"House of Cards" (1990) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

31 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Francis Urquhart, Chief Whip, manipulates things and people to achieve his ambitions in the Houses of Parliament...

Plot Keywords:

Parliament | Reporter | Chief Whip | Politician | Prime Minister

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Ian Richardson	...	Francis Urquhart (4 episodes, 1990)
Susannah Harker	...	Mattie Storin (4 episodes, 1990)
Miles Anderson	...	Roger O'Neill (4 episodes, 1990)
Alphonsia Emmanuel	...	Penny Guy (4 episodes, 1990)
Malcolm Tierney	...	Patrick Woolton (4 episodes, 1990)
Diane Fletcher	...	Elizabeth Urquhart (4 episodes, 1990)
Colin Jeavons	...	Tim Stamper (4 episodes, 1990)
Damien Thomas	...	Michael Samuels (4 episodes, 1990)
William Chubb	...	John Krajewski (4 episodes, 1990)
Kenneth Gilbert	...	Harold Earle (4 episodes, 1990)
Christopher Owen	...	McKenzie (4 episodes, 1990)
David Lyon	...	Prime Minister Henry Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
Kenny Ireland	...	Ben Landless (3 episodes, 1990)
James Villiers	...	Charles Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
Isabelle Amyes	...	Anne Collingridge (3 episodes, 1990)
John Hartley	...	Greville Preston (3 episodes, 1990)
Nicholas Selby	...	Lord Billsborough (2 episodes, 1990)
Tommy Boyle	...	Stephen Kendrick (2 episodes, 1990)
John Arnatt	...	Sir Jasper Grainger (2 episodes, 1990)
Richard Braine	...	Kevin Spence (2 episodes, 1990)
Hugh Dickson	...	Dr. Andrew Christian (2 episodes, 1990)
Angela Rippon	...	Newsreader (2 episodes, 1990)

Series Directed by
Paul Seed		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Writing credits
Andrew Davies		(4 episodes, 1990)
Michael Dobbs		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Produced by
Jeremy Gwilt	....	associate producer (4 episodes, 1990)
Ken Riddington	....	producer (4 episodes, 1990)

Series Original Music by
Jim Parker		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Cinematography by
Jim Fyans		(4 episodes, 1990)
Ian Punter		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Film Editing by
Howard Billingham		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Casting by
Anne Henderson		(4 episodes, 1990)
Hayley Murt		(4 episodes, 1990)

Series Production Design by
Ken Ledsham		(1 episode, 1990)

Series Costume Design by
Rosalind Ebbutt		(1 episode, 1990)

Series Makeup Department
Helen Barrett	....	makeup designer (1 episode, 1990)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nigel Taylor	....	first assistant director (1 episode, 1990)

Series Art Department
Chris Ferriday	....	properties buyer (1 episode, 1990)
Rosemary Turner	....	graphic designer (1 episode, 1990)
David Gray	....	construction manager (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Gordon Lester	....	sound recordist (4 episodes, 1990)
Michael Narduzzo	....	dubbing mixer (4 episodes, 1990)
Jonathan Rowdon	....	dubbing editor (4 episodes, 1990)
Barrie Tharby	....	sound recordist (4 episodes, 1990)
Lionel Strutt	....	adr mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Tina Maskell	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Gareth Milne	....	stunt arranger (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Wood	....	gaffer (1 episode, 1990)
James Grimes	....	grip (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Anne Henderson	....	casting advisor (1 episode, 1990)

Series Other crew
Rt. Hon. Ernest Armstrong	....	political advisor (1 episode, 1990)
Ellen Fraser	....	script editor (1 episode, 1990)
Karen Jones	....	production assistant (1 episode, 1990)
Amanda Neal	....	assistant floor manager (1 episode, 1990)
Deborah Saban	....	assistant floor manager (1 episode, 1990)
Lesley Williams	....	location manager (1 episode, 1990)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1990) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1991) (USA) (TV) (original US airing)
• BBC Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• LaLa TV (2007) (Japan) (TV)

Runtime:

UK:50 min (4 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

UK:12

Filming Locations:

Grand Hotel, Kings Road, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

By complete chance, the first BBC showing of the series exactly coincided with the real life Tory leadership contest and the removal from office of Margaret Thatcher.

Quotes:

Francis Urquhart: [aside] A party conference can be many things. A show of confidence, an agonizing reappraisal, or, as in this case, a series of auditions by pretenders to the throne, while the lost leader withers before our eyes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hogfather (2006) (TV)

Nothing short of BRILLIANT!!!

One night I happened to be channel surfing looking for the next sci-fi, action, horror thriller when I happened upon PBS's broadcast of the BBC's "House of Cards." I put down the remote for a good 4 hours because what I was experiencing was something truly special. "House of Cards", of course, does not have aliens or chainsaw wielding maniacs. "HOC"'s monster is instead someone frightfully believable. Thanks to Ian Richardson's amazing performance, one can believe such a monster exists and can become PM or President. I won't beat the Shakespeare comparison horse (other users have done so and you can read their comments) but Mrs. Urquhart could easily hold her own in a series focused solely on her. Indeed, all of the characters are well-written and not dumbed-down to the viewer. If only American TV had the guts to produce something like "House of Cards" and let it end instead of dragging it on forever like the American version of "Queer as Folk." That aside, Dobbs and Davis have written a nice tidy political thriller which made me hunt down the DVD years after I saw the TV showing and made me recommend the trilogy to all my friends. I say give "House of Cards" and the sequels a try. Your remote and your intellect will thank you for it.