''The Governor'' was an

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 ...

television drama series that began in 1995 and ended in 1996, with just two series being broadcast. It was devised and written by

Lynda La Plante Lynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh; 15 March 1943) is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the ''Prime Suspect'' television crime series. Early life Lynda La Plante was born Lynda Titchmarsh on ...

, known for her hit television series ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...

'', which went on hiatus in the same year. Each episode of ''The Governor'' was forty-five minutes long, with the exception of the first episode which was double-length. La Plante felt that the series had reached a natural end and decided not to write any further episodes, therefore the last episode was broadcast on 27 April 1996, and ended with a cliffhanger that was not resolved. The series starred

Janet McTeer Janet McTeer (born 5 August 1961"Ms Janet McTeer, OBE"
. ''Derbrett's P ...

and

Derek Martin Derek Martin (born Derek William Rapp; 11 April 1933) is an English former actor. Beginning his career as a stuntman, he moved into acting and played many roles on UK television. One of his most widely known roles is Charlie Slater on the BBC ...

as prisoner governors Helen Hewitt and Gary Marshall respectively. The second season was shot in Ireland at various locations around Dublin including Wheatfield prison. The complete first series was released on DVD on 28 March 2011. The complete second series was released on 4 June 2012.

Cast

Prison officers

Janet McTeer Janet McTeer (born 5 August 1961"Ms Janet McTeer, OBE"
. ''Derbrett's P ...

as Governor Helen Hewitt *

as Deputy Governor Gary Marshall *

Ron Donachie Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish actor. He is known for starring as DI John Rebus in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the Ian Rankin "Rebus" detective novels and for his supporti ...

as Officer Russell Morgan * David Nicholls as Officer "Jumbo" Jackson * Paul Kynman as Officer James Mallahide (Series 1) *

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

as Officer Donny Chiswick (Series 2) *

John Forgeham John Henry George Forgeham (14 May 1941 – 10 March 2017) was an English actor known for his television work, notably the role of businessman Frank Laslett in the ITV series ''Footballers' Wives''. Born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, For ...

as Temporary Governor Ronald Wrexham (Series 2)

Prison inmates

Eamonn Walker Eamonn Roderique Walker (born 12 June 1962) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. In the United States he is known for playing Kareem Saïd in the HBO television series '' Oz'', for which he won a CableACE Award, and (since 2012) ...

as Snoopy Oswald * Terry O'Neill as Victor Braithwaite/Tarzan * Adrian Scarborough as Walter Brinkley (Series 1) * Anthony Higgins as Norman Jones (Series 1) *

Robert Cavanah Robert Cavanah is a Scottish stage and film actor, writer, director and producer. Biography Robert Cavanah was born in Edinburgh. He attended James Gillespie's High School in Edinburgh followed by the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Dra ...

as Anthony Kelly (Series 1) * Tim Meats as Alan Fisher (Series 1) *

Ian Curtis Ian Kevin Curtis (15 July 1956 – 18 May 1980) was an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the post-punk band Joy Division, with whom he released the albums ''Unknown P ...

as Howard Webster (Series 1) *

Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian, television and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation ...

as Eugene Buffy (Series 2)

Other prison staff

* Christine Moore as Mavis O'Connell *

Sophie Okonedo Sophie Okonedo (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA Television Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She began her f ...

as Moira Levitt (Series 1) * Jeremy Sheffield as Dr. Thomas (Series 1) * John Blakey as Dr. Cameron Williams (Series 2)

Episodes

Each episode of ''The Governor'' is generally sixty minutes long, however episode one of the first series was a feature-length episode, running for 102 mins. A total of twelve episodes of ''The Governor'' have aired to date. The list is ordered by the episodes' original air dates.

Series 1 (1995)

Series 2 (1996)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Governor (British TV series), The 1995 British television series debuts 1996 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series 1990s British crime television series British prison television series ITV television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Television series produced at Pinewood Studios Television series by Yorkshire Television English-language television shows