Videos
The Falklands Play
The Falklands Play
The Falklands Play is a dramatic account of the political events leading up to, and including, the 1982 Falklands War. The play was written by Ian Curteis, an experienced writer who had started his television career in drama, but had increasingly come to specialise in dramatic reconstructions of history. It was originally commissioned by the BBC in 1983, for production and broadcast in 1986, but was subsequently shelved by Controller of BBC One Michael Grade due to its alleged pro-Margaret Thatcher stance and jingoistic tone. This prompted a press furore over media bias and censorship.The play was not staged until 2002, when it was broadcast in separate adaptations on BBC Television and Radio.
rating
7.3
runtime
90 min

Release

2002-04-10

Cast

Patricia Hodge
Patricia Hodge
as Rt. Hon Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister)
John Standing
John Standing
as Rt Hon William Whitelaw CH MC MP (Home Secretary)
Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane
as Rt Hon Nicholas Ridley MP (Financial Secretary to the Treasury)
James Fox
James Fox
as Rt Hon Peter, 6th Baron Carrington KCMG MC (Foreign Secretary)
Colin Stinton
Colin Stinton
as Alexander Haig (US Secretary of State)
Anthony Calf
Anthony Calf
as Robin Fearn (Head of Falkland Islands Department, Foreign Office)
Jeremy Child
Jeremy Child
as Rt Hon Francis Pym MC MP (Foreign Secretary)
Richard Cordery
Richard Cordery
as Tom Enders
Robert Hardy
Robert Hardy
as Sir Anthony Parsons
John Woodvine
John Woodvine
as Adm. of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin
Rupert Vansittart
Rupert Vansittart
as Sir Robert Armstrong (Cabinet Secretary)
Jonathan Coy
Jonathan Coy
as Richard Luce MP (Minister of State, Foreign Office)
Clive Merrison
Clive Merrison
as Rt Hon John Nott MP (Secretary of State for Defence)
Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe
as Rt Hon Sir Michael Havers QC MP (Attorney-General)
Jeremy Clyde
Jeremy Clyde
as Sir Nicholas Henderson (HM Ambassador to the United States)
Shaughan Seymour
Shaughan Seymour
as Adm. Sir Henry Leach (First Sea Lord)
Jasper Jacob
Jasper Jacob
as John Wilkinson MP (Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Nott)
Bob Sherman
Bob Sherman
as President Ronald Reagan
Lorelei King
Lorelei King
as Jeanne Kirkpatrick (US Ambassador to the UN)
Garrick Hagon
Garrick Hagon
as Vernon Walters (Senior Adviser to the US Secretary of State)
Arturo Venegas
Arturo Venegas
as Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (UN Secretary-General)
Vernon Dobtcheff
Vernon Dobtcheff
as Nicanor Costa Méndez (Argentine Minister of External Relations)
Robert Bowman
Robert Bowman
as Sir Hamilton Whyte (Member, British Mission to the UN)
Tom Chadbon
Tom Chadbon
as Adm. Sir John Fieldhouse (C-in-C Fleet)
Gordon Langford Rowe
Gordon Langford Rowe
as Rt Hon George Thomas MP (Speaker of the House of Commons)
Patrick Godfrey
Patrick Godfrey
as Rt Hon Michael Foot MP (Leader of the Opposition)
Ron Meadows
Ron Meadows
as Rt Hon Peter Shore MP (Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer)
Renny Krupinski
Renny Krupinski
as David Lambie MP (Labour)
Charles McCurdy
Charles McCurdy
as John Browne MP (Conservative)
Martin Oldfield
Martin Oldfield
as Rt Hon Enoch Powell MP (Conservative)
Geoffrey Wilkinson
Geoffrey Wilkinson
as Sir Anthony Meyer Bt MP (Conservative)
Alan Rothwell
Alan Rothwell
as John Wells MP (Conservative)
Geoff Holman
Geoff Holman
as Rt Hon Tony Benn MP (Labour)
David Fleeshman
David Fleeshman
as Denis Healey MP (Labour)
REVIEWS
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Geronimo1967

Recently, there have been a spate of singularly poor dramas about historical figures from the British Isles - "Mary, Queen of Scots" (2018), "Robert, the Bruce" (2019) being two of the least agreeable - but this takes that low benchmark and throws it under the bus (or chariot). Anyone expecting a battle-fest featuring this famously brave and courageous Queen leading loads of people in woad fighting off the fearsome Roman Legions is in for an huge disappointment. You will possibly have seen bloodier battles on a rugby field - indeed, what action there is seemed more about whether our as yet only teenage Boudica was going to be seduced by a deserting Roman legionnaire impersonating, well, who really cares. I'm afraid that this is just dreadful - the sort of film you would be proud of your kids making at college, but deserving of no more than that. The production quality is adequate, and actually the technical aspects - costumes, wattle huts etc., are adequate too - but the acting, dialogue and the whole pace of the thing makes you ever grateful that it's just 80 minutes long... Avoid, you know you want to.