The Nine Days Wonder (13 Mar. 1977)

The entire household comes together when a General Strike is called throughout Britain in May 1926

Director:

Simon Langton

Writer:

Jeremy Paul

Stars:

Simon Williams, Gordon Jackson, Jean Marsh

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Simon Williams	...	James Bellamy
Gordon Jackson	...	Hudson
Jean Marsh	...	Rose
David Langton	...	Richard Bellamy
Joan Benham	...	Lady Prudence Fairfax
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Georgina Worsley
Christopher Beeny	...	Edward
Gareth Hunt	...	Frederick
Jacqueline Tong	...	Daisy Peel
Jenny Tomasin	...	Ruby
Martin Wimbush	...	Andrew Bouverie
Tommy Wright	...	The Picket Leader
John Breslin	...	Len Finch
Roy Pattison	...	Arnold Thompson

Storyline

It's May 1926 and the national miners' strike becomes a general strike with all public services coming to a grinding halt. There's no sympathy for the strikers at 165 Eaton Place. Above stairs, James in particular sees this as a precursor to a Soviet-style revolution. Below stairs, Mr. Hudson echoes Winston Churchill's belief that of the miners are reds, something Ruby takes objection to as her uncle Len is a miner and she proclaims, he is no red. James volunteers to drive a municipal bus and Frederick goes along to try and keep the peace. Lady Prudence Fairfax offers free lodging to young men who have come down from Oxford to work as strike breakers. Mr. Hudson goes to work as a Special Constable and is incensed when he returns to find that Ruby's Uncle Len and another miner have stopped in to visit. When the strike is called off after 9 days, it's all seen as a waste by those involved.

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Plot Keywords:

general strike | scab | coal miner | striker | parlor maid | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1977 (USA)

Filming Locations:

LWT Studios / ITV Studios / The London Studios / London Television Studio / Kent House studios, Upper Ground, South Bank, Lambeth, London, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT), Sagitta Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

48 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The National Strike referred to occurred between May 4 and May 13, 1926. Somewhere between 1.5 and 1.75 million workers joined in solidarity with the coal miners, but Stanley Baldwin's government had nine months to prepare for and beat the labor coalition. The Flying Scotsman, which is discussed as Virginia's means of getting home was actually derailed by strikers.

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Quotes

Hudson: [Rhetorically] How many times have I told you not to be influenced by pub talk, Edward?

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Soundtracks

"What Are We Gonig To Do with Uncle Arthur?"
(uncredited)
Composed by Alexander Faris (1971)
Lyrics by Alfred Shaugnessy
Instrumental version heard on closing credits

User Reviews

Should the servants join the Strike?

May, 1926, It's the year of 'The General Strike', and the Bellamy household does their bit to keep things running smoothly, However; there are some doubts in the servants hall as to whether the Strike is legitimate or not, and whether they should in fact be out there striking too! Hudson lays the law down as always - but the others still have doubts...

Ruby gets a couple of unexpected visitors from her family who just happen to be Miners, and therefore are not made very welcome by Hudson and are seen as the 'enemy'.

For James it's a reminder of the War that Georgina so desperately wants to forget, and even Rose is unsettled and is glued to the Wireless like a battle station for reassurance that the different parties in the dispute are in fact talking of 'peace'.

This episode, though dealing with an important incident of history, comes across as a sort of 'filler' - this season being somewhat longer, and running for sixteen episodes instead of the usual thirteen.

TRIVIA: Note the scene in Georgina's bedroom when James taps his finger too hard on the Dressing Table, and Simon Williams clearly injures himself!