''The Great Fire'' is a four-part television drama first shown on

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 ...

from 16 October to 6 November 2014. It is set during the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...

in England in 1666. It was written by

Tom Bradby Thomas Matthew Bradby (born 13 January 1967) is a British journalist and novelist who currently presents the ''ITV News at Ten''. He was previously political editor for ITV News from 2005 to 2015, and presented '' The Agenda with Tom Bradby'', ...

and produced by Ecosse Films. Each hour-long (including commercial breaks) episode is set in one day of the fire.

Plot

The series portrays events from the point of view of the Farriner family, in whose bakery on Pudding Lane the fire started, and from the point of view of the royal court in responding to the fire. The storyline includes events that are not recorded from the real fire. The fire was shown as starting when Farriner's daughter left the oven's stoke-hatch open and the fire ejected a hot

ember An ember, also called a hot coal, is a hot lump of smouldering solid fuel, typically glowing, composed of greatly heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material. Embers (hot coals) can exist within, remain after, or sometimes precede, a ...

which ignited loose straw on the wooden floor. It suggests Farriner had a contract to supply baked goods to the Royal Navy and was suffering financial difficulties as a result of the Navy persistently delaying payment. It also follows a sub-plot in which there is a suspected Catholic plot to kill King Charles II, in which the Farriners become suspected of complicity.

Cast

* Andrew Buchan as Thomas Farriner * Rose Leslie as Sarah, Thomas Farriner's (fictional) sister-in-law *

Jack Huston Jack Alexander Huston (born 7 December 1982) is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series '' Boardwalk Empire''. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film '' American Hustle'', portrayed the eponym ...

as King

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

* Daniel Mays as

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

* Perdita Weeks as Elizabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife *

Oliver Jackson-Cohen Oliver Mansour Jackson-Cohen (born 24 October 1986) is an English actor and model. He is best known for his role as Adrian Griffin in the 2020 adaptation of ''The Invisible Man'' and for his roles as Luke Crain and Peter Quint in the Netflix ...

James, Duke of York James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

(the king's brother, the future King James II of England) * Charles Dance as Lord Denton, the king's (fictional) spymaster *

Nicholas Blane Nicholas Blane is an English actor. Career He is best known for his roles in stage productions such as '' Year of the Rat'', '' See How They Run'' and ''Democracy''. He has appeared in numerous British television and film projects, including ...

Thomas Bloodworth Sir Thomas Bloodworth, born Blidward, also spelt Bludworth (baptised 13 February 1620 – 12 May 1682) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679. He was Lord Mayor of London from October 1665 to ...

, Lord Mayor of London *

Andrew Tiernan Andrew James Tiernan (born 30 November 1965) is a British actor and director. Biography Theatre Tiernan began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year diploma in acting at the Drama Centre Lo ...

as Vincent, a prisoner in

Newgate Prison Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey Street just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, t ...

Antonia Clarke Antonia Sophia E. Clarke (born 24 May 1995) is an English actress and singer. Her films include ''Altar'' (2014) and ''All My Friends Hate Me'' (2021). On television, she is known for her roles as young Emmeline in the BBC Two film ''The Thirteen ...

as Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond *

Uriel Emil Uriel Emil Pollack ( he, אוריאל אמיל פולק; born 4 April 1975) is an Israeli actor, known for his roles as Signor Romero on the ITV drama series '' The Great Fire'' (2014), Viktor on the ITV drama series '' Cleaning Up'' (2019), and ...

as Signor Romero *

Sonya Cassidy Sonya Cassidy is a British actress. Career Cassidy is known for her roles as Clara in the BBC period drama '' The Paradise'', as Celine Ashworth in the police detective series '' Vera'', as the Oracle in Syfy fantasy series '' Olympus'', and as ...

as Catherine of Braganza

Filming locations

Cobham Hall was used to film some of the London street scenes and Penshurst Place in Kent doubled as the exterior of the King's palace.

Reception

''The Guardian'' was moderately positive, describing it as, 'decent enough drama, if not quite as great as its title would like it to be, and it is lifted by a fine cast, particularly Charles Dance as the sinister intelligence officer Lord Denton.' ''The Independent'' also praised the cast, but said the series lacked suspense. ''The Telegraph'' gave it two stars.

References

External links

* 2014 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings 2010s British drama television series ITV television dramas 2010s British television miniseries Great Fire of London Television series by ITV Studios English-language television shows Television series set in the 17th century Television shows set in London Cultural depictions of Charles II of England Cultural depictions of Catherine of Braganza {{UK-tv-prog-stub