The Amazing Mrs Pritchard
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard was a British
drama
series
that aired on BBC One
in 2006. Produced by Kudos
, it was written by Sally Wainwright
and stars Jane Horrocks
in the title role of a woman with no previous political experience who becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
.
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard was filmed in London
in April 2006, and the episodes were broadcast at 9:00 pm on Tuesdays. It fared poorly in the ratings, attracting 3.5 million viewers in the final episode.
, Gavin Esler
, Roy Hattersley
, John Humphrys
, Nick Robinson
, David Steel
, Andrew Marr
, Simon McCoy
, Sarah Montague
, Peter Snow
and Kirsty Wark
.
manager Ros Pritchard, who, angry with the state of British politics, stands for election as an independent candidate
in her home town of Eatanswill, Yorkshire
.
She soon gains national attention and wins the general election, becoming Prime Minister. Over successive episodes, Ros's spontaneous approach to decision making and her promise never to deceive the electorate come under increasing pressure from the demands of government, media scrutiny, and partisan political struggles.
, having won the general election by a huge landslide. When she first comes to the job she knows nothing about politics, but with the help of her advisor Catherine Walker, who becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, she warms to the job, dealing with crises such as a plane exploding over Walthamstow and proposing a one day a week car ban.
Ian Pritchard is Ros's husband. He doubts her campaign, and later admits that he didn't vote for her. Unknown to Ros at the time, Ian laundered money many years before her taking office, a scandal which, as it starts to emerge, may force her to resign.
Emily Pritchard is Ros's older daughter. Emily finds her mother's new fame hard to deal with. Initially a student at the University of Sussex
, she soon drops out. A magazine deal sees naked pictures of her projected onto the Houses of Parliament. And when her father admits his money laundering to Emily, it is a secret she finds hard to keep.
Catherine Walker is a Conservative front-bencher designated by her party to demolish Ros in debate, but who instead defects to Ros's Purple Alliance. She becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. As a young woman at Oxford University, Catherine had the chance of a fellowship to study at Princeton University
but her then-tutor Hilary Rees-Benson (later a political opponent) recommended another student instead, in part due to jealousy of Catherine -- the two remain rivals even when serving together in Ros's cabinet. Catherine was formerly in love with Conservative Party Leader Paul Critchley, but he cheated on her and dropped her. While Chancellor, she conducts a sexual relationship with her speechwriter Ben Sixsmith -- 21 years her junior -- becoming pregnant by him but terminating the pregnancy.
Hilary Rees-Benson is the Home Secretary in Ros's government. She was formerly a Liberal Democratic Party Home Affairs spokesman, and has an ongoing personal and political conflict with Catherine Walker (above). Rees-Benson leaks a number of secrets to the writer Alex Rafael about Pritchard's government, which damages it. She almost has to resign but agrees to absolute loyalty to Ros. Hilary makes a success of Ros's controversial proposal for Green Wednesday, a car ban on every Wednesday.
Kitty Porter is a wealthy businesswoman who becomes one of Ros's earliest supporters, bankrolling her campaign. But Kitty's behind-the-scenes machinations represent another time bomb waiting to explode.
Paul Critchley is the Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of the Opposition to Ros's Government. He holds a bitter grudge against Catherine, his former lover, who in his eyes betrayed him and his party by defecting to Ros. Critchley's skill as a parliamentary debater, and his ruthless willingness to throw a politically inconvenient colleague overboard, epitomise the peak of traditional politics, and contrast with the spontaneous, idealistic -- if at times naive -- approach embodied by Ros, at least in the earlier episodes before political life starts to harden her.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that aired on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in 2006. Produced by Kudos
Kudos (production company)
Kudos Film and Television is a British independent film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and its productions include Spooks , Hustle, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and M.I. High...
, it was written by Sally Wainwright
Sally Wainwright
Sally Wainwright is a British BAFTA nominated television writer and playwright. She won 2009 Writer of the Year Award given by the RTS in 2009 for Unforgiven.She was born in Halifax.Original television productions include:*Scott & Bailey...
and stars Jane Horrocks
Jane Horrocks
Barbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
in the title role of a woman with no previous political experience who becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
.
