Bleak House (1985 TV serial)

Bleak House (1985)
Format	TV Series
Starring	Diana Rigg, Denholm Elliot, Peter Vaughan, T.P. McKenna, Philip Franks, and Suzanne Burden
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Producer(s)	BBC Television
Running time	8 Episodes of 52 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC2
Original run	1985 – 1985
Chronology
Preceded by	Bleak House (1959)
Followed by	Bleak House (2005)

Bleak House (1985) was the second adaptation by the BBC of the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. The novel was adapted by Arthur Hopcraft.

It ran for eight episodes and starred Diana Rigg as Lady Dedlock, with Denholm Elliott in the role of John Jarndyce. In the United States the series ran under the Masterpiece Theatre series umbrella.

A notable plot omission in this version is the story of Caddy Jellyby and the Turveydrop family.

Cast

• Suzanne Burden - Esther Summerson
• Philip Franks - Richard Carstone
• Denholm Elliott - John Jarndyce
• Lucy Hornak - Ada Clare
• T. P. McKenna - Harold Skimpole
• Chris Pitt - Jo
• Robin Bailey - Sir Leicester Dedlock
• Diana Rigg - Lady Dedlock
• Sylvia Coleridge - Miss Flite
• Graham Crowden - Lord Chancellor
• Peter Vaughan - Tulkinghorn
• Bernard Hepton - Krook
• Jonathan Moore - William Guppy
• Frank Windsor - Gridley
• Brian Deacon - Allan Woodcourt
• Robert Urquhart - Laurence Boythorn
• Sam Kelly - Mr. Snagsby
• Dave King - Sergeant George
• Pamela Merrick - Hortense
• Ian Hogg - Inspector Bucket
• Charlie Drake - Smallweed
• Donald Sumpter - 'Nemo'
• Gabrielle Daye - Mrs. Rouncewell
• Harry Jones - Phil Squod
• Colin Jeavons - Vholes
• Cathy Murphy - Housemaid
• Arthur Hewlett - Waggoner
• Anne Reid - Mrs. Bagnet
• Anthony Roye - Kenge
• George Sewell - Ironmaster Rouncewell
• Guy Standeven - Bagnet
• Stella Tanner - Mrs. Chadband
• Malcolm Terris - Reverend Chadband
• Paul Venables - Wat Rouncewell
• John Oliver - Felix Pardiggle

External links

• Bleak House (1985 TV serial) at the Internet Movie Database