The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge

The Dennis Potter adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic tale

Limited Series 1978 · 7 eps · ★ 6.8 · Drama

Ended

The Mayor of Casterbridge is a 1978 BBC seven-part serial based on the eponymous 1886 book by the British novelist Thomas Hardy. The six-hour drama was written by dramatist Dennis Potter and directed by David Giles, with Alan Bates as the title character. Michael Henchard, an out-of-work hay-trusser, gets drunk at a fair and, for five guineas, sells his wife and child to a sailor. When the horror of his act finally sets in, Henchard swears he will not touch alcohol for twenty-one years. Through hard work and acumen, he becomes rich, respected, and eventually the mayor of Casterbridge. But eighteen years after his fateful oath, his wife and daughter return to Casterbridge, and his fortunes steadily decline.

Created by Dennis Potter

Network: BBC Two

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Cast

Alan Bates Michael Henchard
Janet Maw Elizabeth-Jane II
Jack Galloway Donald Farfrae
Anna Massey Lucetta Farfrae (née Templeman)
Ronald Lacey Joshua Jopp
Clifford Parrish Longways
Peter Bourke Abel Whittle
Jeffrey Holland Carter
Alan Rowe Mr Joyce
Richard Owens Richard Newson
Avis Bunnage Mrs Goodenough
Douglas Milvain Coney

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