''Capturing Mary'' is a
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom. As with any major broadcast network, drama forms an importa ...
(co-produced by
HBO), written and directed by
Stephen Poliakoff, starring
Maggie Smith,
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...
,
Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She is known for her performances as the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), as Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama ''Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), as Alison L ...
and
Danny Lee Wynter
Danny Wynter (born 25 May 1982), known professionally as Danny Lee Wynter, is a British actor, playwright, and activist. He is best known for playing the lead in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC films Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary, alongside Sir Mic ...
. It was aired on
BBC Two on 12 November 2007. It is linked, by the central character of Joe, to another Poliakoff drama, ''
Joe's Palace'', which was first aired on 4 November 2007.
Overview
The drama saw a repeat of
Danny Lee Wynter
Danny Wynter (born 25 May 1982), known professionally as Danny Lee Wynter, is a British actor, playwright, and activist. He is best known for playing the lead in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC films Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary, alongside Sir Mic ...
's caretaker character of Joe, who encounters former socialite Mary (played by
Maggie Smith in the present and
Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She is known for her performances as the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), as Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama ''Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), as Alison L ...
in her youth) when she visits the house featured in ''
Joe's Palace''. We see flashbacks to her past links with the house. This present-day meeting between Joe and Mary overlaps with the events of ''
Joe's Palace''.
Plot
We first meet the character of Mary as an old woman (Maggie Smith) in the present. The "old" Mary, a former journalist and socialite, arrives at the house of Elliot Graham's late father. Joe (Danny Lee Wynter), the caretaker of the house, takes pity on her and invites her in. She begins to recount to Joe the significance of the house to her.
Moving from room to room, she tells Joe of the 1950s high society soirees she was invited to in the house. She recalls how Mr Graham's soirees were attended by the great and the good – the aristocracy, the nouveaux riche, industrialists, newspaper barons, editors, actors and directors. She tells Joe that she has been haunted by the memory of a sinister man named Greville White (David Walliams) whom she met one evening in the house. Greville White turns out to be a social climber whose influence reached into high society. Mary recalls that he was supremely charming but utterly evil. We see Greville and the "young" Mary (Ruth Wilson) in Mr Graham's cellar selecting fine wines for a salad that he has prepared. In the cellar, Greville tells Mary of dark secrets involving members of the British Establishment who are enjoying Mr Graham's soiree in the rooms above them. The secrets involve child abuse, sexual perversion, anti-semitism and racism amongst the great and the good.
He feigns friendship with Mary but she rejects him because of his malevolence. Greville retaliates by using his influence over the newspaper proprietors to deny her work in Britain. The audience encounters subsequent meetings between the two in the 1950s and 1960s at Mr Graham's soirees and other social events. We see the sinister destruction of Mary's life as she becomes preoccupied by Greville's influence on her and her slide into despair and alcoholism. The end of the drama sees Greville re-appear in
Kensington Gardens in the present. Mary is now an old woman but the sinister Greville has not aged since they first met in the 1950s.
Cast
*
Maggie Smith as Mary Gilbert
*
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...
as Greville White
*
Ruth Wilson
Ruth Wilson (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She is known for her performances as the eponymous protagonist in ''Jane Eyre'' (2006), as Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological crime drama ''Luther'' (2010–2013, 2019), as Alison L ...
as Young Mary
*
Danny Lee Wynter
Danny Wynter (born 25 May 1982), known professionally as Danny Lee Wynter, is a British actor, playwright, and activist. He is best known for playing the lead in Stephen Poliakoff's BBC films Joe's Palace and Capturing Mary, alongside Sir Mic ...
as Joe
*
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' ...
as Liza
*
Michael Byers as Zach
Production
Casting
The programme also starred
David Walliams
David Edward Williams (born 20 August 1971), known professionally as David Walliams, is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television personality. He is best known for his work with Matt Lucas on the BBC sketch comedy series ''Little Br ...
as the character Greville White.
Gemma Arterton
Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is an English actress and producer. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' ...
, still in drama school at the time, played her first professional acting role as Greville White's young date, Liza.
References
External links
*
''Capturing Mary''at the BBC website.
*
{{Stephen Poliakoff
BBC Film films
2007 British television series debuts
BBC television dramas