Monday 23 May 2016

398 Prince Regent


First  viewed  :  September  1979

After  ITV's  success  with  Edward  VII  and  Edward  and  Mrs  Simpson , the  Beeb  came  up  with  its  own   royal   historical  drama  concentrating  on  the  future   George  IV  and  his  long  wait  for  the  throne.

Suave  Peter  Egan  played  George  from  his  coming-of-age  in  1782   to  his  accession  to  the throne  in  1820, thus  making  considerable  demands  on  the  make-up  department.  It  covered  his debauchery  with  friends  Fox  and  Sheridan  ( Keith  Barron  and  Clive  Merrison  respectively ), secret  and  illegal  marriage  to  Maria  FitzHerbert  ( Susannah  York ), disastrous  real  marriage  to  Caroline  of  Brunswick ( Dinah  Stabb )  and  ongoing  generational  conflict  with  his  father  George  III  ( Nigel  Davenport ).

For  all  the  costumed  finery  and  gay  antics  there  was  a  strong  melancholic  thread  throughout the  8-part  series  as  we  watched   George  III  descend  into  complete  madness  and  the   death  of Prince  George's  only  daughter  Charlotte ( Cherie  Lunghi ). Above  all  of  course,  we  saw the slow  physical  decline  of  George  and  his  pals  from  young  bucks  to  exhausted  old  men; there was  a  very  poignant  scene  where  George  receives the  doddering  Sheridan  for  the  last  time. I'm  sure  none  of  this  would  be  lost  on  a  certain  jug-eared  sexagenarian  of  our  own  day.

Talking  of   Sheridan,  I  remember  my  mum  and  sister  going  on  and  on  about  just  having seen  Clive  Merrison  in  a  play  at  the  Oldham  Colosseum  like  it  was  something  extraordinary.

The  series  has  never  been  repeated. I'm  wondering  if  that  has  something  to  do  with  the  fact  that  it  was  written  by  Ian  Curteis  who,  you  may  recall, kicked  up  such  a  fuss  about  his  pro-Thatcher  Falklands  drama  not  being  broadcast  a  few  years  later.      

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