''The Glass Virgin'' is a British three-part television serial, or long TV movie, first broadcast in 1995, starring

Emily Mortimer Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer (born 6 October 1971) is a British-American actress. She began acting in stage productions and has since appeared in several film and television roles. In 2003, she won an Independent Spirit Award for her performance ...

and

Brendan Coyle David "Brendan" Coyle (born 2 December 1962) is an English-Irish actor. He won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role for ''The Weir'' in 1999. He also played Nicholas Higgins in the miniseries '' North & South'', Robert T ...

, directed by Sarah Hellings, based on a novel by

Catherine Cookson Dame Catherine Ann Cookson, DBE (''née'' McMullen; 20 June 1906 – 11 June 1998) was a British writer. She is in the top 20 of the most widely read British novelists, with sales topping 100 million, while retaining a relatively low profile i ...

Production

Producer Ray Marshall bought the film rights to several of the period works of

, beginning in 1989 with ''The Fifteen Streets'', which had been turned into a successful stage play. These productions, sponsored by Tyne Tees Television, were very popular and drew between ten and fourteen million viewers each. Reviewing ''The Glass Virgin'' for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', Jasper Rees commented that it "might have been sponsored by the

Northumbria la, Regnum Northanhymbrorum , conventional_long_name = Kingdom of Northumbria , common_name = Northumbria , status = State , status_text = Unified Anglian kingdom (before 876)North: Anglian kingdom (af ...

n tourist board, as it gives the impression that the region endlessly basks in sunshine."

Outline

The action takes place in the north of England in the 1870s. Annabella Lagrange (

), the daughter of upper class parents, finds her life crumbling when she discovers a terrible secret. She runs away from home, then meets Manuel Mendoza (

), a young Irishman she remembers as her father’s departed groom. He is now a traveller, roaming

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

in a horse-drawn caravan looking for work, and Annabella soon finds herself traveling with him, but in a separate bed. Many of the people she meets treat her with suspicion, and she feels she belongs nowhere, so is glad of the understanding of Manuel. Meanwhile, her family, and especially her father Edmund Lagrange (

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 ...

) are looking for her.

Cast

as Annabella Lagrange *

as Manuel Mendoza *

as Edmund Lagrange *

Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...

as Lady Constance *

Christine Kavanagh Christine Mary Kavanagh (born 24 March 1957 in Prescot, Lancashire) is an English actress. Career overview Kavanagh was educated in Brussels, and trained as a drama teacher at Bretton Hall College and as an actor at Bristol Old Vic Theatr ...

as Rosina Lagrange *

Jean Heywood Jean Heywood (born Jean Murray; 15 July 1921 – 14 September 2019) was a British actress. Born in Blyth, Northumberland, in July 1921, Heywood appeared in films such as ''Billy Elliot'' and ''Our Day Out''. Her TV work included roles in ''Whe ...

as Amy *

Jan Graveson Janice Margaret "Jan" Graveson (born 1965 in Easington, County Durham) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in Eastenders as Disa O'Brien and Benidorm as Susie . Career An actress who had dreams from an early ag ...

as Betty Watford * Frederick Treves as Great Uncle James * Samantha Glenn as Young Annabella *Venetia Barrett as Great Aunt Emma *Ford Prefect as Michael Fairbairn *Hywel Berry as Danny Dinning *Catherine Terris as Mrs Fairbairn

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Glass Virgin 1995 British television series debuts 1995 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series ITV television dramas 1990s British television miniseries Period television series Television shows based on British novels Television shows set in Tyne and Wear Television shows set in Northumberland Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Tyne Tees Television English-language television shows Television series set in the 1870s British television films