''To Be the Best'' is a 1991 British television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

directed by Tom Wharmby. Based on the 1988 novel by

Barbara Taylor Bradford Barbara Taylor Bradford (born 10 May 1933) is a best-selling British-American novelist. Her debut novel, '' A Woman of Substance'', was published in 1979 and sold over 30 million copies worldwide. She wrote 39 novels, all bestsellers in Englan ...

, it was the fourth mini-series based on a Bradford novel he had directed. It was produced by

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 unt ...

in association with Antenne-2 and Gemmy Productions, and aired 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 ...

in the UK between 20 and 27 December 1991 in two parts, and on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

on 2 and 4 August 1992.

Cast

Lindsay Wagner Lindsay Jean Wagner (born June 22, 1949) is an American film and television actress, model, author, singer, and acting coach. Wagner is best known for her leading role in the American science-fiction television series ''The Bionic Woman'' (1976 ...

as Paula Harte *

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

as Jack Figg *

Stephanie Beacham Stephanie Beacham (born 28 February 1947) is an English television, film, radio and theatre actress. Although she has a wide number of credits to her name, Beacham is best known for for playing Sable Colby in the ABC soap operas ''The Colbys'' ...

as Arabella Sutton *

Christopher Cazenove Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove (17 December 1943 – 7 April 2010) was an English film, television and stage actor. Early life and career He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, on 17 December 1943, the son of Arnold Cazenove, Brigadie ...

as Jonathan Ainsley * Stuart Wilson as Jack Miller *

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 ...

as Madelena O'Shea * Gary Cady as Philip Amory *

David Robb David Robb (born 23 August 1947) is a Scottish actor. Early life Born in London, the son of David Robb and Elsie Tilley, Robb grew up in Edinburgh and was educated there at the Royal High School, Edinburgh, Royal High School, where he played ...

as Shane O'Neill *

Claire Oberman Claire Oberman (born 1956) is a Dutch-born New Zealand actress, known for her role as Australian nurse Kate Norris in the television drama ''Tenko (TV series), Tenko''. Her other TV appearances include ''Fortunes of War (TV series), Fortunes of ...

as Sarah Pascal *

Christopher Blake Christopher Blake (born Peter Ronald Gray, 23 August 1949 – 11 December 2004) was an English actor and screenwriter. He is perhaps best remembered for starring in the British sitcoms '' Mixed Blessings'' (1978–80) and '' That's My Boy'' ...

as Sandy Barkstone *

James Saito James Tomio Saito (born March 6, 1955) is a Japanese-American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television. Saito is best known as the original Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Dr. Chen in the ABC series ''Eli Stone'', Harry Kim i ...

as Tony Chiu * Thomas Ewbabk as Patrick *

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of s ...

as Dennis * Rob Freeman as Harvey G. Rawson * Rupert Bates as Burrows *

Belinda Mayne Belinda Mayne is a British actress who has appeared in film, television and theatre in Germany, the UK, and the US since 1974 when she made her first appearance in ''Strangers''. Partial filmography References External links * {{DEF ...

as Jill * Robert Austin as George * Kate Spiro as Pam * Candy Lacy-Smith as Susan Sorrell * Louis Roth as Elwyn Sorrell *

Moray Watson Moray Robin Philip Adrian Watson (25 June 1928 – 2 May 2017) was an English actor from Sunningdale, Berkshire. Life Watson was born in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to Gerard Arthur Watson (1901–1940), a ship broker, who was killed during World ...

as Hunter * Bill Reimbold as Peale * Bill Hutchinson as Doone *

Sarah Lam Sarah Lam is a British-Chinese actress known for UK television roles. Career She played Susannah in the sitcom '' No Problem!'', Linda Mo in ''Angels'', Anna Lee in ''Howards' Way'' and Caroline Choi in ''Brookside''. Other TV credits include ' ...

as Ming *

Peter Dennis Peter John Dennis (25 October 1933 – 18 April 2009) was a Screen Actors Guild Award and Drama-Logue Award winning English film, television, theatre and voice actor. His extensive career spanned both sides of the Atlantic with projects ...

as Doctor

Release

The film originally aired in Britain on

in December 1991. In the United States, it aired on

in August 1992. The series was subsequently released on VHS on 10 July 1995 and on 24 February 2003 by Odyssey Video. The complete series was released and repackaged on DVD in the United Kingdom by

Acorn Media UK RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn DVD, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television. History Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U. ...

on 8 September 2008.

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0105603, title=To Be the Best
''To Be the Best''
at TCM 1991 British television series debuts 1991 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series ITV television dramas 1990s British television miniseries Television shows based on British novels Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows English-language television shows Television shows set in England Television shows set in the United States Television shows set in Hong Kong