''Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War'' is a 2002 British

comedy-drama film Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...

, directed by

Ian Sharp James Ian Sharp (born 13 November 1946, Clitheroe, Lancashire) is an English film and television director. He is best known for directing the SAS action thriller '' Who Dares Wins'' (1982) and directing the action sequences of the James Bond ...

and starring

Pauline Collins Pauline Collins (born 3 September 1940) is a British actress who first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973) and its spin-off '' Thomas & Sarah'' (1979). In 1992, she published her autobiography ' ...

John Alderton John Alderton (born 27 November 1940) is an English retired actor. He is best known for his roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', '' Thomas & Sarah'', '' Wodehouse Playhouse'', '' Little Miss'' (original television series), '' Please Sir!'', '' ...

and

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...

. It is based on a 1993 novel with the same name by author and conspiracy theorist Vernon Coleman. It is the story about a woman, Thelma Caldicot, who is coerced by her manipulative son Derek and daughter-in-law to move into a run-down nursing home, owned by Derek's employer, after the death of her bullying husband. Derek also gets her to sign over her house to him. However, she doesn't like it at the nursing home and shows her frustration. After having been medicated by the staff to stay calm, she finally incites her fellow inmates to revolt. The film premiered in June 2002 at the International Filmfest Emden, where it came second in the competition for the Bernhard Wicki Prize. A few weeks later, it participated in the

Moscow International Film Festival The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...

.IMDb: ''Release info - Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War''
Retrieved 2013-02-02 The film had its first wide cinema release in United Kingdom and Ireland, where it opened on 31 January 2003.

Cast

as Thelma Caldicot *

Terence Rigby Terence Christopher Gerald Rigby (2 January 1937 – 10 August 2008) was an English actor with a number of film and television credits to his name. In the 1970s he was well known as police dog-handler PC Snow in the long-running series '' Soft ...

as Henry Caldicot *

as Derek *

Anna Wilson-Jones Anna Wilson-Jones (born 8 October 1970) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Juliet Miller in the television series '' Hotel Babylon'' and main character Tim Bisley's ex-girlfriend Sarah in the series ''Spaced''. Acting career ...

as Veronica * Gwenllian Davies as Audrey *

Sheila Reid Sheila Reid (born 21 December 1937) is a Scottish actress. An original member of the Royal National Theatre in 1963, she played Bianca in the National's 1965 film version of ''Othello'', with Laurence Olivier in the title role. Her other film a ...

as Joyce *

Frank Mills Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit " Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started p ...

as Leslie *

Julie Wilson Nimmo Julie Wilson Nimmo (born 26 May 1972) is a Scottish actress. She is known for portraying the roles of Miss Hoolie in the BBC Children's series ''Balamory'', Mrs Sawdust in CBeebies show ''Olga Da Polga'' and DC Megan Squire in the BBC Scottish ...

as Nurse Knight *

Frank Middlemass Francis George Middlemass (28 May 1919 – 8 September 2006) was an English actor, who even in his early career played older roles. He is best remembered for his television roles as Rocky Hardcastle in '' As Time Goes By'', Algy Herries in '' To ...

as Bernard *

as Hawksmoor *

Isla Blair Isla Blair Glover (born 29 September 1944) is a British actress and singer. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''. Early life and education Isla Blair wa ...

as Matron * Angela Bruce as Gina * Paul Freeman as Jenkins * Martin Jarvis as JB *

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television sitcom ''Blackadder'' and has presented many historical documentaries, including the Channel ...

as Nick Reid *

Camille Coduri Camille Coduri (born 18 April 1965) is an English actress. She gained prominence through her role as Jackie Tyler, the mother of Rose Tyler, in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2006, 2008, 2010). She has since appeared in the BBC comedies '' Him & Her'' (2 ...

as Jackie Jones, a news journalist * Jamie Martin as Boy PC * Amanda Haberland as Girl PC

Reception

BBC Films awarded the film a 1 star review, reporting that the film was 'Lacking in laughs and light on radical zeal, this is the kind of unambitious British cinema that should have been pensioned off a long time ago.'

References

External links

* *
''Mrs Caldicot's Cabbage War''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* Films directed by Ian Sharp 2002 films British comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films {{2000s-UK-film-stub