''Mr. Pye'' is a

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

written by

Donald Churchill Donald Churchill (6 November 193029 October 1991) was an English actor and playwright. He appeared in many film and television productions over a 35-year period and wrote several TV scripts. Career His films included '' Barnacle Bill'' (1957), ...

, based on the 1953 short novel ''

Mr. Pye ''Mr Pye'' is a 1953 novel by English novelist Mervyn Peake. Plot Mr. Pye travels to the Channel Islands, Channel Island of Sark to awaken a love of God in all the islanders. His landlady on the island, Miss Dredger, quickly becomes a devout foll ...

'' by

Mervyn Peake Mervyn Laurence Peake (9 July 1911 – 17 November 1968) was an English writer, artist, poet, and illustrator. He is best known for what are usually referred to as the '' Gormenghast'' books. The four works were part of what Peake conceived ...

, and directed by Michael Darlow. Broadcast began on 2 March 1986 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Plot

Mr. Pye travels to the Channel Island of

Sark Sark (french: link=no, Sercq, ; Sercquiais: or ) is a part of the Channel Islands in the southwestern English Channel, off the coast of Normandy, France. It is a royal fief, which forms part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of ...

to preach the word of God. Pye does good works and he discovers that he has started to grow angel's wings, and after consulting with a Harley Street doctor, he decides to stop doing good deeds, and instead does bad deeds. He engages in some deliberately malicious acts, and after a while this results in him growing horns on his forehead. He is unable to decide what to do, but eventually decides to reveal his horned condition to the islanders, who chase him to the edge of a cliff, which Pye flies off using his wings.

Cast

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''Kin ...

as Mr. Pye *

Judy Parfitt Judy Catherine Claire Parfitt (born 7 November 1935) is an English theatre, film and television actress. She made her film debut in a minor supporting part in '' Information Received'' (1961), followed by supporting role in the BBC television ...

as Miss Dredger *

Betty Marsden Betty Marsden (24 February 1919 – 18 July 1998) was an English comedy actress. She is particularly remembered as a cast member of the radio series '' Beyond Our Ken'' and ''Round the Horne''. Marsden also appeared in two Carry On films, ''Carr ...

as Miss George *

Richard O'Callaghan Richard O'Callaghan (born Richard Brooke, 7 March 1940, London) is an English film, stage and television character actor. He is the son of actors Patricia Hayes and Valentine Brooke, whose stage name was Valentine Rooke. As a boy actor he was ...

as Thorpe

Production

The series was filmed on

island itself, the setting of the book.Carl Hester, Bernadette Hewitt, 2014, "Making it Happen: The Autobiography", Orion Press.

Episodes

References

External links

*
Channel 4 on Demand: Mr. Pye

The Making of Mr. Pye
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Pye (TV series) 1986 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British comedy-drama television series 1980s British television miniseries Channel 4 television dramas Channel 4 miniseries Television shows based on British novels High fantasy television series English-language television shows