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The Barchester Chronicles
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| The Barchester Chronicles | |
|---|---|
DVD cover | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | The Warden and Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope |
| Written by | Alan Plater |
| Directed by | David Giles |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Derek Bourgeois |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jonathan Powell |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC2 |
| Release | 10 November – 22 December 1982 |
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]
Plot overview
[edit]The clerical community around Barchester's cathedral is rocked by a press investigation into the finances of Hiram's Hospital almshouse. Following the death of the bishop in the midst of the controversy, the chaplain and wife of the new bishop lead a reforming crusade, which arouses strong opposition within the diocese. These public events have a significant effect on the private lives of many of those involved.
Cast
[edit]- 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
- Peter Blythe as Bertie Stanhope
- Susan Edmonstone as Charlotte Stanhope
- Joseph O'Conor as Bunce
- Jonathan Adams as Mr Quiverful
- Maggie Jones as Mrs Quiverful
- Clifford Parrish as Handy
- Derek New as Mr Arabin
- Richard Bebb as Dr Stanhope
- William Redgrave as Samuel Grantly
- Trevor Baxter as Dr. Gwynne
- Wally Thomas as Moody
- Kenneth Keeling as Gazy
- Denis Carey as Skulpit
- Richard Leech as Wilfred Thorne
- George Malpas as the ticket collector
- Mischa De La Motte as The Dean
- Raymond Platt as Haphazard's clerk
- Alec Bregonzi as a Footman
- Paddy Ward as Hotel Waiter
- Roger Booth as Plomacy
- Joe Ritchie as Coffee House Waiter
- Michael Aldridge as Sir Abraham Haphazard
- Phyllida Law as Mrs. Stanhope
- Ian Brimble as Harry Greenacre
- Keith Marsh as Bell
- Jim Baker as Quiverful son
- Harold Gasnier as Form Tutor
Filming locations
[edit]


- Peterborough Cathedral[5]
- Chavenage House, Tetbury, Gloucestershire[5]
- Abbots Gate, Peterborough Cathedral[5]
- The Deanery, Gravel Walk, Peterborough Cathedral[5]
- Laurel Court, Vineyard Road, Peterborough[5]
- Breamore House, Fordingbridge
Awards
[edit]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).[6]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Barchester Chronicles Part 7 (1982)". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Barchester Chronicles, The (1982)". screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ Ward, Rachel (25 April 2015). "Anthony Trollope: best TV adaptations" – via telegraph.co.uk.
- ^ "Filming Locations - Peterborough Cathedral". peterborough-cathedral.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "The Barchester Chronicles (1982) Filming & Production". IMDB. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "Television Nominations 1982". BAFTA. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
External links
[edit]- The Barchester Chronicles at IMDb
- The Barchester Chronicles at the BFI's Screenonline
- Available for streaming or download on archive.org: Barchester Chronicles
The Barchester Chronicles
View on GrokipediaThe Barchester Chronicles is a seven-part British television serial produced and broadcast by the BBC in 1982, adapting the first two novels of Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden (1855) and Barchester Towers (1857).[1][2]
Directed by David Giles and scripted by Alan Plater under producer Jonathan Powell, the series dramatizes ecclesiastical power struggles, moral dilemmas, and social maneuvering within the fictional 19th-century cathedral town of Barchester and its surrounding diocese.[1][2]
Central to the narrative is the scandal over the alleged misuse of funds at Hiram's Hospital almshouse by its warden, the mild-mannered Septimus Harding, prompting interventions from reformers, ambitious clergy, and family loyalties that expose tensions between tradition and reform in the Church of England.[1][2]
Featuring standout performances by Donald Pleasence as Mr. Harding, Nigel Hawthorne as the protective Archdeacon Grantly, and an early television role for Alan Rickman as the manipulative curate Obadiah Slope, the production is noted for its faithful rendering of Trollope's satirical examination of clerical ambition and provincial life.[1][2][3]
