in the miniseries Chernobyl (2019), for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor and was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.

Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about an illegal drug trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs told from the perspectives of Afghan and Pakistani growers, dealers and manufacturers, German dealers, and British users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning four, including for Best Drama Series or Serial. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama. The 2000 crime drama film Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was based on the miniseries. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic was based on both versions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliet Stevenson</span> English actress (born 1956)

Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her other film appearances include Emma (1996), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Mona Lisa Smile (2003), Being Julia (2004), Infamous (2006), The Enfield Haunting (2015), Wolf (2023), and Reawakening (2024).

Geraldine Margaret Agnew-Somerville is an Irish-British actress. She is known for her roles in the film Gosford Park (2001) and the Harry Potter film series (2001–2011). Her other roles have included Daphne (2007), My Week with Marilyn (2011) and Grace of Monaco (2014). In 1995, Somerville was nominated for a BAFTA Award for playing Jane Penhaligon in the television series Cracker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Eve</span> British actor

Trevor John Eve is an English actor. In 1979 he gained fame as the eponymous lead in the detective series Shoestring and is also known for his role as Detective Superintendent Peter Boyd in BBC television drama Waking the Dead. He is the father of three children, including actress Alice Eve. He is the winner of two Laurence Olivier Awards from the nineties in theatre.

<i>The Girl in the Café</i> 2005 television film directed by David Yates

The Girl in the Café is a British made-for-television drama film directed by David Yates, written by Richard Curtis and produced by Hilary Bevan Jones. The film is produced by the independent production company Tightrope Pictures and was originally screened on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 25 June 2005. It was also shown in the United States on HBO on the same day. Bill Nighy portrays the character of Lawrence, with Kelly Macdonald portraying Gina. Nighy and Macdonald had previously starred together in the 2003 BBC serial State of Play, which was also directed by Yates and produced by Bevan-Jones. The Girl in the Café's casting director is Fiona Weir who, at the time, was also the casting director for the Harry Potter films, the last four of which Yates directed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Myles</span> Welsh actress (born 1978)

Eve Myles is a Welsh actress. She is best known for her television roles portraying Ceri Lewis in the long-running BBC Wales drama series Belonging (2000–2009), Gwen Cooper in the BBC science-fiction series Torchwood (2006–2011), and Faith Howells in the bilingually produced BBC / S4C drama series Keeping Faith / Un Bore Mercher (2017–2020). She is also an accomplished theatre actress.

A Doll's House is a 1992 videotaped television production of the 1879 play of the same name by Henrik Ibsen. It was directed by David Thacker and first broadcast on BBC 2 on 21 November 1992, and was later shown on PBS's Masterpiece in the United States.

<i>Criminal Justice</i> (British TV series) British television series

Criminal Justice is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2008. Written by Peter Moffat, each five-episode series follows the journey of an individual through the justice system and was first broadcast over five successive nights on BBC One. The first series, first shown in 2008, starred Ben Whishaw as Ben Coulter, a young man who is accused of murder after a drunken and drug-filled night out, though is unable to remember committing the crime. It was directed by Otto Bathurst and Luke Watson. In 2009, the second series featured Maxine Peake as troubled housewife Juliet Miller whose husband was stabbed in their bed. Yann Demange and Marc Jobst directed the second series. The first series won two British Academy Television Awards for Best Drama Serial and Best Writer, three Royal Television Society Awards and an International Emmy. The first season has been re-made into an HBO miniseries The Night Of, starring John Turturro and Riz Ahmed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Foy</span> British actress (born 1984)

Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2023), for which she received various accolades such as a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<i>Dustbin Baby</i> (film) 2008 television film directed by Juliet May

Dustbin Baby is a BBC television film directed by Juliet May, based on Jacqueline Wilson's 2001 novel of the same name. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 December 2008. The film stars Dakota Blue Richards as April, a troubled teenager who was abandoned in a dustbin as an infant, and Juliet Stevenson as Marion Bean, April's adoptive mother. David Haig stars as Elliot, Marion's friend and colleague. The screenplay was written by Helen Blakeman, and the film was produced by Kindle Entertainment. Dustbin Baby deals with themes including maternal bonding, bullying, and youth crime. The story revolves around April running away on her fourteenth birthday, while Marion searches for her. April's life is recounted in flashbacks as she meets people and visits places that are significant to her.

Paula Milne is a British screenwriter. Her works include The Politician's Wife, The Virgin Queen, Chandler & Co, Die Kinder, Second Sight, Driving Ambition, Small Island and Endgame.

<i>Parades End</i> (TV series) Television series

Parade's End is a five-part BBC television serial adapted from the eponymous tetralogy of novels (1924–1928) by Ford Madox Ford. It premiered on BBC Two on 24 August 2012 and on HBO on 26 February 2013. The series was also screened at the 39th Ghent Film Festival on 11 October 2012. The miniseries was directed by Susanna White and written by Tom Stoppard. The cast was led by Benedict Cumberbatch and Rebecca Hall as Christopher and Sylvia Tietjens, along with Adelaide Clemens, Rupert Everett, Miranda Richardson, Anne-Marie Duff, Roger Allam, Janet McTeer, Freddie Fox, Jack Huston, and Steven Robertson.

The Triple Crown of Acting is a term used in the American entertainment industry to describe actors who have won a competitive Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Tony Award in the acting categories, the highest awards recognized in American film, television, and theater, respectively. The term "Triple Crown" is used in other competitive areas, such as the Triple Crown of Horse Racing.

<i>Man in an Orange Shirt</i> British television movie

Man in an Orange Shirt is a two-part British television movie from the BBC. It was produced by Kudos Film and Television and premiered on 31 July 2017 at BBC One. The film drama tells three love stories from two generations of a family, in the 1940s and in 2017.

References

  1. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  2. "International Emmy nominations unveiled". Variety . 5 November 1995.
  3. O'Connor, John J. (6 January 1996). "TELEVISION REVIEW;Hating The Sin. Hating A Sinner More". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  4. Gilbert, Gerard (25 April 2013). "Sex, lies and Parliament: What happens when the woman is on top in a power couple?". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2024.