UK,
1991, 9 h 28 min
(Length: 73–92 min)
Directed by:
Robert YoungScreenplay:
Alan BleasdaleCinematography:
Peter JessopCast:
Robert Lindsay, Michael Palin, Julie Walters, Dearbhla Molloy, Andrew Schofield, Philip Whitchurch, Paul Daneman, Jane Danson, Lindsay Duncan, Anna Friel (more)Episodes(7)
-
It Couldn't Happen Here (E01)
-
Only Here on a Message (E02)
-
Send a Message to Michael (E03)
-
Message Sent (E04)
-
Message Received (E05)
-
Message Understood (E06)
-
Over and Out (E07)
Plots(1)
It begins innocently enough: a politician calls a strike, and the headmaster of a local school inadvertently sabotages it. Soon the men are caught in a power struggle of epic proportions. Robert Lindsay (Horatio Hornblower) is brilliant as the corrupt, egomaniacal Labour party leader Michael Murray. Michael Palin (Monty Python) is superb as the principled, mild-mannered Jim Nelson. They are unlikely but inexorable foes, and as their conflict escalates, so do the risks. Nelson suffers from debilitating anxiety attacks. Murray hides a tormented past, and the arrival of a beautiful woman (Lindsay Duncan, Rome) further complicates matters. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)