''Paradise Postponed'' (1986) is a British 11-episode TV serial based on the 1985 novel by writer John Mortimer. The series covered a span of 30 years of postwar British history, set in a small village.

Plot

The series explores the mystery of why Reverend Simeon Simcox, a "wealthy Socialist rector", bequeathed the millions of the Simcox brewery estate to Leslie Titmuss, the son of Simcox's accountant George Titmus, who has risen from doing odd jobs for the rector to be a city developer and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

cabinet minister.JOHN J. O'CONNOR, "TV WEEKEND; 'PARADISE POSTPONED,' A NEW SERIES ON 'MASTERPIECE THEATER' "
''New York Times,'' 17 October 1986, accessed 29 February 2016 Simeon's sons Fred, a jazz-drumming country doctor, and Henry, once Britain's brightest and angriest writer who now works for Hollywood, conduct inquiries into their father's life as they try to understand the will. The setting of the work in an English village shows it absorbing and reflecting the upheavals of British society from the 1940s to the 1970s, and the many changes of the post-World War II society.

Cast

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...

- Rev. Simeon Simcox *

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actor.Annette Crosbie fil ...

- Dorothy Simcox *

Peter Egan Peter Joseph Egan (born 28 September 1946) is a British actor and animal rights activist. He is known for his television roles, including Hogarth in ''Big Breadwinner Hog'', the future George IV of the United Kingdom in ''Prince Regent'' (1979 ...

- Henry Simcox *

Paul Shelley Paul Shelley (born Paul Matthews; 15 May 1942) is an English actor. Shelley was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, and trained at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art). Since then he has mainly worked in the theatre as a classical actor. ...

- Fred Simcox *

Colin Blakely Colin George Blakely (23 September 1930 – 7 May 1987) was a Northern Irish actor. He had roles in the films '' A Man for All Seasons'' (1966), '' The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970), '' Murder on the Orient Express'' (1974), and '' ...

- Dr. Salter *

Eleanor David Maria Eleanor David (born 30 November 1955) is an English actress who has worked on projects in the UK, the US and New Zealand. She won positive reviews for her starring role in the biopic '' Sylvia'', in which she played pioneering educational ...

- Agnes Simcox, née Salter * Jill Bennett - Lady Grace Fanner *

Richard Vernon Richard Evelyn Vernon (7 March 1925 – 4 December 1997) was a British actor. He appeared in many feature films and television programmes, often in aristocratic or supercilious roles. Prematurely balding and greying, Vernon settled into playi ...

- Sir Nicholas Fanner *

Zoë Wanamaker Zoë Wanamaker (born 13 May 1949) is a British-American actress who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. A nine-time Olivier Award nominee, she won for '' Once in a Lifetime'' (1979) and ''Electra' ...

- Charlotte 'Charlie' Titmuss, née Fanner *

David Threlfall David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In A ...

- Leslie Titmuss *

Colin Jeavons Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor. Career Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unkno ...

- George Titmuss *

Albert Welling Albert Welling (born 29 February 1952) is a British actor. He has appeared in a number of television series including '' The Line of Beauty'', ''Cribb'', ''Z-Cars'', '' The Sweeney'', ''Rumpole of the Bailey'', ''The Bretts'', ''Inspector Morse' ...

- Rev. Kevin Bulstrode *

Harold Innocent Harold Sidney Innocent (18 April 1933 – 12 September 1993) was an English actor who appeared in many film and television roles. After attending Broad Street Secondary Modern School in Coventry, Innocent worked for a short time as an office c ...

- Jackson Catelow *

Thomas Heathcote Thomas Heathcote (9 September 1917 – 5 January 1986) was a British character actor, a former protégé of Laurence Olivier. He was educated at Bradfield College in Bradfield, near Reading in Berkshire, England. His films included '' A Night ...

- Tom Nowt *

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 ...

- Lonnie Simcox, née Hope

Production

The TV series was directed by

Alvin Rakoff Alvin Rakoff (born Abraham Rakoff; February 6, 1927) is a Canadian director of film, television and theatre productions. He has worked with actors including Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Sean Connery, Judi Dench, Rex Harrison, Rod Steiger, Hen ...

and was mainly shot in Henley-on-Thames and

Marlow, Buckinghamshire Marlow (; historically Great Marlow or Chipping Marlow) is a town and civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Buckinghamshire, England. It is located on the River Thames, south-southwest of High Wycombe, west-northwest of Maidenhead and ...

in the second half of 1985. A three-part sequel, entitled '' Titmuss Regained'', aired in 1991.

Reception

The ''New York Times'' described the series as a "decided disappointment," with Mortimer having perhaps taken on too much. The technique of time shifts from the present to near past is said to be confusing more than illuminating of its characters. While containing a "distinct whiff of snobbery", the character of the lower-class Leslie Titmuss who rises on his wiles is developed as the most fascinating figure in the cast. In a 2014 retrospective review, Toby Manning of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' described the series as "beautifully acted", which "simply oozes nostalgia for a bygone Britain", and called the character Titmuss "quite simply one of the most compelling characters in TV history."Toby Manning, "Paradise Postponed box-set review"
''The Guardian,'' 27 February 2014, accessed 6 April 2019

References

External links

* *

''Time'' magazine (1986)

''The New York Times'' (1986) {{John Mortimer 1986 British television series debuts 1986 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series 1980s British television miniseries ITV television dramas Television shows based on British novels Period television series Works by John Mortimer Television shows produced by Thames Television Television series by Euston Films English-language television shows Television series about Christian religious leaders Films directed by Alvin Rakoff