IMDb > "The Lakes" (1997)

"The Lakes" (1997) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1997-1999


Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   371 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
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Creator:
Contact:
View company contact information for The Lakes on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
Release Date:
14 September 1997 (UK) more
Genre:
Plot:
Danny Kavanagh leaves Liverpool for the Lake District, finding work at a hotel and love with a local girl named Emma... more
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
'Street' creator to make BBC1 daytime dramas
 (From digitalspy. 4 July 2008, 6:09 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
One of the best TV dramas of the 90s. more (12 total)

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 25 of 33)
John Simm ... Danny Kavanagh (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Elizabeth Bennett ... Mrs. Archer / ... (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Charles Dale ... Chef (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Mary Jo Randle ... Bernie Quinlan (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Kaye Wragg ... Lucy Archer (14 episodes, 1997-1999)

Robert Pugh ... Father Matthew (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
James Thornton ... Pete Quinlan (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Samantha Seager ... Julie (14 episodes, 1997-1999)

Robin Laing ... Joey (14 episodes, 1997-1999)
Kevin Doyle ... John Fisher / ... (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Matt Bardock ... Albie (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Elizabeth Rider ... Sheila Thwaite (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Emma Cunniffe ... Emma Kavanagh / ... (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Paul Copley ... Peter Quinlan (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Tony Rohr ... Grandad (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Nicholas Day ... Mr. Archer / ... (13 episodes, 1997-1999)
Clare Holman ... Simone Fisher / ... (11 episodes, 1997-1999)
Lee Oakes ... Tharmy (11 episodes, 1997-1999)
Elizabeth Berrington ... Ruth (11 episodes, 1997-1999)
Jessica Perry ... Annie Quinlan (11 episodes, 1997-1999)
Barbara Wilshere ... Dr. Sarah Kilbride / ... (10 episodes, 1997-1999)
Bob Mason ... Sergeant Slater / ... (10 episodes, 1997-1999)
Marshall Lancaster ... Ged Hodgson (8 episodes, 1997-1999)
Annabelle Apsion ... Beverly (8 episodes, 1999)
Amanda Mealing ... Jo Jo Spiers (7 episodes, 1999)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
237 min (4 parts) | 374 min (10 parts)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | UK:18
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
References "Star Trek" (1966) more

FAQ

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
One of the best TV dramas of the 90s., 19 November 2000
10/10
Author: Damian Keenan from Belfast, Northern Ireland

Nobody can accuse Jimmy McGovern of settling for a quiet life. His dramas, right from "Needle", through to "Cracker" and "Priest", to this masterpiece confirm him as one of the most exciting writers in any medium to emerge in the last decade.

And a masterpiece is what "The Lakes" is, even considering its flaws. Occasionally, McGovern seems more concerned with hitting home his messages (about Catholicism, country-versus-city, sexual politics, etc) at the expense of his characters, but he still creates dramatic situations which are credible, raw, and overwhelmingly moving without succumbing to sickly sentiment.

Focussing on the story of Danny, a Liverpudlian drifter and compulsive gambler, who marries Emma, the daughter in a devoutly Catholic family living in a small Lake District town, and who is implicated in the drowning accident which claims the lives of four local children, McGovern wrings every piece of emotion from his storyline, and supplies a script which his excellent cast are obviously having a field day with.

John Simms is remarkable as Danny, perfectly realising the inner conflict facing his outsider character who craves to do the right thing while aspiring to escape the emotional prison he finds himself in. Robert Pugh and Mary Jo Randle as the parish priest and would-be middle-aged lover handle their roles with compassion and truth, and Paul Copley as Randle's unknowing and decent husband also deserves some kudos.

In fact, the entire cast is outstanding, all perfectly getting under the skins of their characters, and the action is all brilliantly orchestrated by director David Blair, who brings all the initially disparate plotlines into one immensely satisfying whole.

In an age of endless costume drama, "The Lakes" comes like a blast of welcome fresh air, and very few other dramas produced in the 1990s (with the exception, maybe, of Alan Bleasdale's "GBH") come anywhere near matching its heartfelt intensity.

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