Lillie 

Lillie Langtry, trapped in a loveless marriage, takes full advantage of her beauty, attracting many lovers and admirers including the Prince of Wales and Oscar Wilde. As her husband slowly ... See full summary »

Stars:

Francesca Annis, Catherine Feller, Peggy Ann Wood

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Francesca Annis	...	Lillie 13 episodes, 1978
Catherine Feller	...	Dominique 11 episodes, 1978
Peggy Ann Wood	...	Mrs. Le Breton 10 episodes, 1978
Anton Rodgers	...	Edward Langtry 9 episodes, 1978
Denis Lill	...	Prince of Wales (Bertie) / ... 9 episodes, 1978
Peter Egan	...	Oscar Wilde 9 episodes, 1978
Jennie Linden	...	Patsy Cornwallis-West 8 episodes, 1978
Brian Deacon	...	Frank Miles 7 episodes, 1978
Patrick Holt	...	Dean Le Breton 7 episodes, 1978
John Barcroft	...	Francis Knollys 7 episodes, 1978
Ann Firbank	...	Princess Alexandra / ... 6 episodes, 1978

Storyline

Lillie Langtry, trapped in a loveless marriage, takes full advantage of her beauty, attracting many lovers and admirers including the Prince of Wales and Oscar Wilde. As her husband slowly drinks himself to death, Lillie embarks upon a sensational career as a somewhat talented yet beautiful actress in Britain and the United States. Throughout her life she attracts rich and sometimes brutal lovers, endures financial ruin and scandal, yet maintains her dignity, elegance, and a certain amount of her beauty until the end of her life.

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Plot Keywords:

britain | loveless marriage | king edward vii | battered woman | tv mini series | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lillie

Filming Locations:

Euston Station, Somers Town, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The production was shot on nearly 100 sets, many of which were painstakingly recreated to match the original locations using period props worth thousands of pounds.

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Quotes

J. M. Whistler: Nowadays, people are preoccupied with reality. They want to see every leaf on the tree, every hair on the dog's tail. That's not art, that's illustration.

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Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)

User Reviews

Lily Langtry Comes To Life: Oscar Wilde Portrayal As Good As It Gets

At the end of the first hour of this BBC Costumer, you may be tempted to forget the rest, as it appears to be somewhat dated--the color as dated a bit, the film techniques--and the plot establishment a bit slow; but stay the course! This excellent immersion in Victorian society is both informative and wonderfully acted, particularly by Francesca Annis as Lillie Langtry, who is seldom off the screen, playing a young woman whose strength of will develops as she copes with a society whose strictures are iron-clad. I can't recall when I've seen a better portrayal of Oscar Wilde and his immediate Bohemian Circle, Peter Egan brilliantly capturing his offhand wit and vulnerability; Denis Lill, too, as the Prince of Wales who becomes enamored of the "Jersey Lily" sent me to Wikipedia to discover more about the entire period; to someone who only knew of Lillie Lantry because of Judge Roy Bean's obsession with her in the John Ford movie My Darling Clementine, this lengthy series was mesmerizing; it's a colorful and involving recreation of a world long past.