"To Play the King" (1993) TV series

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

8 October 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Francis Urquhart, unscrupulous but cunning Conservative politician, managed to become the British prime minister and crush all significant opposition...

Plot Keywords:

House Of Commons | English Politics | Prostitute | Corruption | Psychopath

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Ian Richardson	...	Francis Urquhart (4 episodes, 1993)
Michael Kitchen	...	The King (4 episodes, 1993)
Kitty Aldridge	...	Sarah Harding (4 episodes, 1993)
Colin Jeavons	...	Tim Stamper (4 episodes, 1993)
Diane Fletcher	...	Elizabeth Urquhart (4 episodes, 1993)
Nicholas Farrell	...	David Mycroft (4 episodes, 1993)
Rowena King	...	Chloe Carmichael (4 episodes, 1993)
Leonard Preston	...	John Stroud (4 episodes, 1993)
Erika Hoffman	...	The Lady (4 episodes, 1993)
Jack Fortune	...	Ken Charterhouse (4 episodes, 1993)
Nick Brimble	...	Corder (4 episodes, 1993)
Bernice Stegers	...	Princess Charlotte (3 episodes, 1993)
David Ryall	...	Sir Bruce Bullerby (3 episodes, 1993)
Pip Torrens	...	Andrew Harding (3 episodes, 1993)
Frederick Treves	...	Lord Quillington (3 episodes, 1993)
Tom Beasley	...	Young Prince / ... (3 episodes, 1993)
Don Warrington	...	Graham Gaunt (3 episodes, 1993)
Paula Tilbrook	...	Speaker (3 episodes, 1993)
John Bird	...	Bryan Brynford-Jones (2 episodes, 1993)
Kate Ricketts	...	Current Affairs Lady (2 episodes, 1993)
Merelina Kendall	...	Hilda Cordwainer (2 episodes, 1993)
Anthony Smee	...	John Staines (2 episodes, 1993)
John Paul Connolly	...	Sturdy Beggar (2 episodes, 1993)
Soo Drouet	...	Big Woman (2 episodes, 1993)

Runtime:

55 min (4 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

UK:12

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Stamper confronts Francis about having a job in higher office after the election, like Home Secretary, but Francis rejects him. In the first House of Cards, Francis was promised a higher post like Home Secretary from Collingridge, but was rejected.

Quotes:

Francis Urquhart: God save the King.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Drama Connections: House of Cards (#1.5)" (2005)

To Play the King

Although weaker than House of Cards, To Play the King is consistently entertaining, perhaps more so than the other parts of the trilogy, which ended with The Final Cut.

Francis Urquhart has been PM (played by the wonderful Ian Richardson) for some time now, and he now faces a challenge in the new King (a compelling impersonation of Princes Charles by Michael Kitchen), who's views on Britain conflict wildly with Urquhart's. Added to this, Urquhart is engaging in an affair with Sarah Harding (Kitty Aldridge), a pollster, and seriously getting on the wrong side of his oldest friend and Chief Whip/Party Chairman Tim Stamper (played by Colin Jeavons, who almost steals the show from Richardson), who has incriminating evidence concerning Urquhart's involvement in the death of journalist Mattie Storin.

To Play the King carries on the Urquhart trilogy with great confidence. Despite the fact that it came three years after House of Cards, all of the recurring cast slip back into their roles with ease. The location work and music are also outstanding. However, the real weakness with this production is that Andrew Davies' script goes over old ground. The dialogue is naturally superb, but Urquhart's relationship with Harding is thin compared to the one between him and Mattie, and the ending strangely lacks the emotional edges of the other two in the series.

That said, To Play the King is highly enjoyable, and worth checking out if you were a fan (and who wasn't) of House of Cards.