''The Right-Hand Man'' is a young adult historical novel by

K. M. Peyton Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton (born 2 August 1929), who writes primarily as K. M. Peyton, is a British author of fiction for children and young adults. She has written more than fifty novels including the much loved " Flambards" series of storie ...

, first published in 1977. The book is set in 1818 in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, during the Georgian era. It tells the story of Ned Rowlands, a talented stagecoach driver who meets the three creatures he loves best on the same day: a horse, a woman, and the man who will become his employer, Lord Ironminster. Lord Ironminster was a renowned and daring dragsman until he lost his right arm and his father in an accident. He is sick with consumption (

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

) and under pressure from his mother to marry a suitable wife, settle down and produce an heir. Lord Ironminster is more interested in winning a

wager Wager can refer to: Gambling * Wager, the amount of a valuable staked when gambling on an event with an uncertain outcome, with the primary intent of winning money or material goods * Legal wager, required by both parties at the preliminary heari ...

of 5,000 pounds to race from his home to

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

Church in less than 75 minutes. His cousins (who will inherit on his death) are also keen to win the wager. The story details how Lord Ironminster tricks Ned Rowlands into coming to work for him as his

coachman A coachman is an employee who drives a coach or carriage, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of passengers. A coachman has also been called a coachee, coachy, whip, or hackman. The coachman's first concern is to remain in full c ...

(his right-hand man), their efforts to win the wager, and the friendship that develops between them.

Film

''The Right Hand Man'' was made into a film in 1985, and released in Australian cinemas in November 1987.

Production

's novel had been optioned by actors Steven Grives and

Tom Oliver Tom Oliver (born 12 June 1938) is a British-born Australian retired actor who started his career in theatre in his native country, before emigrating to Australia. Oliver, a staple of the small screen since the early 1960s, is best known for h ...

who formed a company, Yarraman, to make the film. Grives had acted in a mini series, ''Flambards'' also based on a novel by Peyton. Money was raised through the company UAA to make the movie which was mainly shot around

Bathurst, New South Wales Bathurst () is a city in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Bathurst is about 200 kilometres (120 mi) west-northwest of Sydney and is the seat of the Bathurst Regional Council. Bathurst is the oldest inland settlement in ...

, in particular at Abercrombie House.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry'', Pan MacMillan, 1990 p1610-161 The shoot began 9 October 1985 and went for ten weeks."Production round-up", ''Cinema Papers'', November 1985 p48

Release

The film was not a large success at the box office. On 06 Oct 2021 the film received a Blu-ray release from

Umbrella Entertainment Umbrella Entertainment is an Australian film distribution company that began operating in 2001. It is based in Kew, Victoria. Umbrella Entertainment manages the theatrical, physical, and digital releases of Australian films, documentaries and a ...

as volume 9 of their ''Sunburnt Screens'' collection.

References

External links

''The Right Hand Man''
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

''The Right Hand Man''
at Oz Movies

at Di Drew's website {{DEFAULTSORT:Right-Hand Man 1977 British novels British young adult novels Novels by K. M. Peyton Novels set in Essex Novels set in London Novels set in the 1810s Fiction set in 1818 British novels adapted into films Oxford University Press books