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The First Churchills

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The First Churchills
DVD cover
GenrePeriod drama
Based on
Marlborough: His Life and Times
by Winston Churchill
Written byDonald Wilson
Directed byDavid Giles
Starring
Opening theme"Trumpet Tune (Warlike Consort)" from King Arthur by Henry Purcell
Ending theme"Rondeau" from Abdelazer, or The Moor's Revenge by Henry Purcell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes12
Production
Camera setup
Running time50 minutes
Production companyBBC
Original release
NetworkBBC2
Release27 September (1969-09-27) –
13 December 1969 (1969-12-13)

The First Churchills is a BBC serial from 1969 about the life of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. It stars John Neville as the duke and Susan Hampshire as the duchess, was written and produced by Donald Wilson, and was directed by David Giles. It is notable as being the first programme shown on PBS's long-running Masterpiece series in the United States. Wilson and Giles were fresh from their success in writing and directing The Forsyte Saga, which also starred Susan Hampshire and Margaret Tyzack. Hampshire received an Emmy award for her performance as Sarah.[1]

Overview

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The serial presents the lives of John and Sarah Churchill from their meeting in 1673 until a time shortly after the death of Queen Anne in 1714, and illustrates, along the way, much of the context of contemporary English politics, including the emergence of the Whig and Tory parties and the two-party system. Like many BBC serials of the era, it was made on a low budget, with sound-studio sets, and generally avoided battle and crowd scenes because they were unable to stage them in a convincing manner. The series is based on a book written by the Marlboroughs' most famous descendant, Winston Churchill's Marlborough: His Life and Times, and as such presents a very favourable portrait of the Marlboroughs. The serial depicts most of the important political figures of the day.

Cast

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Episodes [2]

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No.TitleOriginal release date
1"The Chaste Nymph"27 September 1969 (1969-09-27)
2"Bridals"4 October 1969 (1969-10-04)
3"Plot Counter-Plot"11 October 1969 (1969-10-11)
4"The Lion and the Unicorn"18 October 1969 (1969-10-18)
5"Rebellion"25 October 1969 (1969-10-25)
6"The Protestant Wind"1 November 1969 (1969-11-01)
7"Trial of Strength"8 November 1969 (1969-11-08)
8"The Queen Commands"15 November 1969 (1969-11-15)
9"Reconciliation"22 November 1969 (1969-11-22)
10"A Famous Victory"29 November 1969 (1969-11-29)
11"Breaking the Circle"6 December 1969 (1969-12-06)
12"Not Without Honour"13 December 1969 (1969-12-13)

Music

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The theme for the opening titles of each episode is the "Trumpet tune (Warlike consort)" from Act V of Henry Purcell's opera King Arthur. The theme for the closing credits of each episode is the second piece, a Rondeau, of Henry Purcell's incidental music, composed about 1695, to Aphra Behn's 1676 play Abdelazer, or The Moor's Revenge, perhaps better known as the theme used by Benjamin Britten in The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra.

DVD

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The serial was released on DVD in 2004, distributed by Acorn Media UK.[3]

References

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  1. ↑ Marcus, Laurence (11 December 2018). "The First Churchills". Television Heaven.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ The First Churchills (TV Mini-Series 1969– ), retrieved 11 December 2017
  3. ↑ "The First Churchills". Santa Clara County Library District.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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