To Be the Best
To Be the Best is a 1991 British television miniseries directed by Tom Wharmby. Based on the 1988 novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford, it was the fourth mini-series based on a Bradford novel he had directed. It was produced by London Weekend Television in association with Antenne-2 and Gemmy Productions, and aired on ITV in the UK between 20 and 27 December 1991 in two parts, and on CBS in the U.S. on 2 and 4 August 1992.
| To Be the Best | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Barbara Taylor Bradford's To Be the Best |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Elliott Baker (adapter) Barbara Taylor Bradford (novel) |
| Directed by | Tom Wharmby |
| Starring | Lindsay Wagner Anthony Hopkins Stephanie Beacham Christopher Cazenove Stuart Wilson |
| Composer(s) | Alan Parker |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Robert Bradford |
| Producer(s) | Aida Young |
| Running time | 200 mins |
| Production company(s) | London Weekend Television Antenne-2 Gemmy Productions |
| Distributor | ITV Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV (UK) CBS (U.S.) |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 20 December – 27 December 1991 (UK) 2 August 1992 (U.S.) |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Hold the Dream |
Cast
- Lindsay Wagner as Paula Harte
- Anthony Hopkins as Jack Figg
- Stephanie Beacham as Arabella Sutton
- Christopher Cazenove as Jonathan Ainsley
- Stuart Wilson as Jack Miller
- Fiona Fullerton as Madelena O'Shea
- Gary Cady as Philip Amory
- David Robb as Shane O'Neill
- Claire Oberman as Sarah Pascal
- Christopher Blake as Sandy Barkstone
- James Saito as Tony Chiu
- Thomas Ewbabk as Patrick
- Julian Fellowes as Dennis
- Rob Freeman as Harvey G. Rawson
- Rupert Bates as Burrows
- Belinda Mayne as Jill
- Robert Austin as George
- Kate Spiro as Pam
- Candy Lacy-Smith as Susan Sorrell
- Louis Roth as Elwyn Sorrell
- Moray Watson as Hunter
- Bill Reimbold as Peale
- Bill Hutchinson as Doone
- Sarah Lam as Ming
- Peter Dennis as Doctor
Release
The film originally aired in Britain on ITV in December 1991. In the United States, it aired on CBS in August 1992.[1]
The series was subsequently released on VHS on 10 July 1995[2] and on 24 February 2003 by Odyssey Video.[3] The complete series was released and repackaged on DVD in the United Kingdom by Acorn Media UK on 8 September 2008.[4]
References
- Tony Scott (31 July 1992). "Review: 'To Be the Best Parts I & II'". Variety. Retrieved 2017-04-23.
- "To Be the Best". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "Barbara Taylor Bradford's To Be the Best". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- "Barbara Taylor Bradford: To Be the Best". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
External links
- To Be the Best on IMDb
- To Be the Best at TCM