The Citadel (1983 miniseries)
The Citadel is a 1983 BBC television adaptation written by Don Shaw from A. J. Cronin's 1937 novel The Citadel. It was produced by Ken Riddington. The miniseries was directed by Peter Jefferies and Mike Vardy.[1]
| The Citadel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Peter Jefferies Mike Vardy |
| Starring | Ben Cross Clare Higgins Tenniel Evans Gareth Thomas |
| Music by | Michael Stuckey |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 min. (per episode) |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 20 January – 24 March 1983 |
The BBC dramatisation stars Ben Cross as Dr. Andrew Manson and Clare Higgins as Christine Manson. It was broadcast in the US from November 1983 until January 1984 by PBS television as part of Masterpiece Theatre.
Cast
- Ben Cross as Dr. Andrew Manson
- David Gwillim as David Hope
- Clare Higgins as Christine Barlow
- Tenniel Evans as Dr. Page
- Gareth Thomas as Dr. Philip Denny
- Michael Cochrane as Freddie Hamson
- Cynthia Grenville as Blodwen Page
- Colin Baker as Richard Vaughan
- Jane How as Mrs. Vaughan
- Tim Wylton as Ben Chenkin
- Don Fellows as Richard Stillman
- Beryl Nesbitt as Annie Hughes
- John Nettleton as Charles Ivory
- Raymond Bowers as Dr. Llewellyn
- Dilys Price as Mrs. Llewellyn
- David Pugh as Joe Morgan
- Dyfed Thomas as Dai Jenkins
- Jack Walters as Old Thomas
- Richard Davies as Dr. Watkins
- Janet Davies as Mrs. Watkins
- Carmen du Sautoy as Frances Lawrence
- Avril Elgar as Nurse Sharp
- Oliver Ford Davies as Reverend Parry
- Michael Gough as Sir Jenner Halliday
- Charles Kay as Mr. Hopper
- Buster Merryfield as Professor Challis
- John Welsh as Sir Robert Abbey
Reception
Writing for The New York Times, John J. O'Connor noted "Manson is played to grim but winning perfection by Ben Cross", and wrote the series "holds up remarkably well as a story and drama."[2]
Locations
The program was partly filmed on location in Tredegar, Wales, where A. J. Cronin practised as a doctor with the Tredegar Medical Aid Society prior to writing the novel, as well as in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales and Prague. His experience with the Tredegar Medical Aid Society shaped the "Aberalaw" section of the novel.[3]
References
- "The Citadel". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- O'Connor, John J. (18 November 1983). "'Citadel' from Britain". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
- Autobiographical fragment by AJ Cronin, edited by J Meek and published in the Gwent Gazette in 1998
External links
- The Citadel on IMDb (BBC television programme)
- Article about Cronin and the NHS