Background
Sally Wainwright stated her motivation for writing the series was the realisation that:- "During the last election I found that I didn't really want to vote for anybody because they all seemed as bad as each other. I thought it would be great fun to write an epic story with a central character who was prepared to stand up and point this out. Mrs Pritchard is bold enough, or some may say daft enough, to stand for parliament on the assumption that she can do just as badly as any of them but at least she will be honest".
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard was filmed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in April 2006, and the episodes were broadcast at 9:00 pm on Tuesdays. It fared poorly in the ratings, attracting 3.5 million viewers in the final episode.
Main
- Jane HorrocksJane HorrocksBarbara Jane Horrocks is an English voice, stage, screen and television actress, voice artist, musician, and singer. She is best known for her role as "Bubble" in the TV series Absolutely Fabulous as well as her distinctive voice....
- Prime Minister Rosamund 'Ros' Jane Pritchard - Steven MackintoshSteven Mackintosh-Personal life:Mackintosh was born in Cambridge, the son of Dorothy and Malcolm Mackintosh. He has a sister, Lynda Ellingham .He is married to the actress Lisa Jacobs and the couple have two children, Martha and Blythe.-Film:...
- Ian Pritchard - Carey MulliganCarey MulliganCarey Hannah Mulligan is an English actress. She made her film debut as Kitty Bennet in Pride & Prejudice . She had roles in numerous British programmes and, in 2007, made her Broadway debut in The Seagull to critical acclaim....
- Emily Pritchard - Jemma McKenzie-BrownJemma McKenzie-BrownJemma McKenzie-Brown is an English actress known for her role as Tiara Gold in High School Musical 3: Senior Year.-Biography:...
- Georgina Pritchard - Jodhi MayJodhi MayJodhi May is an English actress.-Early life:Born in Camden Town, London, May first acted at the age of 12 in 1988's A World Apart. The role earned her a Best Actress award at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, shared with her co-stars Barbara Hershey and Linda Mvusi...
- Miranda Lennox - Janet McTeerJanet McTeerJanet McTeer, OBE is a British actress.-Life and career:McTeer was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom, the daughter of Jean and Alan McTeer...
- Catherine Walker - Frances TomeltyFrances TomeltyFrances Tomelty is a Northern Irish actress and the first wife of Sting. She is the daughter of Belfast actor Joseph Tomelty ....
- Kitty Porter - Geraldine JamesGeraldine JamesGeraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
- Hilary Rees-Benson - Selina CadellSelina CadellSelina Cadell is an English actress. She is the sister of the late actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter of the actress Jean Cadell.....
- Dorothy Crowther - Meera SyalMeera SyalMeera Syal MBE is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No...
- Liz Shannon - Siobhan FinneranSiobhan FinneranSiobhan Finneran is an English television and film actress from Oldham in Lancashire, England.-Career:Siobhan's first major role was as Rita in the 1986 film, Rita, Sue and Bob Too. Since 2007 she has played Janice in ITV's popular comedy drama Benidorm, appearing in all 4 series and both specials...
- Beverley Clarke - Jonathan ArisJonathan ArisJonathan Aris is a British actor who has appeared in films, television and the theatre. Aris is also a narrator for some documentaries.- Credits :Acting credits include:* Spooks * Sherlock * Being Human * Doc Martin...
- Richard Leavis - Sally PhillipsSally Phillips-Career:Sally Phillips was the only woman in the 1990 Oxford Revue THRASH which also starred Ed Smith. She did nine consecutive Edinburgh Festivals, appearing in shows such as Ra-Ra-Rasputin, Arthur Smith's version of Hamlet and Cluub Zarathustra with Simon Munnery, Stewart Lee, Richard Thomas,...
