''Disraeli'', also called ''Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic'', is a 1978 four-part British serial about the great statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli. It was produced by

Associated Television Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...

and aired on ITV. With a screenplay by David Butler, it stars

Ian McShane Ian David McShane (born 29 September 1942) is an English actor, producer and director. He is known for his television performances, particularly as the title role in the BBC series ''Lovejoy'' (1986–1994), Al Swearengen in '' Deadwood'' (20 ...

and was directed by

Claude Whatham Claude Whatham (7 December 1927 in Manchester – 4 January 2008 in Anglesey) was an English film and TV director mainly known for his work on dramas. Early life In 1940, Whatham, a teenage evacuee art student, had been commissioned to paint f ...

. Spanning five decades of Disraeli's life, the serial focuses as much on Disraeli's personal life as it does on his political persona. Filmed on site in England, the miniseries received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series after being broadcast in the US in 1980 as part of ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...

'' under the title ''Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic''.

Plot

As the series starts, Disraeli is a Byronic world traveler who has published two novels but is struggling with debt. He tries making connections in high society, and eventually runs for office several times, albeit unsuccessfully. Much of his personal life is covered, and his more successful involvement with politics starts in the second episode, which ends with his being sworn in as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The rest of the series chronicles his rise to power, the death of his wife, and his two terms as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Cast

- as Benjamin Disraeli * Mary Peach - as

Mary Anne Disraeli Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield (; 11 November 1792 – 15 December 1872) was a British peeress and society figure who was the wife of the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli. Biography Born in Brampford Speke, near Exeter ...

Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for ''84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award fo ...

- as

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

* John Carlisle - as

William Ewart Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

* Jeremy Clyde - as

John Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland John James Robert Manners, 7th Duke of Rutland, (13 December 18184 August 1906), known as Lord John Manners before 1888, was an English statesman. Youth and poetry Rutland was born at Belvoir Castle, the younger son of John Manners, 5th Duk ...

* Brett Usher - as

Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secre ...

Brewster Mason Brewster Mason (30 August 192214 August 1987) was an English stage actor who also appeared in films and on television. He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appe ...

- as Chancellor Bismarck *Antony Brown - as

Sir Robert Peel Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (5 February 1788 – 2 July 1850) was a British Conservative statesman who served twice as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (1834–1835 and 1841–1846) simultaneously serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer ...

David de Keyser David de Keyser (22 August 1927 – 20 February 2021) was an English actor and narrator. Life and career Born in London in August 1927, in the mid-sixties de Keyser worked twice with the writer, actor and director Jane Arden. Their first coll ...

- as

Lionel de Rothschild Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (22 November 1808 – 3 June 1879) was a British Jewish banker, politician and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of England. He became the first practising Jew to sit ...

* David Wood - as

Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869, known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley) was a British statesman, three-time Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ...

* John Gregg - as

Robert Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (; 3 February 183022 August 1903) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom three times for a total of over thirteen y ...

*Brendan Barry - as

Stafford Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh Stafford Henry Northcote, 1st Earl of Iddesleigh (27 October 1818 – 12 January 1887), known as Sir Stafford Northcote, Bt from 1851 to 1885, was a British Conservative politician. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between 1874 and 18 ...

Mark Dignam Cuthbert Mark Dignam (20 March 1909 – 29 September 1989) was a prolific English actor. Born in London, the son of a salesman in the steel industry, Dignam grew up in Sheffield, and was educated at the Jesuit College, where he appeared in num ...

- as John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst *

Patrick Drury Patrick Drury (born 19 August 1945) is an English character actor best known for playing shopkeeper John O'Leary in the Channel 4 television comedy ''Father Ted'' and Ivan in ''The Beiderbecke Connection''. Early life Drury was educated at ...

- as

Montagu Corry, 1st Baron Rowton Montagu William Lowry-Corry, 1st Baron Rowton, (8 October 1838 – 9 November 1903), also known as "Monty", was a British philanthropist and public servant, best known for serving as Benjamin Disraeli's private secretary from 1866 until the lat ...

* Peter Hughes - as Philip Rose *

Leigh Lawson Allan Leigh Lawson (born 21 July 1945) is an English actor, director and writer. Life and career Lawson was born in Atherstone, Warwickshire. He initially studied at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts before training further at the Royal Aca ...

- as Alfred Guillaume Gabriel, Count D'Orsay * Peter Miles - as Lord Henry Lennox *David Riley - as

George Smythe, 7th Viscount Strangford George Smythe, 7th Viscount Strangford (16 April 181823 November 1857), styled The Honourable George Smythe until 1855, was a British Conservative politician, best known for his association with Benjamin Disraeli and the Young England movement ...

Anton Rodgers Anthony "Anton" Rodgers (10 January 1933 – 1 December 2007) was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film, in television dramas and sitcoms. He starred in several sitcoms, including ''Fresh Fields'' (ITV, ...

- as

Lord George Bentinck Lord William George Frederick Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (27 February 180221 September 1848), better known as Lord George Bentinck, was an English Conservative politician and racehorse owner noted for his role (with Benjamin Disraeli) in unseatin ...

* William Russell - as

Wyndham Lewis Percy Wyndham Lewis (18 November 1882 – 7 March 1957) was a British writer, painter and critic. He was a co-founder of the Vorticist movement in art and edited ''BLAST,'' the literary magazine of the Vorticists. His novels include ''Tarr'' ( ...

Aubrey Morris Aubrey Morris (born Aubrey Steinberg; 1 June 1926 – 15 July 2015) was a British actor known for his appearances in the films ''A Clockwork Orange'' and ''The Wicker Man''. Early life and career Morris was one of nine children born to Becky ( ...

Isaac Disraeli Isaac D'Israeli (11 May 1766 – 19 January 1848) was a British writer, scholar and the father of British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. He is best known for his essays and his associations with other men of letters. Life and career Isaac wa ...

Maria Charles Maria Charles (born 22 September 1929) is an English film, television and stage actress, director and comedian. She is probably best known for her TV performance as the overbearing mother Bea Fisher in the ITV sitcom '' Agony''. Charles has als ...

- as Maria Disraeli (wife of

and mother of Benjamin Disraeli) * Margaret Whiting - as Lady Blessington *

Patricia Hodge Patricia Ann Hodge, OBE (born 29 September 1946) is an English actor. She is known on-screen for playing Phyllida Erskine-Brown in '' Rumpole of the Bailey'' (1978–1992), Jemima Shore in ''Jemima Shore Investigates'' (1983), Penny in '' Mira ...

- as Rosina Bulwer Lytton

Reception

The miniseries was widely praised. The American television magazine ''Panorama'' wrote that "McShane captures the inner contradictions of the man" and "It says a lot for Ian McShane's performance in this television series that he brings out both the likeable and the questionable qualities in Disraeli's character." The miniseries was broadcast in the U.S. on PBS's

in 1980 and was subsequently nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series. In 1980 screenwriter David Butler also published a book based on the series, titled ''Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic'', via

Warner Books Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Warner Communications acquired the Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publishing business to Hachet ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Disraeli (TV serial) Television series set in the 1830s Television series set in the 19th century Cultural depictions of Benjamin Disraeli ITV television dramas 1978 British television series debuts 1978 British television series endings 1970s British drama television series Television series by ITV Studios Works about prime ministers of the United Kingdom 1978 in politics Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) English-language television shows