''Casanova'' is a 2005

British television Regular television broadcasts in the United Kingdom started in 1936 as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transmitted moving image in 1926. Currently, the United Kingdom has a collection ...

comedy drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple co ...

serial, written by television scriptwriter Russell T Davies and directed by Sheree Folkson. Produced by Red Production Company for

BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...

in association with

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

, the 3-episode series was first screened on digital television station BBC Three from 13 March, with a repeat on mainstream analogue network BBC One commencing 4 April.

Synopsis

Telling the story of the life of 18th century Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova, based on his own twelve-volume memoirs, the one-hour episodes star

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was a British stage and film actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began working in the theatre, gaining recognition as a Shakespearean actor at the Bristol Old Vic ...

as the older Casanova looking back on his life and David Tennant as the younger version. Rose Byrne, Rupert Penry-Jones, Matt Lucas, Shaun Parkes, Nina Sosanya and Laura Fraser are also featured.

Cast

* David Tennant as Giacomo Casanova ** John Sandilands as 5-year-old Giacomo Casanova ** Zachary Fox as 11-year-old Giacomo Casanova *

as Old Giacomo Casanova * Tom Burke as 20-year-old Giac Casanova ** James Holly as 6-year-old Giac Casanova ** Brock Everitt Elwick as 11-year-old Giac Casanova * Laura Fraser as Henriette * Rupert Penry-Jones as Grimani * Nina Sosanya as Bellino * Shaun Parkes as Rocco * Rose Byrne as Edith * Freddie Jones as Bragadin Comedians Matt Lucas, Mark Heap, Simon Day and Matthew Holness make cameo appearances.

Episodes

Production

The series was originally commissioned from Davies by Executive Producer Julie Gardner when she was working at Granada-owned London Weekend Television. However, after Gardner moved on to become Head of Drama at

in 2003, she commissioned Davies to write the drama for the BBC instead, as part of the deal that also saw him installed as the chief writer and Executive Producer of ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' (in which Tennant later played the Doctor's tenth incarnation), also being overseen by Gardner and made at

. It was Tennant's role as Giacomo that led to Davies casting him in ''Doctor Who'' as the Tenth Doctor. It was aired in the United States in two parts, 8 and 15 October 2006, with the full unedited British version released on DVD the following week, 17 October 2006. The programme also aired in Australia on the ABC, again edited into two parts.

Home media

The serial was released on DVD in the UK in May 2005, and in the United States in October 2006.

References

External links

''Casanova''
at the Red Production Company website.
''Casanova''
at the '' Masterpiece Theatre'' website. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casanova (2005 Tv Serial) 2000s British drama television series 2005 British television series debuts 2005 British television series endings BBC television dramas 2000s British television miniseries BBC Cymru Wales television shows Cultural depictions of Giacomo Casanova Television shows written by Russell T Davies Television series by ITV Studios Television series by Red Production Company Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows Television series created by Russell T Davies Nonlinear narrative television series