- Meg Bayliss - Tom MisonTom MisonTom Mison is an English actor. He trained at the Webber-Douglas Academy.His theatre credits include 2009's When the Rain Stops Falling at the Almeida Theatre and Posh by Laura Wade at the Royal Court Theatre in 2010....
- Ben Sixsmith - Robert Portal - Paul Critchley
- Dilys LayeDilys LayeDilys Laye was an English actress and screenwriter, best known for comedy roles. She died of cancer aged 74.- Early life :...
- Queen Elizabeth II
Guests and cameos
Several politicians and journalists made cameo appearances, including Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, Gavin Esler
Gavin Esler
Gavin Esler is a Scottish author and BBC television presenter, currently one of the four main presenters on BBC Two's flagship political analysis programme, Newsnight.-Education:...
, Roy Hattersley
Roy Hattersley
Roy Sydney George Hattersley, Baron Hattersley is a British Labour politician, author and journalist from Sheffield. He served as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1983 to 1992.-Early life:...
, John Humphrys
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys , is a Welsh-born British author, journalist and presenter of radio and television, who has won many national broadcasting awards...
, Nick Robinson
Nick Robinson
Nicholas Anthony "Nick" Robinson is a British journalist and political editor for the BBC. Robinson was interested in politics from a young age, and went on to study a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree at Oxford University, where he was also President of the Oxford University Conservative...
, David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
, Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr
Andrew William Stevenson Marr is a Scottish journalist and political commentator. He edited The Independent for two years until May 1998, and was political editor of BBC News from 2000 until 2005....
, Simon McCoy
Simon McCoy
Simon McCoy is a newsreader for the BBC, and is currently a regular presenter on the rolling news channel BBC News between 8.30am and 11am. He is also a relief presenter of the BBC News at One and of BBC Weekend News.-Early life:...
, Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague
Sarah Montague is a British Journalist, best known for her work on BBC Radio 4 as one of the regular presenters of the Today programme.-Early life:...
, Peter Snow
Peter Snow
Peter Snow, CBE is a British television and radio presenter. He is the grandson of First World War general Sir Thomas D'Oyly Snow, and cousin of Jon Snow, the main presenter of Channel 4 News, nephew of schoolmaster and bishop George D'Oyly Snow, and the brother-in-law of historian-writer Margaret...
and Kirsty Wark
Kirsty Wark
Kirsteen Anne Wark is a British journalist and television presenter best known for fronting the BBC Two's news and current affairs programme Newsnight since 1993, and its weekly arts annexe Newsnight Review which is now relaunched as "The Review Show".-Biography:Wark was born in Dumfries to Jimmy...
.
Plot
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard revolves around supermarketSupermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
manager Ros Pritchard, who, angry with the state of British politics, stands for election as an independent candidate
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
in her home town of Eatanswill, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
She soon gains national attention and wins the general election, becoming Prime Minister. Over successive episodes, Ros's spontaneous approach to decision making and her promise never to deceive the electorate come under increasing pressure from the demands of government, media scrutiny, and partisan political struggles.
Main characters
Rosamund 'Ros' Jane Pritchard is a supermarket manager who creates her own party, the Purple Democratic Alliance. Ros succeeds Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
, having won the general election by a huge landslide. When she first comes to the job she knows nothing about politics, but with the help of her advisor Catherine Walker, who becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, she warms to the job, dealing with crises such as a plane exploding over Walthamstow and proposing a one day a week car ban.
Ian Pritchard is Ros's husband. He doubts her campaign, and later admits that he didn't vote for her. Unknown to Ros at the time, Ian laundered money many years before her taking office, a scandal which, as it starts to emerge, may force her to resign.
Emily Pritchard is Ros's older daughter. Emily finds her mother's new fame hard to deal with. Initially a student at the University of Sussex
University of Sussex
The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961....
, she soon drops out. A magazine deal sees naked pictures of her projected onto the Houses of Parliament. And when her father admits his money laundering to Emily, it is a secret she finds hard to keep.
