Mike Vardy Movies
The trilogy begun with House of Cards and To Play the King comes to a close in this two-part miniseries produced for the BBC. Francis Urquarth (Ian Richardson) has used his guile and cunning to rise to the position of Britain's Prime Minister, and with the end of his political career appearing on the horizon, he's looking for a way to end his reign on an impressive note. With this in mind, Urquarth throws himself into a series of negotiations that would bring a peaceful end to the United Kingdom's conflicts with Cyprus. However, the Cypriote negotiators have discovered some information about Urquarth's youthful indiscretions that could bring his political career to an inglorious end. The Final Cut, like the two miniseries which preceeded it, was based on a novel by Michael Dobbs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ian Richardson
- 1990
This long-running, lighthearted British adventure series starred Dennis Waterman (who also sang the program's theme song) as Thomas Gynn, a cheeky ex-convict working in a Yorkshire neighborhood as a taxi driver. Hoping to mend a few fences, Gynn hooked up with his former girlfriend, Sally Hardcastle (Jan Francis), the owner of a local boat-rental service. Somehow or other, both Thomas and Sally managed to get mixed up in danger and intrigue on a weekly basis. The same situation held true after co-star Jan Francis left the series, obliging Thomas to team up with two other lovelies, museum curator Samantha (Susan George) and professional dancer Jo (Leslie Ash). Created by Geoff McQueen, Stay Lucky was seen over Yorkshire Television from 1990 to 1993, ringing in with 24 hour-long episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1988
One of British television's earliest techno-thrillers, the four-part The One Game starred Patrick Malahide as evil computer genius Magnus. Determined to exact vengeance against the owner of a rival computer game company, Magnus challenges his enemy to the "The One Game" -- the loser of which would have to forfeit all his possessions, and possibly his life. The villain hardly made things easy by setting up a series of computer challenges designed to blur the line between reality and fantasy at every turn. The One Game was seen courtesy of Britain's Central Television in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
Actor Trevor Eve took his first big step toward stardom in the British cop series Shoestring. The title referred to private eye Eddie Shoestring (Eve), who'd been hired to solve a baffling mystery on behalf of the BBC's Radio West service. The ensuing publicity prompted the radio network to offer Eddie his own series, Private Ear, in which he tried to solve the problems of his call-in and write-in fans. On each 50-minute episode, Eddie embarked upon a case sent to him by one or another of his devoted listeners. Other regulars included Doran Godwin as Eddie's girlfriend Erica, and Liz Crowther and Michael Medwin as Eddie's fellow Radio West employees Sonia and Don. Filmed on location near Bristol, Shoestring has been compared to another British cop show, Bergerac, in that both programs dealt with crime-solving in the furthest-flung regions of the British isles. Created by Robert Banks Stewart, the 21-episode Shoestring originally aired over BBC1 from September 30, 1979 to December 21, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1977
One of the most violent series on mainstream British television, the weekly, 50-minute cop drama Target made its BBC1 debut on September 9, 1977. Patrick Mower headed the cast as the two-fisted, impeccably dressed Detective Superintendent Hackett, with frequent movie villain Philip Madoc as his immediate superior, Det. Chief Supt. Tate. The program proved to be so bloodthirsty that, bowing to public pressure, the BBC yanked it off the air after only 18 episodes. It has been speculated that Target has not been rerun since 1978 because of the dated quality of its scripts rather than its body-and-bullet count. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1975
Created by Jack Rosenthal, the seriocomic British series Sadie It's Cold Outside starred Rosemary Leach and Bernard Hepton as Sadie and Norman Potter. After several uneventful years of marriage, Sadie and Norman came to the conclusion that the fire had gone out of their relationship. It fell to Norman to restoke the flames -- if he was still capable of doing so. The first of the six hour-long Sadie It's Cold Outside episodes was transmitted by Granada Television on April 21, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
Man at the Top was a theatrical-film spin-off of a popular British TV series, inspired by the earlier movies Room at the Top and Life at the Top. Kenneth Haigh starred in the series as Joe Lampton, the successful but emotionally empty business executive portrayed in the earlier films by Laurence Harvey. In Man at the Top, Lampton (Haigh again) endures a crisis of conscience. He knows that his pharmaceutical firm is about to market an untested and possibly dangerous drug. He is also bound by ties of familial loyalty: His boss (Harry Andrews) happens to be his father-in-law. Nanette Newman, a busy doe-eyed ingenue of the 1960s, is quietly effective as the middle-aged Mrs. Lampton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1969
Often compared to the popular British crime series The Sweeney (both projects were produced by Euston Films), Thames Television's Special Branch began its weekly, 60-minute run on September 17, 1969. In its earliest episodes, the series focused upon an elite group of tough, unsentimental London cops, presided over by Superintendent Eden (Wesley Pithey), Det. Supt. Inman (Fulton Mackay), and Det. Insp. Jordan (Derren Nesbitt). After ending its second season on November 4, 1970, Special Branch went on a three-year hiatus. When it returned on April 4, 1973, virtually the entire cast had been replaced: Now the activities of the Special Branch were overseen by Commanders Nichols (Richard Butler) and Fletcher (Frederick Jaeger), and Detective Chief Inspectors Craven (George Sewell), and Haggerty (Patrick Mower). The 53rd and final episode of Special Branch aired on May 9, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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