And although one would assume that his greatest ally would be a member of his own party, Kerslake realizes (almost far too late) how ruthless Seymour can be in competition. Indeed from his earliest days on the backbenches, he befriends an equally unlikely member of the Labour Party, the Scotish Andrew Fraser (David Robb), who disappoints his wealthy conservative family in running on the other ticket. Passionate and impulsive, in the first episode Fraser further goes against his predetermined course in life by dumping his fiancé (on the night their engagement was to be announced) when he falls in love at first sight with a beguiling woman he makes his wife (Diana Hardcastle). The only problem is that his ex’s father is a superior Member of Parliament and may want to use his power for familial revenge.
Even though he’s incredibly bright, the exceptionally blue collar worker turned hard-working lawyer Raymond Gould (remarkable two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson from In the Bedroom and Michael Clayton), initially appears as the Atticus Finch of the Labour Party. With his devoted wife Joyce (Anita Carey) at his side, this uncommonly gifted speaker and author rises steadily through the party; however he realizes with an increase in status just how different everything (including Joyce) is back home in Leeds. Soon unwilling to admit he’s ashamed of his roots, Gould spends more and more time away from home, indulging in extramarital flings including one that turns into true love as a heartbreaking triangle develops.
Although it’s a bit light on the extras, perhaps given the fact that the original production is more than twenty years old, the DVD set includes a biography of Jeffrey Archer (known to Generation Y for his Bridget Jones movie cameo) as well as the rest of the cast. Using real life situations and political figures for the backdrop, this incredibly authentic miniseries seems as realistic as those red boxes the men carry back and forth, which owes as much to Archer as it does for the studio behind the production. Originally filmed for Granada Television, the studio “constructed a full-scale replica set of the House of Commons Chamber… which for many years formed a central part of their Granada Studios Tour attraction, where visitors could see mock debates being performed on the set by actors,” although it has since been placed into storage after being purchased for usage in the recent acclaimed miniseries State of Play by Paul Abbott.
Article comments