Episode #1.3 (5 Dec. 1993)

Despite his pleas to the King to avoid a constitutional crisis and not publicly express his personal views, the King refuses and Urquhart decides to destroy him. As planned, the King goes ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Seed

Writers:

Michael Dobbs (novel), Andrew Davies (screenplay)

Stars:

Ian Richardson, Michael Kitchen, Kitty Aldridge

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Richardson	...	Francis Urquhart
Michael Kitchen	...	The King
Kitty Aldridge	...	Sarah Harding
Colin Jeavons	...	Tim Stamper
Diane Fletcher	...	Elizabeth Urquhart
Nicholas Farrell	...	David Mycroft
Rowena King	...	Chloe Carmichael
Bernice Stegers	...	Princess Charlotte
John Bird	...	Bryan Brynford-Jones
David Ryall	...	Sir Bruce Bullerby
Leonard Preston	...	John Stroud
Jack Fortune	...	Ken Charterhouse
Frederick Treves	...	Lord Quillington
Anthony Smee	...	John Staines
Pip Torrens	...	Andrew Harding

Storyline

Despite his pleas to the King to avoid a constitutional crisis and not publicly express his personal views, the King refuses and Urquhart decides to destroy him. As planned, the King goes on television and the program is seen as a clear attack on the government. Urqhart has seriously underestimated the King's influence and the party finds itself falling in the polls. Princess Charlotte begins dictating her memoirs and also sleeping with publisher Sir Bruce Bullerby. She has a lot to tell about the Royal Family. When a conservative MP, John Staines, is arrested by the police for child molestation, David Mycroft is worried that his own lifestyle choice - which does not include underage minors - will become public and embarrass the King. Sarah gets a threatening phone call and meets Mattie Storin's friend John Krajewski to find out what he thinks really happened to her.

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Plot Keywords:

political corruption | power | politics | political wife | political power

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Release Date:

5 December 1993 (UK)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Harding and Krajewski are talking on the bus, he tells her that FU killed Roger O'Neill by putting rat poison in his cocaine, then says that he can't prove it because "all [of] Mattie's tapes were stolen". But the only copy of the tape where FU mentions the rat poison, was in the tape recorder that Mattie had on her when FU threw her off the roof garden. How would Krajewski know this?

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Quotes

The King: How much does Bullerby have? What could he publish?
Francis Urquhart: Everything the Princess was able to tell him. A lot of it's heresay, of course. But I'd say there's enough to bring down the monarchy for good.
The King: Damn you, man! Is that what you want?
Francis Urquhart: No, sir, it is not what I want. And I think, I'm sure, in fact, I could persuade him to suppress the more sensitive items.
The King: The price being my silence and complicity, I suppose.
Francis Urquhart: You might see it in those terms.
The King: [pauses] All right, do your worst.
Francis Urquhart: I beg your pardon, ...
[...]

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