Catherine Walker is a Conservative front-bencher designated by her party to demolish Ros in debate, but who instead defects to Ros's Purple Alliance. She becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer. As a young woman at Oxford University, Catherine had the chance of a fellowship to study at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
but her then-tutor Hilary Rees-Benson (later a political opponent) recommended another student instead, in part due to jealousy of Catherine -- the two remain rivals even when serving together in Ros's cabinet. Catherine was formerly in love with Conservative Party Leader Paul Critchley, but he cheated on her and dropped her. While Chancellor, she conducts a sexual relationship with her speechwriter Ben Sixsmith -- 21 years her junior -- becoming pregnant by him but terminating the pregnancy.
Hilary Rees-Benson is the Home Secretary in Ros's government. She was formerly a Liberal Democratic Party Home Affairs spokesman, and has an ongoing personal and political conflict with Catherine Walker (above). Rees-Benson leaks a number of secrets to the writer Alex Rafael about Pritchard's government, which damages it. She almost has to resign but agrees to absolute loyalty to Ros. Hilary makes a success of Ros's controversial proposal for Green Wednesday, a car ban on every Wednesday.
Kitty Porter is a wealthy businesswoman who becomes one of Ros's earliest supporters, bankrolling her campaign. But Kitty's behind-the-scenes machinations represent another time bomb waiting to explode.
Paul Critchley is the Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of the Opposition to Ros's Government. He holds a bitter grudge against Catherine, his former lover, who in his eyes betrayed him and his party by defecting to Ros. Critchley's skill as a parliamentary debater, and his ruthless willingness to throw a politically inconvenient colleague overboard, epitomise the peak of traditional politics, and contrast with the spontaneous, idealistic -- if at times naive -- approach embodied by Ros, at least in the earlier episodes before political life starts to harden her.
Episodes
| # | Airdate | Overview | Ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 October | After an incident between the Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... and Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... candidates outside the supermarket Supermarket A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments... she manages, Greengages, Ros Pritchard decides to stand for Parliament Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London... in the upcoming general election United Kingdom general elections This is a list of United Kingdom general elections since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, before being co-opted to serve in the first Parliament of the United Kingdom, so that Parliament... . She soon appears on Newsnight Newsnight Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades.... , and within days her new party, The Purple Democratic Alliance, has over 150 candidates and rising, plus, thanks to her supporter the businesswoman Kitty Porter, a campaign fund of £10 million. While her two daughters, Emily and Georgina, are very supportive, her husband Ian tries to persuade her to pull out, especially when The Sun The Sun (newspaper) The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin... publishes an article about his office flirtations. Soon, women MPs (especially) from all parties are defecting to her. An ambitious frontbench Conservative, Catherine Walker, assigned by her Party leader (and ex-lover) Paul Critchley to demolish Ros on TV, instead switches sides after Ros convinces Catherine that her male Tory colleagues will never allow her to rise to the position she craves and is qualifed for, that of Chancellor of the Exchequer (but implies that she, Ros, would offer Catherine the post). On voting day, 12 May, Ian votes for the Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... , and again tries to persuade Ros to stop. Secretly this is because of money-laundering issues in his past that he is worried will come out (though Kitty Porter and Ros's new-found "fixer" Miranda Lennox have done their best to suppress a journalist's interest in these issues). On election night, instead of watching the election "count", Ros accompanies Dave, a troubled worker from the supermarket, to the hospital. There she gets a call from Tony Blair Tony Blair Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007... congratulating her on winning the election. |
4.3 million (19% audience share) |
| 2 | 10 October | Ros has won the election with 54% of the vote and 378 seats, the Conservatives are the Official Opposition Official Opposition (UK) Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition, or the Official Opposition, in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition. This is usually the political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons, as the largest party will usually form Her Majesty's Government... with 147 seats, while Labour has 121 seats. The Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,... (played by Dilys Laye Dilys Laye Dilys Laye was an English actress and screenwriter, best known for comedy roles. She died of cancer aged 74.