Great Expectations (1967 TV series)
Great Expectations | |
---|---|
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Genre | Historical drama |
Based on | Great Expectations by Charles Dickens |
Written by | Hugh Leonard |
Directed by | Alan Bridges |
Starring | Gary Bond Francesca Annis Maxine Audley |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Producer | Campbell Logan |
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company | BBC |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 22 January 26 March 1967 | –
Great Expectations is a British television series which first aired on the BBC 1 in 1967.[1] It is an adaptation of the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, which follows a humble orphan suddenly becoming a gentleman with the help of an unknown benefactor.[2]
All episodes survived the BBC's routine junking and were released on DVD in 2017 by Simply Media.[3]
Main cast[]
- Gary Bond as Pip
- Christopher Guard as young Pip
- Francesca Annis as Estella
- Maxine Audley as Miss Havisham
- Neil McCarthy as Joe Gargery
- Richard O'Sullivan as Herbert Pocket
- Peter Vaughan as Mr. Jaggers
- Bernard Hepton as Wemmick
- as Pumblechook
- Hannah Gordon as Biddy
- Shirley Cain as Mrs. Gargery
- Ronald Lacey as Orlick
- Elsie Wagstaff as Sarah Pocket
- Jon Laurimore as Bentley Drummle
- John Tate as Magwitch
Critical reception[]
This adaptation has been positively received, and was hugely popular at the time of broadcast. "Even with so many different adaptations of Great Expectations jostling for position," Archive Television Musings wrote, "this 1967 serial – although it may lack the budget and scale of some of the others – is still worthy of attention. Tightly scripted and well acted, it’s a very solid production which still stands up well today."[4]
Archive status[]
The original 625 line master videotapes of the series were wiped during the BBC's archival clearing of older programmes throughout the 1970s. Although thought by some as lost for decades, all ten episodes survived as 16mm film copies which, most likely due to poor storage, suffer from a great vary in quality. Episodes 7 ("Pip's Benefactor") and 9 ("Retribution"), for example, are of the poorest quality, suffering from muffled sound, black lines on the top and bottom of the frame, and an overall lower image quality. Episodes such as 1 ("The Convict"), however, exist with high sound and picture quality, with only minor scratches and dirt on the film. As Simply Media did not have the budget required to put the films through restoration, all episodes are presented on the DVD with these physical shortcomings, with a disclaimer at the beginning of the DVD.[5]
Earlier version[]
The BBC previously adapted Great Expectations as a 13-part serial in 1959 written by P.D. Cummins, starring Dinsdale Landen in his television debut as adult Pip. Although popular at the time (even being rebroadcast in 1960), it has since fallen into relative obscurity. It has never been fully released online or onto DVD as one of the episodes (Part Eight) is missing from the BBC Archives. Part One is available to view for free at the BFI Mediatheque service, and the other surviving episodes can be accessed by booking a screening session at their building on Stephen Street in London.[6]
Other cast members include Colin Jeavons as adult Herbert Pocket, Michael Gwynn as Joe Gargery, Jerold Wells as Magwitch, Kenneth Thornett as Mr. Jaggers, Ronald Ibbs as Mr. Wemmick, Marjory Hawtrey as Miss Havisham, Richard Warner as Orlick, Helen Lindsay as adult Estella, Margot Van der Burgh as Mrs. Joe Gargery, Gabrielle Hamilton as Biddy, Nigel Davenport as Bentley Drummle, and Colin Spaull as young Pip.[7]
References[]
- ^ "Great Expectations 2 Miss Havisham (1967)". BFI.
- ^ Baskin p.83
- ^ "What the Dickens? Charles Dickens DVD releases". SimplyHE.
- ^ "Great Expectations (BBC, 1967) – Simply Media DVD Review". June 28, 2017.
- ^ http://www.from-the-archive.co.uk/2017/07/dvd-review-three-classic-charles.html.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "Great Expectations (BBC, 1967) – Simply Media DVD Review". June 28, 2017.
- ^ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196252/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm.
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Bibliography[]
- Ellen Baskin. Serials on British Television, 1950-1994. Scolar Press, 1996.
External links[]
- BBC television dramas
- 1967 British television series debuts
- 1967 British television series endings
- 1960s British drama television series
- English-language television shows
- Television series set in the 19th century
- Television shows based on works by Charles Dickens
- Television shows set in Kent
- Works based on Great Expectations