The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
GenrePeriod drama
Based onThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall
by Anne Brontë
Written byDavid Nokes
Directed byMike Barker
StarringToby Stephens
Tara Fitzgerald
Rupert Graves
ComposerRichard G Mitchell
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producersRebecca Eaton
Kevin Loader
ProducerSuzan Harrison
Production locationCumbria
EditorGuy Bensley
Running time159 minutes
Production companiesBBC
WGBH
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release17 November (1996-11-17) –
24 November 1996 (1996-11-24)

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a 1996 British television serial adaptation of Anne Brontë's 1848 novel of the same name, produced by BBC and directed by Mike Barker.[1] The serial stars Tara Fitzgerald as Helen Graham, Rupert Graves as her abusive husband Arthur Huntington and Toby Stephens as Gilbert Markham.[2] The first two parts aired in the United Kingdom on 17 November 1996, and the third on 24 November.

Plot summary

A mysterious young woman arrives at Wildfell Hall, an old house of the Elizabethan era, with a young son. She determines to lead an independent existence, but her new neighbours do not want to leave her alone. Only one of them, a young farmer, Gilbert Markham, succeeds in finding her secrets.

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"Episode 1"Mike BarkerJanet Barron and David Nokes17 November 1996 (1996-11-17)
A beautiful but mysterious widow named Helen Graham and her young son Arthur take up residence in the almost derelict Wildfell Hall. She is befriended by local young farmer Gilbert Markham, but refuses to tell him about her past. Due to malicious gossip coming from the local village, Gilbert comes to believe that her visitor Mr Lawrence is attempting to court her, and attacks him in a fit of jealousy.
2"Episode 2"Mike BarkerDavid Nokes17 November 1996 (1996-11-17)
Helen Graham decides to reveal more to Gilbert, and gives him her diary to read. He learns about the truth about her life, including her meeting and marriage to notorious rake Arthur Huntingdon. The breakdown of her marriage is also revealed. Later, Gilbert sees Huntingdon's carriage come to collect young Arthur.
3"Episode 3"Mike BarkerDavid Nokes24 November 1996 (1996-11-24)
Huntingdon abducts young Arthur, forcing Helen to return to him. Despite his rakish and dissolute behaviour, she nurses him until his death. After this, Gilbert and Helen are reunited, and marry.

Reception

It was hoped by the BBC that the serial would be as popular as the recent production of Pride and Prejudice, which had aired a year earlier. Indeed, some effort was put forward to promote a re-evaluation of Anne Brontë, with the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth creating an exhibition of costumes from the series. Ultimately, the series did not match the success of this prior series, although it received award nominations for costume and production design. It was also aired in over twenty countries, and earned the BBC a total of £317,441.[3]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall". 17 November 1996. p. 108 – via BBC Genome.
  2. ↑ "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Part 3 (1996)". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Giddings, Robert; Selby, Keith (2001). The Classic Serial on Television and Radio. Hampshire: Palgrave. p. 136.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Awards Database - The BAFTA site". Bafta.org. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Awards for The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1996)". Imdb.com. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
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