Summary
By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.
| By the Sword Divided | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Created by | John Hawkesworth |
| Directed by | Henry Herbert, Brian Farnham, Diarmuid Lawrence, Michael Custance |
| Starring | Julian Glover Sharon Maughan Jeremy Clyde |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC1 |
| Release | 16 October 1983 – 10 March 1985 |
The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family, made up of both Royalist and Parliamentarian supporters.
It follows the family as it is torn apart by the conflicting and changing loyalties of the war, as families were during that time, and the defeat of the Royalist forces at the end of the First English Civil War. Series two covers the second and third civil wars and the eventual Restoration of the Monarchy. The last episodes see the surviving members of the family (from both sides of the divide) witness the arrival of King Charles II on a visit to the ancestral Lacey home.
Cast edit
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Regular Cast
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Series 1 only:
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Series 2 only:
|
Episodes edit
Series 1 edit
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Gather ye Rosebuds" | Henry Herbert | Jeremy Paul | 16 October 1983 |
| 2 | "This War Without an Enemy" | Henry Herbert | John Hawkesworth | 23 October 1983 |
| 3 | "The Sound of Drums" | Henry Herbert | Alfred Shaughnessy | 30 October 1983 |
| 4 | "A Silver Moon" | Henry Herbert | Jeremy Paul | 6 November 1983 |
| 5 | "The Edge of the Sword" | Henry Herbert | Alexander Baron | 13 November 1983 |
| 6 | "Outrageous Fortune" | Brian Farnham | Alfred Shaughnessy | 20 November 1983 |
| 7 | "A Sea of Dangers" | Brian Farnham | John Hawkesworth | 27 November 1983 |
| 8 | "Ring of Fire" | Brian Farnham | John Hawkesworth | 4 December 1983 |
| 9 | "Ashes to Ashes" | Brian Farnham | Jeremy Paul | 11 December 1983 |
| 10 | "Not Peace, But a Sword" | Brian Farnham | Alexander Baron | 18 December 1983 |
Series 2 edit
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | "Conflicts" | Brian Farnham | Jeremy Paul | 6 January 1985 |
| 12 | "Cruel Necessity" | Brian Farnham | John Hawkesworth | 13 January 1985 |
| 13 | "Cromwell at Arnescote" | Brian Farnham | Carey Harrison | 20 January 1985 |
| 14 | "Witch Hunt" | Brian Farnham | Alexander Baron | 27 January 1985 |
| 15 | "Escape" | Brian Farnham | Jeremy Paul | 3 February 1985 |
| 16 | "Fateful Days" | Michael Custance | Alexander Baron | 10 February 1985 |
| 17 | "Forlorn Hope" | Michael Custance | Alexander Baron | 17 February 1985 |
| 18 | "The Mailed Fist" | Michael Custance | Alexander Baron | 24 February 1985 |
| 19 | "Retribution" | Diarmuid Lawrence | Jeremy Paul | 3 March 1985 |
| 20 | "Restoration" | Diarmuid Lawrence | John Hawkesworth | 10 March 1985 |
Film locations edit
The filming for the programme took place at Fermyn Woods Hall, Rockingham Castle and Lilford Hall in Northamptonshire.[1]
DVD release edit
By the Sword Divided is available on DVD in the UK, distributed by Acorn Media UK.
References edit
External links edit
- By the Sword Divided at IMDb
- Episode 1: Gather Ye Rosebuds at YouTube
- Episode 2: This War without an Enemy at YouTube
- Episode 3: The Sound of Drums at YouTube
- Episode 4: A Silver Moon at YouTube
- Episode 5: The Edge of the Sword at YouTube
- Episode 6: Outrageous Fortune at YouTube
- Episode 7: A Sea of Dangers at YouTube
- Episode 8: Ring of Fire at YouTube
- Episode 9: Ashes to Ashes at YouTube
- Episode 10: Not Peace, but a Sword at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 1: Conflicts at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 2: Cruel Necessity at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 3: Cromwell at Arnescote at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 4: Witch Hunt at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 5: Escape at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 6: Fateful Days at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 7: Forlorn Hope at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 8: The Mailed Fist at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 9: Retribution at YouTube
- Part 2 Episode 10: Restoration at YouTube
