G.B.H. (1991– )

Michael Murray is an ambitious and charismatic politician, Jim Nelson is a much loved headmaster of a local school for disturbed children. When the paths of these two men cross, things are ... See full summary »

Stars:

Robert Lindsay, Michael Palin, Dearbhla Molloy

5 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Robert Lindsay	...	Michael Murray (7 episodes, 1991)
Michael Palin	...	Jim Nelson (7 episodes, 1991)
Dearbhla Molloy	...	Laura Nelson (7 episodes, 1991)
Alan Igbon	...	Teddy (7 episodes, 1991)
Andrew Schofield	...	Peter (7 episodes, 1991)
Philip Whitchurch	...	Franky Murray (7 episodes, 1991)
Julie Walters	...	Mrs. Murray (7 episodes, 1991)
Paul Oldham	...	Joey Thug (7 episodes, 1991)
Tom Georgeson	...	Lou Barnes (7 episodes, 1991)
Chris Hargreaves	...	Scrawny Thug (7 episodes, 1991)
Gary Mavers	...	Billy Thug (7 episodes, 1991)
Wayne Foskett	...	Macker Thug (7 episodes, 1991)
Karl Barry	...	Fifth Thug (7 episodes, 1991)
Paul Daneman	...	Mervyn Sloan (7 episodes, 1991)
Peter-Hugo Daly	...	Bubbles (7 episodes, 1991)
Jane Danson	...	Eileen Critchley (7 episodes, 1991)
Lindsay Duncan	...	Barbara Douglas (6 episodes, 1991)
Edward Mallon	...	Mark Nelson (6 episodes, 1991)
Hayley Fairclough	...	Jessica Nelson (6 episodes, 1991)
Michael Angelis	...	Martin Niarchos (6 episodes, 1991)
Anna Friel	...	Susan Nelson (6 episodes, 1991)
David Ross	...	Mr Weller (6 episodes, 1991)
Jimmy Mulville	...	Researcher (6 episodes, 1991)
Stephen Hall	...	Young Michael Murray (6 episodes, 1991)
Bill Stewart	...	Geoff (5 episodes, 1991)
Gareth Tudor Price	...	Richard Grenville (5 episodes, 1991)
Michelle Atkinson	...	Young Barbara (5 episodes, 1991)
John Henshaw	...	Minder 1 (4 episodes, 1991)
Al Brierley	...	Minder 2 (4 episodes, 1991)
Sean Naughton	...	Minder 3 (4 episodes, 1991)
Paul Butterworth	...	Terry - Director of Education (4 episodes, 1991)
Ayesa Toure	...	Monica (4 episodes, 1991)
Julia St. John	...	Diane Niarchos (4 episodes, 1991)
Colin Douglas	...	Frank Twist (4 episodes, 1991)
Clifford Rose	...	Judge Critchley (4 episodes, 1991)
Ian Hartley	...	Joel (4 episodes, 1991)
Christopher Halliday	...	McKenzie (4 episodes, 1991)
Daniel Massey	...	Grosvenor (3 episodes, 1991)
Judith Barker	...	Margie (3 episodes, 1991)
Kelvin Jordon	...	Tommy (3 episodes, 1991)
Paula Bartlett	...	Rachel (3 episodes, 1991)
Michael Fernandez	...	Jake (3 episodes, 1991)
Debra Gillett	...	Sylvia (3 episodes, 1991)
John Shrapnel	...	Dr Jacobs (3 episodes, 1991)
Norman Mills	...	Red Neck Councillor (3 episodes, 1991)
Peter Armitage	...	Mr Burns (3 episodes, 1991)
Arthur Spreckley	...	Grandfather Burns (3 episodes, 1991)
Jean Anderson	...	Dr. Goldup (3 episodes, 1991)
Rachel Laurence	...	Hotel Receptionist (3 episodes, 1991)
Jake Abraham	...	Black Waiter (3 episodes, 1991)
William Franklyn	...	Distinguished Gent (3 episodes, 1991)
Noreen Kershaw	...	Maureen Murray (3 episodes, 1991)
Jim Pope	...	Presenter (3 episodes, 1991)
Daniel Street-Brown	...	Robby Burns (2 episodes, 1991)
Serena Harragin	...	Miss Hutchinson (2 episodes, 1991)
Chris Darwin	...	Barry (2 episodes, 1991)
Ken Kitson	...	Vince (2 episodes, 1991)
James Tomlinson	...	Stan (2 episodes, 1991)
Amanda Mealing	...	Beth (2 episodes, 1991)
Dee Orr	...	Schoolmistress (2 episodes, 1991)
Cliff Howells	...	Cartwright (2 episodes, 1991)
Anthony Benson	...	Norman - Treasurer (2 episodes, 1991)
Phil Rowlands	...	Bluff Policeman (2 episodes, 1991)
Kulvinder Ghir	...	Ravi (2 episodes, 1991)
Ray Emmet Brown	...	West Indian (2 episodes, 1991)
David Scase	...	Caretaker 2 (2 episodes, 1991)
Edward Clayton	...	Chief Constable (2 episodes, 1991)
Peter Faulkner	...	Radio Journalist (2 episodes, 1991)

