LOVE, CLASS AND TRAGEDY DEEP UNDER THE SKIN OF 80S BRITAIN.
Young Oxford graduate Nick Guest (Dan Stevens) rents a room in the home of a Conservative MP (Tim McInnerny) and becomes involved in the family’s lives; a romance with a young man gives him advantages. A successful adaptation of the prize-winning Alan Hollinghurst novel that portrays a seemingly happy family enjoying the riches of Thatcher’s rule, but there’s plenty of darkness beneath the surface. The story is powerful, showing 1980s-style infatuation with money, power and cocaine, but also the kind of isolation that anyone who falls outside of the socially acceptable has to endure; Nick walks a fine line. Good performances all around and nice feeling for the era.
2006-Britain. Made for TV. 180 min. Color. Produced byĀ Kate Lewis. Directed byĀ Saul Dibb. Teleplay: Andrew Davies. Novel: Alan Hollinghurst. Cast: Dan Stevens (Nick Guest), Tim McInnerny (Gerald Fedden), Hayley Atwell (Cat Fedden), Alice Krige, Alex Wyndham, Don Gilet.
Trivia: Originally shown in three episodes.
Last word:Ā “I was happy to write a very faithful adaptation, seeing all the action through Nick’s eyes. Some people don’t like him, but I found him a very engaging hero.Ā The only change I made with him was to make him a bit more assertive at the end. I also built up the part of Catherine ā I found her character very engaging.” (Davies, BBC)
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