"A Choice of Kings" is a television drama film and stage play by John Mortimer. It was first produced in 1966 in the

ITV Play of the Week ''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes ...

series, directed by John Frankau, starring Michael Craig.

Outline

The action is set at the court of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, two years before the

Battle of Hastings The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William the Conqueror, William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godw ...

, and offers an unexpected explanation of the background to the quarrel between

Harold Godwinson Harold Godwinson ( – 14 October 1066), also called Harold II, was the last crowned Anglo-Saxon English king. Harold reigned from 6 January 1066 until his death at the Battle of Hastings, fighting the Norman invaders led by William the ...

and

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

and the

Norman invasion of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conquer ...

Production and screenplay

The first production, by

Rediffusion Rediffusion was a business that distributed radio and TV signals through wired relay networks. The business gave rise to a number of other companies, including Associated-Rediffusion, later known as Rediffusion London, the first ITV ( commer ...

, was timed to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, fought on 14 October 1066 and was first broadcast on 11 October, in the week of the original battle.''Liverpool Echo'' (Lancashire, England), Tuesday 11 October 1966, p. 2 John Mortimer's script was published in ''Playbill 3'' (1966), together with other screenplays by

Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...

, Ray Jenkins,

Ronald Duncan Ronald Frederick Henry Duncan (6 August 1914 – 3 June 1982) was an English writer, poet and playwright of German descent, now best known for his poem '' The Horse'' and for preparing the libretto for Benjamin Britten's opera ''The Rape of Lucr ...

, and Alan Gosling. Having been published, the screenplay is sometimes performed on stage. There was a production by

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

in 1974.

Reception

A review in the ''

Birmingham Daily Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with a circulation of 2,545 and distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a s ...

'' commented ”John Mortimer's play ''A Choice of Kings'' (ITV, Tuesday) was dead as a drama, but half revived by its whimsical touches.''

'', Saturday 15 October 1966, p. 10 ''

The Liverpool Echo The ''Liverpool Echo'' is a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales – a subsidiary company of Reach plc and is based in St Paul's Square, Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is published Monday to Sunday, and is Liverp ...

'' drew attention to a minor detail, ”For Harold, as can be seen to-night on ITV in a new John Mortimer play, ''A Choice of Kings'', was vain enough to wear a

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

bob of golden shoulder-length hair.

Cast

* Michael Craig as

, Earl of Wessex *

Barbara Ewing Barbara Ewing (born 14 January 1939) is a New Zealand actor, playwright and novelist based in the UK. In the 1980s Ewing played the character Agnes Fairchild in British comedy series ''Brass.'' Ewing's novel ''The Petticoat Men'' was shortlisted ...

as Edith Swan-neck, Harold's wife *

Julian Glover Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for th ...

as William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy * Amaryllis Garnett as Judith of Balbec, William's cousin *

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English character actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he would later have many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence ...

as Bishop Odo * John Bailey as FitzOsbern * Christopher Guinee as Theobald * Michael Wennink as Wolfnoth, Harold's younger brother

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Choice of Kings, A 1966 television plays Works set in the 10th century ITV Play of the Week Cultural depictions of William the Conqueror