King Charles III (film)
King Charles III | |
---|---|
Genre | |
Based on | King Charles III by Mike Bartlett |
Screenplay by | Mike Bartlett |
Directed by | Rupert Goold |
Starring | |
Composer | Jocelyn Pook |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Production | |
Executive producers | Greg Brenman Roanna Benn Mike Bartlett Rupert Goold |
Producer | Simon Maloney
|
Cinematography | Philippe Kress |
Editor | Elen Pierce Lewis |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Production company | Drama Republic |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two |
Release | 10 May 2017 |
King Charles III is a 2017 future history television film adapted by Mike Bartlett from his play of the same title. It is directed by Rupert Goold, director of the original play, and stars most of the play's original cast including Tim Pigott-Smith, who died before the film was broadcast, as Charles.[1]
Written in blank verse and set in the future, the film focuses on the reign of the real life Charles III (who at the time of the film's release was Prince of Wales) and the surrounding political drama as a result of his accession to the throne. It was broadcast on 10 May 2017 on BBC Two in the UK, before being broadcast on 14 May 2017 on PBS Masterpiece in the US.[2] A DVD of the film was released in the UK on 15 May 2017.
The film received two nominations at the 2018 British Academy Television Awards: Best Single Drama and Best Actor for Pigott-Smith.[3]
Plot
Charles and his family gather following the
In parallel,
Protests begin across the country, with the most violent taking place in
Cast
Royal family
- Tim Pigott-Smith as His Majesty King Charles III
- William, The Prince of Wales
- Richard Goulding as His Royal Highness Prince Harry
- Catherine, The Princess of Wales
- Margot Leicester as Her Majesty Queen Camilla
- Katie Brayben as the ghost of Diana, Princess of Wales
Politicians and public figures
- Adam James as Prime Minister Tristan Evans
- Priyanga Burford as Mrs Stevens, the Leader of the Opposition
- Ian Redford as Douglas Rowe, the Speaker of the House of Commons
- John Shrapnel as the Archbishop of Canterbury
- Rupert Vansittart as Sir Matthew, a British Army General
Others
- Tim McMullan as James Reiss, the Press Adviser to Buckingham Palace
- Tamara Lawrance as Jessica Edwards, Prince Harry's republican girlfriend
- Max Bennett as Coottsey, a friend of Harry who introduces him to Jess
- Parth Thakerar as Spencer, a friend of Harry
- Tom Mothersdale as Bob, Jess's equally republican flatmate
- Nyasha Hatendi as Paul, the owner of a takeaway restaurant
The cast features most of the original cast from the Almeida,[4] West End[5] and Broadway[6] productions with the exceptions of Charlotte Riley as Kate (originally played by Lydia Wilson), Tamara Lawrance as Jess (originally played by Tafline Steen), Tim McMullan as James Reiss (originally played by Nick Sampson and later Miles Richardson) and Priyanga Burgord as Mrs Stevens (originally Mr Stevens, played by Nicholas Rowe later Anthony Calf). In the original play, Nyasha Hatendi played multiple roles including Spencer, Paul and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Parth Thakerar played these roles in the subsequent UK tour.
Reception
The screening of the production on the British national broadcaster was controversial.
The Tory MP Andrew Bridgen told The Mail on Sunday it was "unfortunate the BBC would seek to promote this flight of fantasy, which many licence-fee payers will find distasteful and which I believe denigrates and undermines our royal family."[8] Similarly, former Conservative defence minister Sir Gerald Howarth told The Daily Telegraph: "It is extraordinarily insensitive for an organisation which is so consumed with political correctness. It is pure indulgence by the BBC to run a play featuring the demise of the sovereign and ascribing to a popular member of the Royal family [the Duchess of Cambridge] base motives."[9]
John Whittingdale, a former Culture Secretary, publicly defended the show, writing in The Daily Telegraph: "If the BBC has commissioned a production of a decent play how can one possibly object to that? High-quality drama is at the heart of public service broadcasting...Some of my colleagues get hysterical about this kind of thing. I don't think the Queen is the least bit offended."[9]
Following the premiere,
The BBC broadcast drew a live audience of 1.8 million viewers according to overnight ratings, before it was added to the BBC's streaming catch-up service.[12]
Critical reception
Reviewing the programme for The Daily Telegraph, Jasper Rees gave it five stars, calling it "pure televisual gelignite", adding that, "In a towering performance, Pigott-Smith, who passed away last month, suggested unendurable agonies of conscience as events stripped him of his identity". Rees concluded by saying, "Bartlett's supremely supple ear filtered the story through digestible blank verse meshing cod-Bard and street demotic. Perhaps this majestic, unmissable drama will send new audiences back to the source for meaningful encounters with Lear, Lady M, Brutus, Prince Hal and other forebears."[13]
In The Guardian, Mark Lawson began his review by noting that, "Some newspaper coverage ahead of the BBC2 screening of King Charles III – a drama imagining a brief and catastrophic reign for the current Prince of Wales – gave the impression that ... the BBC director-general, should be held in the Tower of London awaiting execution for treason", but judged instead that "the summons he seems more likely to get is to next year's Bafta TV awards, where the BBC will surely be honoured for one of its boldest drama commissions". Lawson found that "Pigott-Smith's performance and Bartlett's script avoid any trace of the pettiness, temper and self-indulgence attributed to Charles by biographers ... 'What am I?,' Charles asks, a line that Pigott-Smith, with an agonised sigh, makes as existentially heart-wrenching as Hamlet's To be, or not to be". Lawson finished his review by acknowledging that, "King Charles III, on TV, is two different things: an outrage for those who believe the monarchy should always be reverenced, especially by the BBC, but also a drama with the highest quality of acting, writing and filming. Strangely, those versions sometimes co-exist: a paper whose front page railed against the BBC for questioning Prince Harry’s DNA gave the play a five-star preview on its TV pages on the same day."[14]
Writing in
References
- ^ "Actor Tim Pigott-Smith dies aged 70". BBC News. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ "King Charles III on MASTERPIECE on PBS". Masterpiece. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ "Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards Winners in 2018". BAFTA. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ "King Charles III". Almeida Theatre. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ "Full Cast Announced for West End King Charles III". London Theatre Guide. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ "King Charles III Broadway @ Music Box Theatre – Tickets and Discounts | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
- ^ Maltby, Kate (5 May 2017). "Row over BBC royal play ignores its subtle message". Financial Times.
- ^ Davies, Caroline (2 May 2017). "'Distasteful': BBC's King Charles III sparks anger even before it is aired". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ a b Horton, Helena (11 May 2017). "'This is just Royal bullying': Viewers attack BBC for showing ghost of Diana on new Charles III show". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ "King Charles III viewers call for 'terrific' Tim Pigott-Smith to win posthumous BAFTA". Daily Express. 10 May 2017.
- ^ "The late Tim Pigott-Smith lauded for performance in King Charles III". The Belfast Telegraph. 10 May 2017.
- ^ Bano, Tim (11 May 2017). "BBC2's King Charles III pulls in 1.8 million viewers". The Stage. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
- ^ Rees, Jasper (10 May 2017). "King Charles III review: a majestic, unmissable drama". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Lawson, Mark (10 May 2017). "Stop frothing, royalists – King Charles III is the boldest BBC show of the year". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Pringle, Stewart (11 May 2017). "King Charles III starring Tim Pigott-Smith review on BBC2 – 'a play for today'". The Stage. London. Retrieved 11 May 2017.