- Early life :... ) asks her Kiss Hands To kiss hands is a constitutional term used in the United Kingdom to refer to the formal installation of Crown-appointed British government ministers to their office.... to form the next Government, and after some reluctance, Ros does so. She meets Richard Leavis, her new Principal Private Secretary Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister The Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister is a senior official of the British Civil Service who acts as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The holder of this office was formerly the head of the Prime Minister's Office, during Tony Blair's... . But she soon finds life at the top very demanding. Her first decision comes when the French President requests her help to rescue French military personnel trapped in Iran; Ros spontaneously agrees, but must then face painful consequences she had not counted on. On her first evening at No 10 10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister.... , she gets advice from Tony Blair on how to escape Whitehall, and she goes back to Greengages incognito and pours her heart out to one of her old colleagues. Soon after, she launches "The Great Debate" where she asks the public for ideas for the Queen's Speech Speech from the Throne A speech from the throne is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign reads a prepared speech to a complete session of parliament, outlining the government's agenda for the coming session... . One of these is the idea to move Parliament Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London... to Bradford Bradford Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897... , and she includes this in "The People's Queen's Speech". Meanwhile, Catherine Walker has been made Chancellor Chancellor of the Exchequer The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the... and Deputy Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices... , Hilary Rees-Benson (a former Liberal Democrat MP) is Home Secretary Home Secretary The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State... , and former Labour MP Dorothy Crowther became Foreign Secretary Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State... . Ros's younger daughter Georgina insists on going to a London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... school, and asks to be sent to Jericho Road School, a run down, inner city comprehensive Comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United... . |
4 million (18%) |
| 3 | 17 October | The House of Lords House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster.... refuses to pass Ros's Parliamentary Reform Bill because of the clause moving Parliament to Bradford, and Ros wants to use the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 The Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 are two Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which form part of the constitution of the United Kingdom. Section 2 of the Parliament Act 1949 provides that that Act and the Parliament Act 1911 are to be construed as one.The Parliament Act 1911 The... to bypass the Lords, but Catherine Walker tries to persuade her not to. However, after days of thinking she does invoke the Parliament Acts. Meanwhile, a book about Ros's rise to power is published. It's heavily critical of Catherine and also says that Ros and Ian's marriage is in a bad state, which they both know has an element of truth. It is clear that a close colleague has leaked to the author, but who? Ros aks Miranda to question all the possible suspects. A visit from an Africa Africa Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... n President President A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership... initially gets off to a good start, but turns to heartbreak when Ros has to tell him that his family was just assassinated in London. Georgina gets a boyfriend from school. Emily poses nude for a lads' magazine, and the image is projected onto the side of Parliament. She then spends the £20,000 she got on a sports car Sports car A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability.... , which leads to a frustrated Ian telling her how he once received £10,000 for laundering Money laundering Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount... money. |
4 million (18%) |
| 4 | 24 October | In the year following her election, Ros continued work on her radical agenda, with Parliament set to open in its new location in 2010. She has also distanced Britain from the U.S. government's anti-terrorism orientation. Soon after asserting this independent British stance, a Lithuania Lithuania Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark... n aeroplane crashes over the British city of Walthamstow Walthamstow Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross... . During a parliamentary debate on the matter, Conservative Leader Paul Critchley goads Ros into pledging to resign if the crash is the result of terrorism Terrorism Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition... — a pledge she immediately regrets. To her political good fortune, the crash turns out to ensue from European Union European Union The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958... legislation allowing for less stringent air safety guidelines. Ros vows to subject future EU legislation to tougher parliamentary scrutiny, and the episode is further turned to the government's political advantage when Catherine's staff discover that a leading Conservative had slept through the parliamentary review of the relevant EU safety standards — leading to a scene in which Paul Critchley brutally destroys the offending colleague's political career. Meanwhile, after a night on the town, Junior Health Minister Department of Health (United Kingdom) The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,... Beverley Clarke has to resign after The World newspaper publishes embarrassing pictures of her. A tearful Beverley reveals to Miranda that, during her night out, she had learnt that Kitty had bribed MP Liz Shannon and others to defect to the Purple Alliance before the election. Miranda decides to keep this potentially compromising information away from Ros while confronting those involved herself. Ros finds condom Condom A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner... s in Georgina's pocket. Emily has dropped out of Sussex University University of Sussex The University of Sussex is an English public research university situated next to the East Sussex village of Falmer, within the city of Brighton and Hove. The University received its Royal Charter in August 1961.... and has to be persuaded by Kitty not to tell her mother about Ian's money laundering. |
