The Barchester Chronicles
The Barchester Chronicles is a 1982 British television serial produced by Jonathan Powell for the BBC.[1] It is an adaptation by Alan Plater of Anthony Trollope's first two Chronicles of Barsetshire, The Warden (1855) and Barchester Towers (1857).[2] The series was directed by David Giles.[3] Location work was videotaped in and around Peterborough Cathedral, using locations such as the Deanery and Laurel Court.[4]
| The Barchester Chronicles | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Alan Plater (adaptation) Anthony Trollope (novels) |
| Directed by | David Giles |
| Starring | Donald Pleasence Nigel Hawthorne David Gwillim John Ringham Joseph O'Conor Alan Rickman Clifford Parrish Angela Pleasence Geraldine McEwan Janet Maw Susan Hampshire Barbara Flynn |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jonathan Powell |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC2 |
| Original release | 10 November – 22 December 1982 |
Plot
After the failed crusade against the Church of England’s practice of self-enrichment, the sleepy community of Barchester is stirred up when their local church becomes the object of a scathing, investigative report.
Cast
- Donald Pleasence as Mr Harding
- Nigel Hawthorne as Archdeacon Grantly
- Angela Pleasence as Mrs Grantly
- Cyril Luckham as Bishop Grantly
- David Gwillim as John Bold
- George Costigan as Tom Towers
- John Ringham as Finney
- Barbara Flynn as Mary Bold
- Janet Maw as Eleanor Harding
- Clive Swift as Bishop Proudie
- Geraldine McEwan as Mrs Proudie
- Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope
- Susan Hampshire as Signora Madeline Neroni
- Ursula Howells as Miss Thorne
Awards
The series won a BAFTA award for Design (Chris Pemsel) in 1982, also being nominated for Drama Series/Serial (Jonathan Powell, David Giles), Costume Design (Juanita Waterson), Graphics (Stewart Austin), Make Up (Elizabeth Rowell), Sound Supervisor (Chick Anthony), Video Cameraman (Geoff Feld), and Video Lighting (Howard King).[5]
References
- "The Barchester Chronicles Part 7 (1982)". BFI.
- "BFI Screenonline: Barchester Chronicles, The (1982)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- Ward, Rachel (25 April 2015). "Anthony Trollope: best TV adaptations" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- "Filming Locations - Peterborough Cathedral". www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk.
- "Television Nominations 1982". BAFTA. Retrieved 21 November 2010.