Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The First Churchills

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1969
  • 50m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
256
YOUR RATING
Susan Hampshire and John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
Trailer for The First Churchills
Play trailer1:29
18 Videos
21 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

The lives of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah.The lives of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah.The lives of John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough, and his wife Sarah.

  • Stars
    • John Neville
    • Susan Hampshire
    • John Standing
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    256
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • John Neville
      • Susan Hampshire
      • John Standing
    • 8User reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination total

    Episodes12

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 Season1971

    Videos18

    The First Churchills
    Trailer 1:29
    Watch The First Churchills
    The First Churchills: Vol. 1
    Trailer 0:58
    Watch The First Churchills: Vol. 1
    The First Churchills: A Famous Victory
    Trailer 1:04
    Watch The First Churchills: A Famous Victory
    The First Churchills: The Lion And The Unicorn
    Trailer 1:15
    Watch The First Churchills: The Lion And The Unicorn
    The First Churchills: Not Without Honour
    Trailer 1:06
    Watch The First Churchills: Not Without Honour
    The First Churchills: Breaking The Circle
    Trailer 1:06
    Watch The First Churchills: Breaking The Circle
    The First Churchills: The Protestant Wind
    Trailer 1:09
    Watch The First Churchills: The Protestant Wind
    The First Churchills: Vol. 3
    Trailer 1:09
    Watch The First Churchills: Vol. 3
    The First Churchills: The Chaste Nymph
    Trailer 1:12
    Watch The First Churchills: The Chaste Nymph
    The First Churchills: Vol. 2
    Trailer 1:28
    Watch The First Churchills: Vol. 2
    The First Churchills: The Queen Commands
    Trailer 1:01
    Watch The First Churchills: The Queen Commands
    The First Churchills
    Trailer 1:08
    Watch The First Churchills

    Photos21

    John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
    Margaret Tyzack in The First Churchills (1969)
    John Neville, John Standing, and James Villiers in The First Churchills (1969)
    Susan Hampshire and John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
    Susan Hampshire and John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
    John Humphry and George Merritt in The First Churchills (1969)
    Sheila Gish, Verina Greenlaw, Lesley Roach, James Villiers, and John Westbrook in The First Churchills (1969)
    John Neville and Moira Redmond in The First Churchills (1969)
    Susan Hampshire in The First Churchills (1969)
    Lisa Daniely in The First Churchills (1969)
    Susan Hampshire and John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
    Margaret Tyzack in The First Churchills (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Neville
    John Neville
    • John Churchill…
    Susan Hampshire
    Susan Hampshire
    • Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough…
    John Standing
    John Standing
    • Sidney Godolphin
    Robert Robinson
    • Louis XIV
    Margaret Tyzack
    Margaret Tyzack
    • Princess Anne…
    Roger Mutton
    • George of Denmark
    John Ringham
    John Ringham
    • Laurence Hyde…
    Alan Rowe
    • William, Prince of Orange…
    John Westbrook
    • James, Duke of York…
    James Kerry
    James Kerry
    • James, Duke of Monmouth…
    Lisa Daniely
    Lisa Daniely
    • Princess Mary…
    Michael Culver
    Michael Culver
    • Charles Churchill
    Job Stewart
    • Lord Shrewsbury
    James Villiers
    James Villiers
    • Charles II
    Jill Balcon
    Jill Balcon
    • Abigail Hill…
    Polly Adams
    Polly Adams
    • Henrietta Godolphin…
    Sheila Gish
    Sheila Gish
    • Mary, Duchess of York…
    Arthur Pentelow
    Arthur Pentelow
    • Earl of Danby…
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Stage Beauty
    7.1
    Stage Beauty
    The Duchess of Duke Street
    8.3
    The Duchess of Duke Street
    The Forsyte Saga
    8.5
    The Forsyte Saga
    The Pallisers
    8.2
    The Pallisers
    Elizabeth R
    8.7
    Elizabeth R
    Cousin Bette
    7.9
    Cousin Bette
    Henry VIII and His Six Wives
    6.8
    Henry VIII and His Six Wives
    The Six Wives of Henry VIII
    8.4
    The Six Wives of Henry VIII
    The Edwardians
    7.0
    The Edwardians
    Vanity Fair
    7.5
    Vanity Fair
    The Barchester Chronicles
    8.1
    The Barchester Chronicles
    Danger UXB
    8.5
    Danger UXB

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Judi Dench was slated to star as Sarah, but was unable to. The role went to Susan Hampshire, who went on to win an Emmy for her portrayal of Sarah Churchill.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 23rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1971)
    • Soundtracks
      Warlike Consort: Trumpet Tune from King Arthur
      (uncredited)

      By Henry Purcell

      [Opening credits theme]

    User reviews8

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Praise to Susan Hampshire
    Fine BBC production about key players in a lesser known period of history, the fact that they are ancestors of Winston Churchill is interesting but really doesn't factor into the story. The real focus is about royal power struggles and the emergence of the Churchill line. A bit stagy and it shows its age in film quality but the performances make all that secondary. John Neville is good but this really belongs to Susan Hampshire as Sarah Churchill who is by turns kittenish, vixenish and noble. A top star in England since the 60's her talent is great and her presence enchanting it's a pity she's not better known. She is in the same league as Diana Rigg, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench.
    helpful•6
    0
    • jjnxn-1
    • Apr 30, 2013

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 10, 1971 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Los primeros Churchills
    • Filming locations
      • Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, UK(opening credits)
    • Production company
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      50 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Susan Hampshire and John Neville in The First Churchills (1969)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The First Churchills (1969) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit pageAdd episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.