This is a BBC adaptation of what was then a fairly contemporary novel about the political atmosphere in a fictional Anglican Cathedral's Close and Precincts. The central premise, that of the fight between the heart of a Cathedral, and its bank balance, was and still is relevant, and the story of the threat to the choir school almost seems, in retrospect, prescient, when one considers that some years after this was made, there was considerable threat to Canterbury Cathedral's Choir School.
The acting was excellent, and the multiple layers of simmering tensions between different characters will keep you on the edge of your seats. Anthony Way, as Henry Ashworth, was perfectly cast. Choosing a chorister, rather than an actor, to play the role, was absolutely the right decision. Way understands the complexity of a chorister's position exactly, and, through his experience at St. Paul's Cathedral, displays the physical poise and emotional conflict that a chorister in Henry's position would display. Peter Vaughn and James Fox, as Councillor Frank Ashworth, and the Dean of Aldminster respectively, play characters that meet like an irresistible force meeting an immoveable object, and show once again why they are such highly regarded actors. Nicholas Farrell, as the choirmaster, plays my kind of Christian.
The music is enchanting, and is composed, arranged, or conducted by Stanislas Syrewicz, working with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
The acting was excellent, and the multiple layers of simmering tensions between different characters will keep you on the edge of your seats. Anthony Way, as Henry Ashworth, was perfectly cast. Choosing a chorister, rather than an actor, to play the role, was absolutely the right decision. Way understands the complexity of a chorister's position exactly, and, through his experience at St. Paul's Cathedral, displays the physical poise and emotional conflict that a chorister in Henry's position would display. Peter Vaughn and James Fox, as Councillor Frank Ashworth, and the Dean of Aldminster respectively, play characters that meet like an irresistible force meeting an immoveable object, and show once again why they are such highly regarded actors. Nicholas Farrell, as the choirmaster, plays my kind of Christian.
The music is enchanting, and is composed, arranged, or conducted by Stanislas Syrewicz, working with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.