3.4 million (15.6%) |
| 5 | 31 October | At a G8 G8 The Group of Eight is a forum, created by France in 1975, for the governments of seven major economies: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1997, the group added Russia, thus becoming the G8... summit on Vancouver Island Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794... , Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... , Ros spontaneously announces that in a month's time, on 24 June, and every Wednesday after that, only essential car journeys will be allowed. The government had been contemplating only a restricted trial of this concept, and Catherine is very doubtful about launching it as a national scheme, especially as there is a by-election By-election A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections.... in the safe Safe seat A safe seat is a seat in a legislative body which is regarded as fully secured, either by a certain political party, the incumbent representative personally or a combination of both... Conservative seat of Stonesfield on the same day. However, she tells Ros they must now pull out all the stops to win, and when the day comes they not only win the by-election by 342 votes, but France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... , Finland Finland Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... , Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... and Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... announce they will join the UK in having a one-day-a-week car ban. Richard Leavis discovers that it was Hilary Rees-Benson who talked to the author of the damaging book. Advised by Leavis and Miranda to keep the information to herself, while readying Hilary as a scapegoat if the Green Wednesday project fails, Ros reacts that such calculation is not her style and instead tells Hilary what she knows, receiving a pledge of loyalty in return. Meanwhile Emily quits as Kitty's apprentice after a fortnight and in anger tells Ros about Ian's money laundering. Catherine, who has been secretly dating her much younger speechwriter Speechwriter A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are used by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors.-Skills and training:... , Ben Sixsmith, for a year, finds out she's pregnant and immediately has an abortion Abortion Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced... . |
3.2 million (14%) |
| 6 | 7 November | After finding out from Emily about Ian's money laundering 15 years ago, Ros confronts Ian, who says he didn't tell her at the time because he and his boss had been threatened by criminal loan sharks into undertaking the laundering, and it came at a time when she had suffered 9 miscarriage Miscarriage Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation... s. After sleeping on it, she decides that — in spite of her promises of transparency — she will not resign or report Ian to the police Policing in the United Kingdom Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland .... . If the story comes out, she tries to persuade herself, she can still claim ignorance. Meanwhile, after talking to Ros about her abortion, Catherine reopens the possibility of marriage with Ben, but when he asks her to kiss him in public, she cannot abandon her stiff upper lip to do so. Kitty Porter now warns Miranda that, as the price for continuing to keep Ian's money laundering quiet, a home office IT contract needs to go to a new company she has invested in along with the newspaper publisher she had earlier persuaded to suppress the story about Ian. Ros, departing further from the standards of probity she was elected on, tries to persuade Hilary as Home Secretary to give Kitty's company the contract. Worried, Hilary shares her concerns with her long-time rival, Catherine, who confronts Ros and learns the truth about Ian. Catherine advises Ros that, to maintain her political credibility, she needs to divorce Ian. If she will not do this, she must resign. In the closing scene of the series, Ian enters Ros's office to speak to her alone. Ros's decision on her future is not revealed. Note: In an airing of the show by Knowledge Network Knowledge Network Knowledge , formerly Knowledge Network, is a Canadian English language public educational cable television network in the province of British Columbia... in British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858... , the final episode ended with a brief written description of what transpired: Mrs. Pritchard resigned, stating that she had made her point; the family moved back to Eatanswill; and Ian's indiscretions never became public knowledge. Catherine Walker became Prime Minister, successfully leading the Purple Alliance, but never marrying. This addendum was not part of the PBS airing in the U.S., but was included on the DVD releases. |
3.5 million (15%) |