Storyline

Michael Murray is an ambitious and charismatic politician, Jim Nelson is a much loved headmaster of a local school for disturbed children. When the paths of these two men cross, things are destined never to be the same again.

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Plot Keywords:

school | headmaster | nudity | politics | entire title is capitalized acronym | 

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Taglines:

A savage indictment of power.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1991 (UK)

Also Known As:

Alan Bleasdale's G.B.H.

Filming Locations:

Fleetwood, Lancashire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Channel 4 Television Corporation, GBH Films Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

567 min 567 min (7 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although no name is given to the fictional city in which GBH is set, it was filmed largely in and around Greater Manchester. However, speculation that the city is intended to be Liverpool stems from the fact that the character of Michael Murray is a thinly veiled characterization of Derek Hatton, the former Labour deputy leader of Liverpool City Council. Hatton achieved notoriety in the 1980s when he refused to co-operate with the rate-capping policy of the Conservative government and was a strong follower of Trotskyist Militant Tendencies. Hatton was expelled from the Labour Party in 1986, and in 1993 he was accused of corruption during his time as Deputy Leader of the Council. He was brought to trial but was exonerated.

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Quotes

[Telling her sister Barbara about Michael Murray]
Eileen Critchley: [whispers] I got him, Baba. I got him. Nobody knows it was me, but it *was* me. I got him. But now I'll never be able to get him again. You've got to get him - it's your turn now. You get him too. You'll *like* getting him. He's easy. He's so *easy*.

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Connections

Featured in The Greatest: 100 Greatest TV Characters (2001)

User Reviews

Best Drama of the '90s

'GBH' set a formidable standard for TV drama to follow when it was first shown on Channel 4 in 1991, and nothing managed to better it. It is, superficially, the story of two men. The first is Michael Murray (Robert Lindsay), the brash leader of the council of an unnamed Northern city (but blatantly inspired by the Derek Hatton regime in 1980s Liverpool- only Hatton was never this fascinating!). Murray is, it seems a man who runs the town like a gangster and a 'baddie'. The other is Jim Nelson (Michael Palin in his best ever dramatic performance) the idealistic headmaster of a school for special needs children). The arena is set for a funny two-hour film about politicians and the common man. But 'GBH' is 11 hours long; we are taken into the deepest recesses of the two protagonists' minds- Murray is hounded by a memory from his schooldays and even in his brief moment of triumph suddenly shouts 'I wish I was a good man!' Nelson, although standing up to Murray, becomes shocked at his own courage, which leads to him seeking psychiatric help. Meanwhile, the scope of the series widens from local to national, with both men caught in a plot of ever-increasing complexity where our feelings for characters deepen with the revelations about them onscreen. Robert Young directs the series with astonishing cinematic flair and Alan Bleasdale shows again why he is as good a television writer as Dennis Potter, if not better. The incredible scope of the series puts it in the same league as the greatest mini-series of all, 'Edge of Darkness'. It encompasses heartbreaking tragedy (the electrocution scene) with hilarious comedy (Murray, stricken with a twitch and a 'Strangelove' arm, trying to find condoms in a hotel full of 'Doctor Who' fans) with consummate ease. It remains hard to find nowadays- the discontinued VHS release has been sold for exorbitant amounts - but it remains the jewel of 90s television and is not to be missed if you get the chance to see it.