A Tale of Two Cities (1965 TV series)
A Tale of Two Cities is a British television series which first aired on BBC 1 in 1965.[1] It is an adaptation of the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.[2] Out of the 10 episodes produced, 8 are believed to be lost.[3] Episodes 2 and 3 survive, and various promotional photographs and productions stills featuring the actors in costume are available online.
| A Tale of Two Cities | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Based on | A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens |
| Written by | Constance Cox |
| Directed by | Joan Craft |
| Starring | Patrick Troughton Kika Markham John Wood |
| Composer | Alan Rawsthorne |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (8 missing) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Campbell Logan |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company | BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 11 April – 13 June 1965 |
Cast
- Patrick Troughton as Dr. Manette
- Nicholas Pennell as Charles Darnay
- Kika Markham as Lucie Manette
- Leslie French as Jarvis Lorry
- George Selway as Defarge
- John Wood as Sydney Carton
- Rosalie Crutchley as Madame Defarge
- Ronnie Barker as Jerry Cruncher
- Alison Leggatt as Miss Pross
- George Little as Jacques Three
- Jack May as Mr. Stryver
- Peter Bayliss as Barsad
- Diana King as Vengeance
- Artro Morris as Jacques Two
- Stephen Dartnell as Jacques One
- Rolf Lefebvre as Gabelle
- Ralph Nossek as Road-mender
- Darryl Read as Jerry Cruncher Jr.
- Nicholas Smith as Cly
- Jerome Willis as Marquis St. Evrémonde
- Janet Henfrey as Mrs. Cruncher
- Bernard Kay as President of Tribunal
Earlier versions
The BBC previously adapted A Tale of Two Cities as an eight-part serial in 1957, broadcast live from 28 July to 15 September. No recordings or photographs of the production are known to exist, leaving all audio and visual record of it completely lost.
A two hour film of the Arthur Benjamin Opera adaptation was produced by Rudolph Cartier for the BBC a year later, broadcast on 10 October 1958. This television opera, performed live, exists as a 35mm telerecording, but it has not been repeated or made available publicly since its original broadcast.
References
- "A Tale of Two Cities: Episode 1". 11 April 1965. p. 17 – via BBC Genome.
- Baskin p.73
- "A Tale of Two Cities (1965– ) - Trivia". IMDb.
Bibliography
- Ellen Baskin. Serials on British Television, 1950-1994. Scolar Press, 1996.