To Play the King

This entire BBC series is well worth watching. The screenplay is literate and hilarious. All the actors are wonderful, the script is great, and they've spared no expense with locations! This is an exciting series and I can't recommend it highly enough. Too bad in the United States we don't have actors talented enough to pull of a series such as this one. Diane Fletcher and Ian Richardson are perfect! All the actors in this were first rate and I certainly hope to see more of all of them in the future.

This mini-series is the second in the three adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbie's books. It is less of a romp than the first, `House of Cards', in which Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson) gets to the top of the slippery pole by various underhand means; in fact he is now secure as prime minister and leader of the conservative party. He has, however, a problem with the king, a Prince Charles-type figure, who is not prepared to be a mere figurehead but aspires to be the conscience of the nation. This of course simply will not do and Francis and the king are soon on a collision course. The result is inevitable, and once again `F U' leaves bodies in his wake.

The king's angst is wonderfully realised by Michael Keaton, though he does seem a bit intelligent for a member of the present British royal family. Again, the supporting actors are delightful, with Colin Jeavons, the man born to play Uriah Heep, creepily unctious and then coldly furious as Stamper the Whip, who Francis rejects for higher office. Diane Fletcher as Elizabeth Urquhart continues smoothly in her Lady Macbeth role and there are some great clown characters such as the two princesses (not a million miles from Diana and Fergie) and the gallant Sir Bruce, editor of the `Daily Muckracker,' played with boozy enthusiasm by David Ryall.

Towards the end the show weakens a bit, and the final explosions are rather contrived. It is interesting, though, how an able, ruthless character like `F U' attracts supporters – there are plenty of people more than happy to carry out his orders, like Corder, his security man (Nick Brimble). The King, on the other hand, is supported by nice people, but like him, they become victims.

The relationship between hereditary monarch and elected prime minister is an important one, and Dobbie has to be commended for drawing attention to it; his bleak conclusion is that the King, who once could do no wrong, can now do no good. That's a pity, for someone needs to exercise some supervision over the `F U's' of this world. Once again, this is good entertainment, if not such a romp as the first series.

Prime Minister Francis Urqhart will stop at nothing in his bid to gain ultimate control over Great Britain. Now, he is threatening to expose some of the royal families most scandalous secrets if the king continues to stand in his way. The media explodes as the two men go head to head in their efforts to gain the upper hand. Stories of sexual escapades, economic fiascos and more flood TV, magazines, the internet and newspapers. It appears that Urqhart just may succeed in his attempt to overthrow the monarchy.

Underhanded, dirty, low down politics (are we sure this isn't the U.S?) take center stage in this story of ego and the ultimate bid for supremacy.

There is much more drama here, much deeper character development and, of course, the whole story has a whole new depth than that of its predecessor 'House of Cards', which everyone seems to prefer. That was mostly humorous, very light entertainment.

I found this one far more rewarding due to the above. Gone was the inevitability and lack of challenge of 'H.O.C.'. Here the main character has to plum to real depths to achieve his aims.

Onto the gripes: Primarily, the pacing is a real problem. It struck me that the first three episodes were little more than exposition, establishing the situations of the story, a three-hour Act One. Nothing really happens, story-wise, until the final episode.

The presentation of the homeless was at times a little trite, although it was amusing to confirm my suspicions about Emma Bunton's acting skills.

I did not find the ending forced at all. In fact, the means are far more convincing and difficult to pull off than any of the maneuverings of 'H.O.C.'

What carries this serial through really is the relationship between Urquhart and Harding. Although clearly an echo of that of with Storrin in 'H.O.C', it does not seem out of place; here is something with strange, emotional, dark and disturbing undertones.

The sequel to House of Cards opens with the coronation of King Charles (many years before his real-life ascendency to the throne.) It is implied that this takes place in the near future of 1993, probably some time between 1994-96.

Britain under Urquhart has become frighteningly authoritarian. Violent crime is rampant, and often seems directed by the government. The security services are willing to gun down, or plant explosives to kill, enemies of the government at the Prime Minister's whim. It is even suggested that a bomb may be in place in the vehicle of everyone connected with Urquhart, ready to detonate if needed. Despite this, Tim Stamper believes that the police could be trusted to fairly investigate serious allegations about Urquhart, implying that law enforcement has bifurcated into the ordinary police and another branch made up of Urquhart's personal army, and that there may a tension between the two.

There's a chilling moment when Princess Charlotte (representing a rough caricature of Sarah Ferguson) reveals that not only does she have shocking stories about those close to her, but that she has also been threatened with an 'accident' if she publishes them. It is also stated that much of the media is fixed in favour of the government.

Ian Richardson continues to play a deeply fascinating portrayal of Urquhart as a convincing manipulator and deceptively sympathetic figure on his face. I constantly have to remind myself that the tyrant is a liar and a murderer, when he talks fondly about Mattie Storrin, for example.

The main downside is perhaps the slightly ineffective in-universe opposition to Urquhart's rule. Neither the King nor his allies are shown to have any coherent of specific ideas for a better Britain. The King rather feebly tells a family in poverty that 'something will be done'. FU's relationship with Sarah, and the King's brief encounter with Chloe are perhaps also unnecessary. David Mycroft's coming out as gay is handled progressively for the time, although he is ultimately still forced out of his job, which is unthinkable now.

The final act contains what may be Urquhart's greatest ever political manoeuvre in humiliating his adversary: on the day before the general election. But even after that, will Urquhart be able to do what he needs to do to remain safe still?

A very worthy sequel, gripping throughout, and with significant historical interest. 9/10.