Mr. Palfrey of Westminster
Mr Palfrey of Westminster is a British television drama produced by Thames Television for ITV which ran between 18 April 1984 and 11 June 1985.
| Mr Palfrey of Westminster | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Spy |
| Directed by | Gerald Blake[1] |
| Starring | Alec McCowen Clive Wood Caroline Blakiston Briony McRoberts |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Thames Television |
| Distributor | FremantleMedia |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 18 April 1984 – 11 June 1985 |
Plot summary
Mr Palfrey is a mild, middle-aged man—the epitome of a middle-ranking British Civil Servant. He is also a spook.
Two series in total were made in addition to the pilot. The pilot, "The Traitor", by George Markstein, aired as part of Thames Television's Storyboard anthology on 23 August 1983. Series 1 consisted of four one-hour episodes, and first aired on Wednesday evenings from 9.00 to 10.00pm, 18 April to 9 May 1984.[2] Series 2 consisted of six one-hour episodes and aired on Tuesdays, again from 9.00 to 10.00pm, 7 May to 11 June 1985. A subsequent play featuring Blair, "A Question of Commitment", by Philip Broadley, was first transmitted in the Storyboard anthology on 23 May 1989.
Regular cast and characters
- Alec McCowen as Mr Palfrey, the lead character, a Whitehall-based spycatcher
- Briony McRoberts as Caroline, Mr Palfrey's secretary
- Clive Wood as Blair, Mr Palfrey's more action-orientated assistant
- Caroline Blakiston as Co-Ordinator, head of espionage activities for the British Government
Episode list
Series 1 (1984)
| Episode number | Title | Written by | Directed by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Once Your Card Is Marked" | George Markstein | Christopher Hodson | 18 April 1984 |
| 2 | "The Honeypot and the Bees" | Michael Chapman | Peter Cregeen | 25 April 1984 |
| 3 | "The Defector" | Philip Broadley | Christopher Hodson | 1 May 1984 |
| 4 | "A Present from Leipzig" | Anthony Skene | Peter Cregeen | 8 May 1984 |
Series 2 (1985)
| Episode number | Title | Written by | Directed by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | "Freedom from Longing" | Philip Broadley | Christopher Hodson | 7 May 1985 |
| 6 | "Return to Sender" | Philip Broadley | Gerald Blake | 14 May 1985 |
| 7 | "Music of a Dead Prophet" | Michael Chapman | John Davies | 21 May 1985 |
| 8 | "Official Secret" | George Markstein | Christopher Hodson | 28 May 1985 |
| 9 | "Spygame" | Barry Appleton | Gerald Blake | 4 June 1985 |
| 10 | "The Baited Trap" | Philip Broadley | John Davies | 11 June 1985 |
DVD release
The complete series, including the pilot episode ("The Traitor") and the ‘postscript’ play transmitted in 1989 and featuring Clive Wood as Blair, was released on a 3-DVD set by Network Distributing Ltd.[3] on 16 August 2010.[4]
Notes
- Jerry Roberts (2009). Encyclopedia of Television Film Directors. Scarecrow Press. p. 46. ISBN 978-0-8108-6138-1.
- Television listings for all ITV regions, The Times (18 and 25 April 2 and 9 May 1984). Richard Down and Christopher Parry, The British Drama Research Guide: 1950–1997 (Bristol: Kaleidoscope Publishing, 1997), ISBN 1-900203-04-9, p. DM-11, indicate that Central TV transmitted the last two episodes one day earlier, on Tuesdays, 1 and 8 May 1984. These are the dates also given on the container of the Network 7953332 DVD set. Dave Rogers, The ITV Encyclopedia of Adventure (London: Boxtree Ltd, 1988), ISBN 1-85283-205-3 (cloth) ISBN 1-85283-217-7 (pbk), p. 336, also gives the date of episode 4 as Tuesday 8 May 1984, without specifying the ITV region(s). The Times, on the contrary, lists on Tuesday 1 May 1984, 9.10–10.10pm, and on Tuesday 8 May 1984, 9.00–10.00 The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ("The Dancing Men" and "The Naval Treaty", respectively) on all ITV regions, and these dates for the Sherlock Holmes episodes are confirmed for Central TV in Down and Perry 1997, p. DA-4.
- Mr. Palfrey of Westminster: The Complete Series – Network Distributing Limited, Ref. 7953332, Barcode 5027626333249]
- RadioTimes DVDs
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External links
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