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Widows (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Widows was a British
primetime television
serial aired in 1983, produced by Euston Films
for Thames Television
and aired on the ITV
network.
The six-part series revolved was written by crime writer Lynda La Plante
. The executive producer was Verity Lambert
.
), Shirley Miller (Fiona Hendley
) and Linda Pirelli (Maureen O'Farrell
). With the police applying pressure, and a rival gang intending to take over Harry Rawlins' crime business, the widows turn to Dolly for leadership.
She uses Harry's famous "ledgers", a cache of books detailing all his robberies over the years, to find the details of the failed robbery, and, enlisting the help of a fourth woman, Bella O'Reilly (Eva Mottley
), they resolve to pull off the raid themselves. At the same time, they discover the "fourth man" in the raid escaped - leaving their husbands for dead. Dolly must contend with the police and the gang, as well as her fellow widows, agitating for vengeance.
Widows concluded with the widows successfully pulling off the raid, and escaping to Rio. In the final scenes, however, they discovered that the "fourth man" was in fact Harry Rawlins (Maurice O'Connell), Dolly's husband.
took over the role of Bella, after Eva Mottley had died from a drugs overdose.
Widows 2 was followed by She's Out in 1995. The third (and final) series began with Dolly Rawlins' release from prison after serving a nine year sentence for the murder of Harry, her husband. She teams up with several other parolees and make plans to stage a train robbery on horseback. Dolly's new companions in crime were - Ester Freeman (Linda Marlowe
), Julia Lawson (Anna Patrick), Gloria Radford (Maureen Sweeney), Connie Stephens (Zoe Heyes), Angela Dunn (Indra Ove
) and Kathleen O'Reilly (Maggie McCarthy).
as Dolly Rawlins, Brooke Shields
as Shirley Heller (note: the character name was changed from Miller), Rosie Perez
as Linda Perelli and N'Bushe Wright
as Bella O'Reilly.
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...
primetime television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
serial aired in 1983, produced by Euston Films
Euston Films
Euston Films was a British film and television production company. It was a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from the 1970s to the 1990s, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network...
for Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
and aired on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network.
The six-part series revolved was written by crime writer Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante
Lynda La Plante, CBE is an English author, screenwriter and former actress, best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series....
. The executive producer was Verity Lambert
Verity Lambert
Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...
.
Plot
Three armed robbers - Harry Rawlins, Terry Miller and Joe Pirelli - are killed during an armed robbery. They are survived by their widows, Dolly Rawlins (Ann MitchellAnn Mitchell
Ann Mitchell is one of Britain's leading stage and television actresses. In 2011, she was cast as Cora Cross in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, the mother of Tanya Jessop and Rainie Cross. She was only to appear originally for 4 episodes but returned on 28 July 2011 as a regular character...
), Shirley Miller (Fiona Hendley
Fiona Hendley
Fiona Hendley is a British actress and latterly Christian speaker, married to the former Manfred Mann singer and actor Paul Jones.-Musical and Acting Career:...
) and Linda Pirelli (Maureen O'Farrell
Maureen O'Farrell
Maureen O'Farrell is a British actress, probably best known for her role as Linda Perelli in the 1980s television drama Widows.Other TV credits include: Minder, Dempsey and Makepeace, C.A.T.S. Eyes, The Bill and Coronation Street....
). With the police applying pressure, and a rival gang intending to take over Harry Rawlins' crime business, the widows turn to Dolly for leadership.
She uses Harry's famous "ledgers", a cache of books detailing all his robberies over the years, to find the details of the failed robbery, and, enlisting the help of a fourth woman, Bella O'Reilly (Eva Mottley
Eva Mottley
Eva Mottley was a British actress, best known for her role as Bella O'Reilly in the acclaimed television drama Widows....
), they resolve to pull off the raid themselves. At the same time, they discover the "fourth man" in the raid escaped - leaving their husbands for dead. Dolly must contend with the police and the gang, as well as her fellow widows, agitating for vengeance.
Widows concluded with the widows successfully pulling off the raid, and escaping to Rio. In the final scenes, however, they discovered that the "fourth man" was in fact Harry Rawlins (Maurice O'Connell), Dolly's husband.
Sequels
Widows was followed by Widows 2 in 1985. The second series saw the widows return from Rio to track down Harry Rawlins, revealed at the conclusion of the original Widows to be the surviving "fourth man" from the original raid. Harry is determined to pay back the widows for staging his raid, and the widows have a score to settle with him for running out on their husbands. For this second series, Debby BishopDebby Bishop
Debby Bishop is a British actress. She is probably best known to television viewers for her appearance in the second series of the crime drama Widows, having taken over the part of Bella O'Reilly from Eva Mottley....
took over the role of Bella, after Eva Mottley had died from a drugs overdose.
Widows 2 was followed by She's Out in 1995. The third (and final) series began with Dolly Rawlins' release from prison after serving a nine year sentence for the murder of Harry, her husband. She teams up with several other parolees and make plans to stage a train robbery on horseback. Dolly's new companions in crime were - Ester Freeman (Linda Marlowe
Linda Marlowe
-Selected filmography:* That Kind of Girl * The World Ten Times Over * The Americanization of Emily * The Man Outside * The Ballad of Tam Lin * Night After Night After Night * Big Zapper...
), Julia Lawson (Anna Patrick), Gloria Radford (Maureen Sweeney), Connie Stephens (Zoe Heyes), Angela Dunn (Indra Ove
Indra Ové
-Career:Her most notable appearance was in Interview with the Vampire, where she worked with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt portraying a New Orleans whore. She has also had a small role in The Fifth Element as a VIP Stewardess, Othello and had a small role in Resident Evil...
) and Kathleen O'Reilly (Maggie McCarthy).
US re-make
In 2002, it was re-made for the US market as Widows, but the plot was changed. Instead of a traditional armed robbery, the US version united the three widows and the fourth woman in a plan to steal a famous painting. The US version starred Mercedes RuehlMercedes Ruehl
Mercedes J. Ruehl is an American theater, television and film actor.-Personal life:Ruehl was born in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, the daughter of Mercedes J., a school teacher, and Vincent Ruehl, an FBI agent. She was raised Catholic. Her father was of German and Irish descent and her...
as Dolly Rawlins, Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
as Shirley Heller (note: the character name was changed from Miller), Rosie Perez
Rosie Perez
Rosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...
as Linda Perelli and N'Bushe Wright
N'Bushe Wright
N'Bushe Wright is an American film and television actress, known mainly for her part in Blade. A native of New York City, she is the daughter of jazzman Stanely Wright aka Suleiman-Marim Wright...
as Bella O'Reilly.
DVD release
The complete series of Widows is available on DVD (Region 2, UK) from Fremantle Media. The 1990s sequel, She's Out, is also available, having been released by Revelation.External links
- Widows at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Widows 2 at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- She's Out at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Encyclopedia of Television