House of Cards (1990– )

Francis Urquhart is the chief whip of the Conservative party. When Margaret Thatcher resigns as leader, he remains neutral and after a general election where the conservatives are returned ... See full summary »

Stars:

Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, Miles Anderson

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Ian Richardson	...	Francis Urquhart (4 episodes, 1990)
Susannah Harker	...	Mattie Storin (4 episodes, 1990)
Miles Anderson	...	Roger O'Neill (4 episodes, 1990)
Alphonsia Emmanuel	...	Penny Guy (4 episodes, 1990)
Malcolm Tierney	...	Patrick Woolton (4 episodes, 1990)
Diane Fletcher	...	Elizabeth Urquhart (4 episodes, 1990)
Colin Jeavons	...	Tim Stamper (4 episodes, 1990)
Damien Thomas	...	Michael Samuels (4 episodes, 1990)
William Chubb	...	John Krajewski (4 episodes, 1990)
Kenneth Gilbert	...	Harold Earle (4 episodes, 1990)
Christopher Owen	...	McKenzie (4 episodes, 1990)
David Lyon	...	Prime Minister Henry Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
Kenny Ireland	...	Ben Landless (3 episodes, 1990)
James Villiers	...	Charles Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
Isabelle Amyes	...	Anne Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
John Hartley	...	Greville Preston (3 episodes, 1990)
Nicholas Selby	...	Lord Billsborough (2 episodes, 1990)
Tommy Boyle	...	Stephen Kendrick (2 episodes, 1990)
John Arnatt	...	Sir Jasper Grainger (2 episodes, 1990)
Richard Braine	...	Kevin Spence (2 episodes, 1990)
Hugh Dickson	...	Dr. Andrew Christian (2 episodes, 1990)
Angela Rippon	...	Newsreader (2 episodes, 1990)

Storyline

Francis Urquhart is the chief whip of the Conservative party. When Margaret Thatcher resigns as leader, he remains neutral and after a general election where the conservatives are returned with a reduced majority, he fully expects the new Prime Minister, Henry Collingridge, to give him his just reward: a senior Cabinet post. When he's informed that he is to stay in his current position, he devises a plot to unseat Collingridge and ensure his own election as party leader which would make his Prime Minister.

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Plot Keywords:

prime minister | chief whip | conservative party | party leader | plot | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Castillo de naipes

Filming Locations:

Admiralty Arch, The Mall, St. James's, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (4 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ian Richardson said he based his performance of the scheming Francis Urquhart on the way Shakespeare portrayed Richard III.

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Quotes

Francis Urquhart: [aside] After the silly season comes the conference season. Opposition did rather well this year. Abandoned their usual tactic of squabbling in public and shooting themselves in the foot and had a go at us, in particular the Prime Minister, very unsporting of them.

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Connections

Remade as House of Cards (2013)

User Reviews

A Series of Political Intrigue With Great Acting

"The House of Cards", based on a novel by Michael Dobbs, is a television series that is based upon one character's use, abuse and manipulation of the political system to achieve his own political goals.

Ian Richardson's performance as the malevolent Francis Urquaht is outstanding and the standards of acting in this series are upheld by Susannah Harker and Diane Fletcher.

This series of political intrigue and deception is an excellent one and I wouldn't recommend missing an episode.