''The Sleeper'' is a single British television

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

film, written by

Gwyneth Hughes Gwyneth Hughes is a British documentary director and screenwriter who works mainly in television. Early life She is a former newspaper journalist from the north of England. Career Her credits include the crime drama '' Five Days'', ''Cherished' ...

and directed by Stuart Orme, that first broadcast on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

on 26 December 2000. The film was initially broadcast in two parts, and is based on the novel by Gillian White. The film was commissioned as part of the BBC's £42 million-pound Christmas schedule line-up for 2000. Neither part of the film attracted more than 6.4 million viewers, placing it outside of the Top 30 most watched programmes that week. Although the film remains unreleased on VHS or DVD, both parts are available to watch on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

Plot

''The Sleeper'' focuses on the Moon family, headed by Violet (

Eileen Atkins Dame Eileen June Atkins, (born 16 June 1934), is an English actress and occasional screenwriter. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Aw ...

), who descend into conflict when Fergus (

Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), '' Persuasion'' (1 ...

) and Claire (

Annabelle Apsion Jane Annabelle Apsion (born 17 September 1960 in Hammersmith, London) is an English actress best known for playing Monica Gallagher in the hit television comedy-drama '' Shameless'' (2004-2013), Joy Wilton in '' Soldier Soldier'' (1991-1995), a ...

), Violet's son and daughter-in-law, decide to sell the family farm from beneath her. In Part One, as the family gather in the farmhouse to spend one last family

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

together, a figure from Violet's past, determined to exact revenge, makes his way up to the farm amidst a rain and hail storm which cuts off power in the area, leaving the farm in pitch darkness. In Part Two, suspicious are raised amongst the family when Cath goes missing, forcing Lillian and George to mount a search party. Claire also begins to suspect her mother's motives for bringing the family together.

Cast

as Violet Moon *

Anna Massey Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel du Lac'', a role that one of her co-stars, Julia McKenzie, h ...

as Lillian Kessel * George Cole as George Gleeson *

Michelle Collins Michelle Danielle Collins (born 28 May 1962) is an English actress and TV presenter, best known for her roles in the British soap operas ''EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street''. Collins played Cindy Beale in the BBC soap ''EastEnders'' fro ...

as Diana Wakeham *

as Fergus Moon *

as Claire Moon *

Elizabeth Spriggs Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

as Cath Marks *

Simon Chandler Simon Chandler (born 1953) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He often plays senior establishment figures such as Members of Parliament and senior civil servants. Biography Born in 1953 and educated at Bedford School, Chandler's ...

as Jonna Wakeham * Eric Byrne as Sam Wakeham *

Julia Deakin Julia Margaret Deakin (born 20 May 1952)Clarke, Gemma (5 September 2016)"GRAND RE-OPENING OF GAINSBOROUGH HERITAGE CENTRE" ''Gainsborough Heritage Association''. Retrieved 10 August 2021. is an English actress. She is known for her roles in the ...

as Valerie Fellgett * Rupert Frazer as David Litton *

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 Theat ...

as Sheena Marks *

Gerard Horan Gerard James Pertwee Horan (born 11 November 1962) is an British actor. He is known for playing Firefighter Leslie "Charisma" Appleby in '' London's Burning'' from 1986 to 1989 and again in 1994. Partial filmography * ''My Beautiful Laundrette ...

as Sergeant Pollard * Simon Quarterman as PC Browning * Jimmy Gardner as Ernest Page *

Andrea Lowe Andrea Lowe (born 1 May 1975 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire) is an English actress. Career She started her theatre career at Sheffield's Crucible Theatre in the play '' The Birthday Party'' by Harold Pinter.Sheila Reid Sheila Reid (born 21 December 1937) is a Scottish actress, known for playing Madge Harvey in the ITV sitcom ''Benidorm'' (2007–2016). An original member of the Royal National Theatre in 1963, she played Bianca in the National's 1965 film ve ...

as Mrs. Fitzhall * Sophie Harmer as Young Kitty * Hannah Powell as Young Violet *

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. He found fame portraying government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series '' Edge of Darkness'', and went on to feature in popular films such as ''The Englishma ...

as Mr. Tarbuck

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sleeper 2000 Film BBC television dramas 2000 British television series debuts 2000 British television series endings 2000s British drama television series English-language television shows

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links