''Days of Hope'' 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 ...
serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the
General Strike in 1926. It was written by
Jim Allen, produced by
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
and directed by
Ken Loach
Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...
.
Cast
*
Paul Copley
Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voiceover artist. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of ''Downton Abbey'', and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV so ...
as Ben Matthews
*Pamela Brighton as Sarah Hargreaves
*Nikolas Simmonds as Philip Hargreaves
*
Alun Armstrong
Alan Armstrong, known professionally as Alun Armstrong, is an English actor. He grew up in County Durham in North East England, and first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began ...
as Billy Shepherd
*Clifford Kershaw as Tom Matthews
*
Helene Palmer
Helene Palmer (5 March 1928 – 5 January 2011) was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Ida Clough, a factory machinist in the long-running soap opera, '' Coronation Street''. She appeared in the show on/off between 1978 and 199 ...
as Martha Matthews
*Gary Roberts as Joel Barnett
*Jean Spence as May Barnett
*Christine Anderson as Jenny Barnett
*
John Phillips as Josiah Wedgwood
*
Stephen Rea as Reporter
Episodes
Box-set and certification
''Days of Hope'' is included on the ''Ken Loach at the BBC'' DVD box-set released in 2011.
The first two episodes of the series were given 15 certificates: the first episode for strong language, and the second for strong language and moderate violence. Episodes 3 and 4 were given PG certificates.
Reception
The first episode of ''Days of Hope'' caused considerable controversy in the British media owing to its critical depiction of the military in
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, and particularly over a scene where conscientious objectors were tied up to stakes outside trenches in view of enemy fire after refusing to obey orders.
[Days of Hope](_blank)
Tony Williams, Cinémathèque Annotations on Film, Issue 31, April 2004 An ex-serviceman subsequently contacted ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' newspaper with an illustration from the time of a similar scene.
In an interview, Loach said that numerous letters were written to newspapers about small inaccuracies (e.g. the soldiers' marching formations) but relatively few challenging the main narrative of events.
In contrast, the Marxist historian
John Newsinger has argued that the final episode of ''Days of Hope'' was so concerned with historical accuracy about the General Strike that it had become "boring" and "a heroic failure". He contrasts this with "the magnificent socialist dramas" in the first episodes, which were less concerned with historical accuracy.
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
is portrayed relatively negatively in the series, which highlights his attitude towards the coal miners during the strikes of 1921 and 1926. Ken Loach said in an interview that the media were particularly offended by a line that compared Churchill to a vulture and
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
to an eagle.
[Interview on Disc 6 of the box-set ''Ken Loach at the BBC'']
References
External links
*
BFI Film & TV DatabaseSenses of Cinema review and history
{{Play for Today
1975 British television series debuts
1975 British television series endings
1975 television plays
1970s British drama television series
Plays by Jim Allen
BBC television dramas
1970s British television miniseries
Films about Quakers
Television series set in the 20th century
English-language television shows
Television controversies in the United Kingdom