Nicola Pagett Movies

A misleading title and a different type of performance from Hugh Grant are two of the offbeat features of An Awfully Big Adventure. Virginal theatre fanatic Stella (Georgina Cates), who speaks with her dead mother by phone, joins a theatrical troupe in 1947 England headed by manipulative director Meredith Potter (Grant). Stella quickly falls for Potter, but he doesn't return her affections, driving her into the arms of the troupe's arrogant star, P.L. O'Hara (Alan Rickman). O'Hara eventually takes Stella's virginity, although she secretly remains devoted to Potter. More secrets of the troupe are revealed at the story's climax, although nothing is really resolved to any of the characters' satisfaction. Not quite a satire and not quite a drama, An Awfully Big Adventure is occasionally mean-spirited and frequently dour, which may just be a result of its subject matter. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

This ten-hour BBC adaptation of the famous novel Anna Karenina features Nicola Pagett as the title character and Eric Porter and Stuart Wilson as the other two points of the love triangle that constitutes that main thrust of the plot. Anna's scandalous affair brings about devastating consequences for herself and almost everyone she cares about. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Also titled The Price of Freedom, Operation Daybreak is a retelling of the terrible consequences attending the assassination of Nazi-occupation leader Richard Heydrich. When Heydrich puts all of Czechoslovakia under his thumb, a group of Czech expatriates parachute into their homeland to kill the man known as "The Hangman." They succeed, and in retaliation the Nazis wipe the tiny Czech village of Lidice off the map, killing its male residents and carting off its women and children to concentration camps. For the purposes of the plot, assassins Timothy Bottoms and Martin Shaw survive the massacre, albeit only briefly. The Heydrich/Lidice tragedy was previously dramatized in two wartime films, Hangmen Also Die (1943) and Hitler's Madman (1943). Operation Daybreak was adapted from Seven Men at Daybreak, a novel by Alan Burgess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inasmuch as Season One of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs covered the years 1903 to 1909, logic dictates that the second season should have moved on to the second decade of the 20th century. However, the produced decided for the time being to keep the action concentrated in the Edwardian era, thus Season Two was set between 1908 to 1909, necessitating a backward leap within the months occurring between episodes 12 and 13 of Season One. This resulted in a bit of confusion, especially when the focus was on Elizabeth Bellamy (Nicola Pagget) and her troubled relationship with new husband Lawrence Kirbridge (Ian Ogilvy). Proper continuity was restored when the first two seasons of Upstairs, Downstairs were merged into one for American TV play in 1974; unfortunately, in the process 13 of the combined 26 episodes were shelved, not to be seen in the U.S. for several years. Because of a prior theatrical commitment, Simon Williams makes only two appearances this season in the role of the irresponsible James Bellamy--but those appearances prove highly significant to the overall scheme of things, as James is faced with the prospect of illegitimate fatherhood as the result of his backstairs liason with reckless housemaid Sarah (Pauline Collins), and later throws the Bellamy household into turmoil when he returns from India with a new fiancée, Phyllis Kingman (Delia Lindsay), in tow. New to the cast this season are Jenny Tomasin in the comic role of dull-witted scullery maid Ruby; and John Alderton as the Bellamy's chauffeur Thomas Watkins, who after being offered up as a possible romantic interest for head maid Rose (Jean Marsh), ends up leaving 165 Eaton Place to take up housekeeping with the redoubtable Sarah, who is once again "with child" (namely, Thomas'). The futher adventures of this couple will be chronicled in the 1979 spinoff series Thomas and Sarah. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first season of the British drama series Upstairs, Downstairs takes place from November 1903 through June 1909, an era popularly known as "Edwardian" in honor of King Edward VII. Fans of the series will notice that the familiar characters are still in the developmental process during the first 13 episodes--especially the Bellamy's cook Mrs. Bridges (Angela Baddeley), who comes off as a nasty virago and a closet boozer! Penned by novelist Fay Weldon, who won a Writers' Guild Award for her efforts, the opening episode "On Trial" (originally filmed in black and white due to budgetary limitations, but reshot in color for syndication) introduces Pauline Collins as the Bellamy household's troublesome new under-housemaid, who after trying to pass herself off as a Frenchwoman named Clemence is revealed to be a cockney named Sarah (or at least she settles on Sarah!). Forced to leave the house in disgrace after an unpleasant incident involving duplicitous manservant Alfred (George Innes), Sarah ends up living in squalor, a plight that touches her former employers Richard and Marjorie Bellamy (David Langton ,Rachel Gurney) to the extent that she is rehired--which proves in later episodes to be major mistake! In other developments, the Bellamys' rebellious daughter Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett) shocks her family by choosing "progressive" poet Lawrence Kirbridge (Ian Ogilvy) as her fiancée, a decision culminating in marriage at season's end. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's irresponsible brother James plunges into the first of several misbegotten liasons, this one with a flashy actress. The season's best and most famous episode is "I Dies from Love", the story of a tragic "downstairs" romance. When the first season of Upstairs, Downstairs was picked up for American play in January of 1974, it was combined with the series' second season, which takes place in the years 1908-1909. Of the 26 combined episodes, only 13 initially aired in the US, allowing PBS to bill the remaining 13 as "the lost episodes" a few decades later! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Much of this Avengers episode was comprised of footage from the never-seen installment "Invitation to a Killing," which was to have introduced the character of Tara King. The plot is set in motion by one Colonel Nsonga (Johnny Sekka), who has stolen 3,000 high-tech rifles in hopes of staging a coup in his native country. Posing as an arms dealer, Steed finds himself at a live demonstration of the stolen weaponry -- with Tara as the helpless target. Written by Donald James, "Have Guns -- Will Haggle" was first shown in America on May 1, 1968, and in England on December 11 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in first century England, The Viking Queen is a loose retelling of the legend of Boadicea (also sometimes known as Boudica), the queen of the native Britons, who were known as the Iceni. In the year 60 A.D., the Roman governor general Justinian (Don Murray) attempts to rule over the island from wisdom as well as strength, believing that winning over the hearts of the Iceni people will work better for the Empire than brutalizing them. He has help from his cultured advisor Tiberion (Niall MacGinnis), and finds an ally (and much more) in Salina (Carita), the daughter of the late King Priam (ilfred Lawson), who has been chosen to rule the Iceni. Together, Justinian and Salina attempt to share responsibility for ruling the island nation, and to make the laws and the tax system fairer for the Iceni -- they also discover that they actually love each other and want to marry. Their romance and their attempts at bringing more civilized rule are thwarted by treachery on both sides. Among the Iceni, the Druids, led by the high priest Maelgan (Donald Houston), oppose the Romans because their rites (involving human sacrifice) have been banned, and Maelgan wishes Salina to fulfill the destiny that he has prophesized for her: to take up arms against the invaders. The wealthy Iceni merchants, led by the procurer Osiris (Dennis Shaw), oppose Justinian because of the higher taxes that he has imposed on them. Among the Romans, Justinian's military commander, Octavian (Andrew Keir), doesn't care for diplomacy or persuasion, except at the point of a sword. Conspiracies abound in both camps, which leads to Justinian being called away, and, in his absence, Octavian destroys the treaty between the two peoples. Finally, Salina is forced to take up arms and lead her people in open revolt against the Romans. The two would-be lovers face each other in battle, where, in the achieving victory, Justinian learns precisely how fierce and proud a warrior and a queen Salina is. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide