The 1981 British television miniseries Brideshead Revisited, adapted from Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel, first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV and then in the United States in 1982 as part of PBS’ performing arts anthology series Great Performances, which many in 2007 weren’t aware of as it was erroneously voted the seventh best program to air on Masterpiece Theatre during that series’ 35th Anniversary celebration. It won a number of television awards from both countries and in 2006 a 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition was released on DVD.

Brideshead Revisited presents over twenty years in the life of Waugh’s alter ego Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) as he reflects upon his life and in particular his involvement with the Flyte/Marchmain family. The series opens in 1944 at the end of the story with Charles serving as a British Army captain. When his company heads to a secret location to set up camp, it turns out to be Brideshead Castle where he spent a lot of time. This brings back a flood of memories as the vast majority of the story is presented in a flashback.

Chronologically, the story begins as Charles is attending his first year at Oxford in 1922. One night while studying with friends, a drunken young man, Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews), passes by the window and vomits into Charles’ room. By way of apology the next day, Sebastian floods Charles with floral arrangements. They formally meet and quickly develop a relationship that goes past friendship and becomes a bond of love. Whether or not the relationship is consummated is never made clear, although it is hinted at, nor is Charles’ sexuality. Unlike Sebastian, we will later see Charles married with children, but there’s no denying their deep feelings for each other, which Charles admits to.

When Sebastian takes Charles home for the first time, this starts the viewer’s amazing glimpse back at early 20th century English aristocratic life. Every room is ornately furnished, every person very well dressed, servants are on call, and the world is their playground. In “Snob’s Progress,” a 1986 article for The New York Times, Tom Wolfe coined the word “plutography” to describe the phenomenon of the public’s enjoyment of the graphic depiction of the lives of the rich and cited Brideshead as an example.