''The Charmer'' was a 1987 British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

serial set in the 1930s, and starring

Nigel Havers Nigel Allan Havers (born 6 November 1951) is an English actor. His film roles include Lord Andrew Lindsay in the 1981 British film ''Chariots of Fire'', which earned him a BAFTA nomination; as Dr. Rawlins in the 1987 Steven Spielberg war drama ...

as Ralph Ernest Gorse, a seducing conman,

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 Joan Plumleigh-Bruce, a smitten victim widow and

Bernard Hepton Francis Bernard Heptonstall (19 October 1925 – 27 July 2018) better known by the stage name Bernard Hepton, was an English theatre director and actor. Best known for his stage work and television roles in teleplays and series, he also appeare ...

as Donald Stimpson, Plumleigh-Bruce's would-be beau, who vengefully pursues Gorse after he has conned her. It was made by London Weekend Television (LWT) for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

, and loosely based on the 1953 novel '' Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse'' by Patrick Hamilton, the second work in the

Gorse Trilogy The ''Gorse Trilogy'' is a series of three novels, the last published works of the author Patrick Hamilton. The stories follow the anti-hero Ernest Ralph Gorse, whose heartlessness and lack of scruple are matched only by the inventiveness and p ...

. The series was repeated in February and March 1990. ITV3 also repeated the series in full at 1:45 a.m. from 5 September 2009. Narrative repeats were on Mondays from 7 September 2009 at 10:05 a.m. It was broadcast in the US on '' Masterpiece Theater'' starting April 30, 1989.

Cast

– Ralph Ernest Gorse *

– Joan Plumleigh-Bruce *

– Donald Stimpson *

Fiona Fullerton Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton (born 10 October 1956) is a British actress and singer, known for her role as Alice in the 1972 film ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and as Bond girl KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985 James Bond film ''A View to a ...

– Clarice Mannors * George Baker – Harold Bennett *

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 se ...

– Alison Warren *

Abigail McKern Abigail McKern (born 1955) is an English actress. She appeared, alongside her father Leo McKern, in the last three series of ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' as Rumpole's young pupil Liz Probert. She has also played many other stage and television role ...

– Pamela Bennett *

Gillian Raine Gillian Mary Lorraine (28 December 1926Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - entry for Rossiter - accessed 4 July 2011 – 19 June 2018), known professionally as Gillian Raine, was a British actress and singer. She was married to actor Leonar ...

– Phyllis Bennett * Andrew Bicknell – Archie *

Linal Haft Linal Haft (born 23 March 1945 in Leeds) is an English actor, best known for playing controlling or manipulative characters in both film and television, most notably his role as businessman Harry Gold in the popular BBC soap opera ''EastEnders ...

– Henry *

Patrick Godfrey Patrick Lindesay Archibald Godfrey (born 13 February 1933) is an English actor of film, television and stage. Life and career Godfrey was born in Finsbury, London to Rev. Frederick Godfrey and Lois Mary Gladys (née Turner). In 1956 Godfrey ...

– Mr. Norris

Reception

Writing for ''

The Los Angeles Times ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', Ray Loynd wrote "The world loves a delicious scoundrel. "The Charmer," which begins a six-week run on "Masterpiece Theatre" Sunday (8 p.m. on Channels 50 and 24, 9 p.m. on Channels 28 and 15), is a suave romp of a diversion... Havers is so devilishly decadent you root for him not to get caught."

Episodes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charmer, The 1987 British television series debuts 1987 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows 1980s British television miniseries Television series set in the 1930s English-language television shows Television shows set in the United Kingdom