Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley (TV 2008)

A light-hearted retelling of the true story of future prime minister Margaret Thatcher, during the fifties when, working as a research chemist, she begins her attempts to be selected for parliament, and meets her future husband Dennis.

Director:

Niall MacCormick

Writer:

Tony Saint

Stars:

Andrea Riseborough, Philip Jackson, Michael Gould

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrea Riseborough	...	Margaret Thatcher
Philip Jackson	...	Alfred Roberts
Michael Gould	...	John Miller
Jonathan Aris	...	Stanley Soward
Rory Kinnear	...	Denis Thatcher
Samuel West	...	Ted Heath
Lydia Leonard	...	Joyce
Marcia Warren	...	Old Dear
Michael Cochrane	...	Sir Waldron Smithers
Sylvestra Le Touzel	...	Patricia Hornsby-Smith
Christian Rodska	...	Lieutenant Colonel Digby
Robert Whitelock	...	Bert
Geoffrey McGivern	...	Dartford Returning Officer / TV & Radio Announcer (as Geoff McGivern)
James Laurenson	...	Leslie Thomas
Claire Vousden	...	Nanny

Storyline

In a post-war election Margaret Roberts, University educated daughter of shop-keeper Alf from Grantham, is determined to get herself elected as a prospective Parliamentary candidate for the Consevative party but without any success. Although her friend Patricia wins a seat,the notion of a woman candidate is frowned upon by Old Guard members like Sir John Sowdon and she gets no support from fellow hopeful - who does get elected - Ted Heath. But she is tenacious and committed and, loyally backed by her business-man husband Dennis finally wins that coveted seat in parliament a decade on. She has successfully completed that long walk to Finchley.

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Plot Keywords:

parliament | election | british history | jaguar car | member of parliament | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 June 2008 (UK)

Also Known As:

Margaret Thatcher: O makrys dromos gia to Finchley

Company Credits

Production Co:

Great Meadow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the opening titles, the play was subtitled "How Margaret might have done it".

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Crazy Credits

The opening titles were typed on an ancient manual typewriter.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #20.77 (2012)

User Reviews

Superb political film.

I loathed Margaret Thatcher. I loved this film. It's perhaps the best political movie I've ever seen, certainly far far ahead of even the best American political films. It's an interesting approach to document Thatcher's early years rather than her later fame as prime minister. Yet the future leader is strongly evident in Andrea Riseborough's brilliant interpretation of Thatcher as an iron willed flirt. No small feat to transpose the well known Thatcher haughty expression, purposeful gait and swinging handbag to the younger and sexier woman of an earlier era. Rory Kinnear has captured Dennis Thatcher's bumbling anonymity perfectly. And Geoffrey Palmer... The wonderful and versatile Geoffrey Palmer... His curmudgeonly establishment Tory character is priceless. I stumbled on this film on TV Ontario. Rather than watch it, because I was tired, I recorded it. I'm glad I did because the DVD now has a place of honour among my "keepers."