Our Mutual Friend 

Intertwining tales of love, greed, and secret identities in Charles Dickens's 1860s London.

Stars:

Paul McGann, Keeley Hawes, Dominic Mafham

9 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Paul McGann	...	Eugene Wrayburn 4 episodes, 1998
Dominic Mafham	...	Mortimer Lightwood 4 episodes, 1998
David Bradley	...	Rogue Riderhood 4 episodes, 1998
Anna Friel	...	Bella Wilfer / ... 4 episodes, 1998
Peter Vaughan	...	Mr. Boffin 4 episodes, 1998
Pam Ferris	...	Mrs. Boffin 4 episodes, 1998
Steven Mackintosh	...	John Harmon / ... 4 episodes, 1998
Sarah Crowden	...	First Guest 4 episodes, 1998
Cate Fowler	...	Second Guest 4 episodes, 1998
John Dallimore	...	Third Guest 4 episodes, 1998
Keeley Hawes	...	Lizzie Hexam 4 episodes, 1998
Peter Howell	...	Fourth Guest 4 episodes, 1998
Michael Culkin	...	Mr. Veneering 4 episodes, 1998
Anthony Calf	...	Alfred Lammle 4 episodes, 1998
Doon Mackichan	...	Sophronia Lammle 4 episodes, 1998
Ray Gardner	...	Fifth Guest 4 episodes, 1998
Rose English	...	Mrs. Veneering 4 episodes, 1998
Margaret Tyzack	...	Lady Tippins 4 episodes, 1998
Kenneth Cranham	...	Silas Wegg 4 episodes, 1998
Timothy Spall	...	Mr. Venus 4 episodes, 1998
Paul Bailey	...	Charley Hexam 3 episodes, 1998
David Morrissey	...	Bradley Headstone 3 episodes, 1998
Robert Lang	...	Mr. Tremlow 3 episodes, 1998
Katy Murphy	...	Jenny Wren 3 episodes, 1998
Rachel Power	...	Pleasant Riderhood 3 episodes, 1998
Roger Frost	...	Police Inspector 3 episodes, 1998
Martin Hancock	...	Sloppy 3 episodes, 1998
Cyril Shaps	...	Mr. Riah 3 episodes, 1998
Peter Wight	...	Mr. Wilfer 3 episodes, 1998
David Schofield	...	Gaffer Hexam 2 episodes, 1998
Linda Bassett	...	Abby Potterson 2 episodes, 1998
Richard Hanson	...	George Radfoot 2 episodes, 1998
Eddie Webber	...	First Pub Regular 2 episodes, 1998
Alan Talbot	...	Second Pub Regular 2 episodes, 1998
Willie Ross	...	Mr. Dolls 2 episodes, 1998
Edna Doré	...	Betty Higden 2 episodes, 1998
Bertie Shelley	...	Little Johnny 2 episodes, 1998
Richard Stirling	...	Reverend 2 episodes, 1998
Heather Tobias	...	Mrs. Wilfer 2 episodes, 1998
Catriona Yuill	...	Lavinia Wilfer 2 episodes, 1998
Vanessa Hadaway	...	Lammle's Maid / ... 2 episodes, 1998

Storyline

The tongues of London high society gossips begin to wag when John Harmon --a young man whose inheritance depended on his marrying a woman he had never met-- is found dead in the River Thames. The fortune passes into the hands of the working-class Boffins, who take into their new home both Bella Wilfer (Harmon's would-be bride), and a mysterious secretary known as Rokesmith. Meanwhile, Lizzie Hexam, the daughter of the boatman suspected of Harmon's murder, is pursued by two suitors: obsessive and self-righteous Bradley Headstone and roguish and lethargic Eugene Wrayburn. An expansive and varied cast of characters create an epic intertwining tale.

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Plot Keywords:

river | inheritance | love | greed | victorian england | 

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Taglines:

Love in a city where class governs all

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 January 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Our Mutual Friend

Filming Locations:

Chatham Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

350 min (4 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Lizzie is adjusting Eugene's position on the boat, a hand can clearly be seen momentarily keeping the boat steady. It then lets go of the boat and can be seen in the water.

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Quotes

Eugene Wrayburn: [after bribing a drunk to find Lizzie] I said that I would find her by any means, fair or foul, these are foul, I will take them.

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Connections

Version of Eugene Wrayburn (1911)

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Soundtracks

Begone Dull Care
Traditional
Performed by Kenneth Cranham

User Reviews

Rich in Dickensian atmosphere

"Our Mutual Friend," is another well done BBC adaptation of a classic Charles Dickens story, set in the complex London of 1860, beset with the poor, overseen by the unseemly rich with a class structure at it's most delineated.

All of these stories deserve the mini-treatment, to allow us into the sprawl of the period and soak up its language and atmosphere and this is right up there with the best of them. The waterfront sets are magnificent as are the sets for the refuse dump where a lot of the action takes place. The cast is enormous and includes many recognised British names, from Timothy Spall, one of my personal favourites, to Margaret Tyzack, another favourite from the original "Forsyte Saga" series.

Each character is well drawn and complex in all its humanity and struggle for survival. Keely Hawes shines as a woman ill suited to a life on the river, retrieving drowned corpses for their clothes and possessions, and as her counterpart, Anna Friel is sparkling with wit and beauty as a poverty stricken woman striving to acquire a rich husband.

The script is authentic to Dickens and the era, underlaid with a haunting musical score and overlaid with a cinematography that sweeps from the multi-layered greys of the slums and river life to the lush English gardens of the well-to-do and their sumptuous parties.

Much like the mini "Pride and Prejudice", all the plot lines sweep to a happy, clean and simple denouement in the end, but the ride is sure-footed with many interesting characters to bewitch and fascinate along the way and a suspenseful drama to hold interest.

9 out of 10 and not to be missed.