Episode #1.1

Episode aired Jan 17, 2023
55m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

198

YOUR RATING

Biography Comedy Drama

After the Labour Party lose the 1970 General Election, Labour MP John Stonehouse becomes the scapegoat. With rumours of fraud and worse circulating, he hatches an outlandish plan to escape h... Read allAfter the Labour Party lose the 1970 General Election, Labour MP John Stonehouse becomes the scapegoat. With rumours of fraud and worse circulating, he hatches an outlandish plan to escape his troubles.After the Labour Party lose the 1970 General Election, Labour MP John Stonehouse becomes the scapegoat. With rumours of fraud and worse circulating, he hatches an outlandish plan to escape his troubles.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

198

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Whilst Harold Wilson was famous for smoking a pipe, it was in fact largely a prop to appeal to working class voters; in private, as depicted accurately in this series, he would smoke cigars.

Goofs
Establishing shots of the Houses of Parliament show them to be clean and golden sandstone-coloured, as they appear in the 2020s. During the 1960s and 1970s setting of the series, Parliament's appearance was almost completely black.

Quotes
[Stonehouse is shown a secretly-shot film of him making love to his Czech translator]
Alexander Marek: Mr Stonehouse, you came here as an *official* representative of your country. I hope you found the "hospitality" to your liking. Now, we would like to invite you to become an *unofficial* representative of *our* country, in Great Britain.
John Stonehouse: [incredulous] You want me to spy for you?
Alexander Marek: Sadly, you and I find ourselves on opposite sides of an ideological divide. The "Iron Curtain", if you will. But ultimately we are both working for the same cause: the good of humanity. Isn't that right? So, all we want is for you to pass on any information that comes your way; information you will give me when the two of us meet in London. Thereby fostering closer ties between our two great nations.
John Stonehouse: Would I be paid?

Connections
Features The Day of the Jackal (1973)

Soundtracks
Morningtown Ride
(uncredited)
Written by Malvina Reynolds
Performed by Matthew Macfadyen

User reviews1

Featured review

7/10

An interesting start.

The incredible story of Labour MP and former Minister John Stonehouse, who made several mistakes, and is perhaps best known for his vanishing act.

It's a good, solid opening episode, it's a very well made drama, it's informative, and from what I've read about Stonehouse, it feels like a fairly accurate representation of what happened.

Very well made, as you'd expect, the visuals are well and truly on point, Westminster looks incredible both inside and out.

Matthew Macfadyen was excellent, he looked so different, Keeley Hawes was great as his wife also, but she's definitely becoming the new Olivia Colman, she really is in everything.

Solid, interesting drama, 7/10.