Review for An Englishman's Castle - The Complete Mini-Series

Originally broadcast on the BBC way back in 1978 (almost forty years ago) ‘An Englishman's Castle’ is a fantastic example of how powerful simple drama can be when you get a good script, a brilliant cast and a good director. You don’t need lots of production value and effects to make impact and ‘An Englishman’s Castle’ is certainly light on those. But it really packs an incredible punch.


Running at just over 140 minutes, it was originally broadcast as a mini-series of three 45 minute episodes, actually quite a popular format back in the day. Written by Philip Mackie and directed by Paul Ciappessoni (Angels, Softly Softly, Doomwatch, Doctor Finlay’s Casebook) it’s set in an alternate 1970s, in which Nazi Germany has won World War II and now occupies all of Europe including England. Peter Ingram (played superbly by an aging Kenneth More) is the lead writer of a popular soap opera set in Blitz-era London called (you guessed it) ‘An Englishman’s Castle’.


Leading a comfortable and easy life he knowingly turns a blind eye to the realities of local Nazi rule where people disappear in the night never to be seen again and where Jewish people are seen as less than second class citizens, condemned to either gas-chambers or workhouses which are little better than concentration camps.


Although Britain had resisted for a while, many (including Ingram) felt that it was time to throw In the fighting towel and get on with the business of living. But it’s not long before personal circumstances wake him from his comfortable stupor and have him start thinking about some form of resistance.

Ingram gradually becomes aware of the reality. First, he encounters a firm objection to the inclusion of a Jewish character in the series he is writing, based loosely on his own life. Until now, the authorities have been happy enough with the soap – its popularity helping ensure that the masses are indoors watching rather than outside causing dissent.


Even more poignantly, he discovers that the young actress he has begun an affair of sorts with (played by Isla Blair) is not only Jewish, she is active in the resistance and is soon suggesting he should be too.

Ingram also has two sons in the series, their characters showing polar viewpoints. One is an ambitious assistant director on the show who is anxious for promotion; the other (played by a very young Nigel Havers) is a rebel who cannot understand or stomach his Dad’s compliance with the ruling authorities. When one of his son’s is arrested (‘shopped’ by his brother who is keen to show allegiance to the authorities) Ingram is forced to face up to the great wrongs that he has managed to ignore for so long for the sake of comfort, money and prestige.


More is superb in the role; utterly believable in every regard. Curiously. the story does parallel his own to some degree. Having thrown away a glittering film career at Rank studios by openly critiquing John Davis (the then MD) at a BAFTA dinner in a drunken speech, he lost his contract and was virtually black-listed for the remainder of his movie career, forcing him to move to TV roles like this one. He had also become less favoured by the public after having an affair with a much younger actress.


In ‘An Englishman’s Castle’ he gives the performance of a lifetime – subtle and underplayed but incredibly moving.

The whole drama is set in just one or two key locations and, apart from the TV studio, is a pretty simple, low budget affair where all the real (and bloody) action is either portrayed by ‘noises off’ or simply focuses on the aftermath, leaving all the gory details to the viwers’s imagination. Perhaps it's this that makes the whole piece so powerful as a drama, a lesson to all producers of over-blown, CGI infested action movie’s today or over-the-top costume drama extravaganzas.


Image and audio quality are perfectly acceptable for what is, after all, a period piece, shot on a combination of video and 16mm film some forty years ago. Sadly, there are no extra features though that is the tiniest of gripes.


It’s fantastic that Simply Media are picking up options on some little-seen BBC drama like this and are putting them out there. In fact, I encourage you to support their endeavours by buying a copy of this brilliant drama. You won’t be disappointed. Highly recommended.