To Play the King

Infobox Film
name = To Play The King


imdb_id = 0108962
director = Paul Seed
writer = Andrew Davies (adaptation)
Michael Dobbs (novel)
starring = Ian Richardson
Michael Kitchen
Kitty Aldridge
Diane Fletcher
producer = Ken Riddington
distributor = BBC
released = 21 November, 1993
runtime = 4 x 50 minutes
language = English
preceded_by = "House of Cards"
followed_by = "The Final Cut"
music = Jim Parker
budget =

To Play The King is 1993 BBC television serial, the second part of the "House of Cards" trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed, the serial was based on the Michael Dobbs' novel of the same name, adapted for television by Andrew Davies. It details the conflict between British Prime Minister Francis Urquhart and a newly crowned king.

The book and TV serialisation follow on from the TV version of the first part of the trilogy: the ending of the "House of Cards" novel has Urquhart committing suicide when confronted by journalist Mattie Storin. "To Play the King" (and the final part "The Final Cut") assumes that Urquhart has killed Storin and become Prime Minister.

Overview

The serial opens with the coronation of the new monarch upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II and revolves around Francis Urquhart's political battles with the newly-crowned King, portrayed by Michael Kitchen. Although his name is never mentioned, the King bears a strong resemblance to Prince Charles.Fact|date=May 2008

Urquhart is also preoccupied with attempts to cover up evidence of his earlier crimes.

The series portrays a Conservative government (after the downfall of Margaret Thatcher) continuing to dominate the Labour Opposition. The King is disenchanted with the Conservative agenda and becomes involved in politics in a way that the Prime Minister finds unacceptable for a constitutional monarch.

At their first meeting The King expresses concern about Urquhart's social policies which he argues have led to greater social deprivation and social exclusion in urban areas. This tension becomes exacerbated when Urquhart moves his progressive Environment Secretary to a job in Brussels and rejects his proposals to assist poorer pensioners. The King's Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, leaks the outcome of the meeting to the press, which rankles Urquhart.

The King is having problems with his advisors - his Chief of Staff, David Mycroft, appears to be more interested in his new life and attractive boyfriend than his official duties and his assistant advisor appears to be using The King to promote her own left-wing views. The sinister Commander Corder, Urquhart's bodyguard and security advisor, is revealed to have any potential threats to Urquhart under surveillance, including The King.

Fearing The King will weaken his position, Urquhart obtains 'Regal Insurance' from Princess Charlotte, also known as 'The Fat Princess'. Tim Stamper persuades her to meet Sir Bruce Bullerby, editor of the "Daily Clarion" newspaper, and to agree to reveal every shred of scandal or gossip about the Monarchy for 'historical purposes' on condition the information is only published after her death. Elizabeth introduces Urquhart to Sarah Harding and persuades him to choose her as a political advisor, or as he phrases it to her, 'my slave'. It is subtily hinted that were the two to seek a sexual relationship, Elizabeth would not mind (their marriage appears to be polyamorous). Indeed, Elizabeth appears to be having an affair with Commander Corder with Francis' knowledge. Having been irked by The King's intransigence, and with him meeting covertly with leaders of the Opposition and the less trustworthy members of Urquhart's Party, to persuade them to unite forces against Urquhart, he calls an early election.

Throughout this time we learn that Urquhart also has the murder of Mattie Storin at the end of the series "House of Cards" on his conscience, and that someone has a tape recording of her death (made by Mattie on the rooftop). After an abduction by some homeless thugs, Sarah Harding is told to 'Ask 'im about Mattie Storin.' Despite having started an affair with Urquhart, Harding begins to question his version of events about Mattie's death. She meets John Krajewski, now a paranoid freelance journalist, who worked on the same newspaper as Mattie. Corder and his staff execute Krajewski and blamed it on the I.R.A.

Urquhart threatens The King that he has information from Princess Charlotte's memoirs which could bring down the Monarchy. Urquhart claims he does not want it to be published but will if The King continues to oppose his policies in a public manner. The King refuses to be blackmailed. Urquhart has also engaged in secret meetings with the ex-wife of The King (a character based on Princess Diana), at, as Urquhart terms it, 'the House of Wounded Feelings', who urges him not to back down to The King.

Urquhart then blackmails Bullerby to publish the memoirs in his newspaper, through threatening him that if he does not print the Princess' memoirs, he must print the photographs and release the videos of his sexual relationship with the Princess. The great scandal gives the Conservatives a boost in the polls and hurts The King's popularity. However, a Conservative backbencher, aptly named John Staines, who had been vocally critical in Parliament of the King and the aristocracy, is arrested in the Houses of Parliament by the police on charges of molestation and rape of minors. This scandal greatly hurts the Conservatives and a furious Urquhart blames Tim Stamper for putting Staines in the public arena before his arrest. This strains their relationship considerably as Stamper feels increasingly undervalued at Urquhart's reluctance to give him a senior position.

The explosion of a tower block, as a result of a tenant tapping into the gas supply with considerable loss of life, puts The King's arguments about social exclusion and the need to tackle the homeless problem back into the public domain. Stamper meanwhile reveals himself to Sarah Harding and gives her a copy of the tape.

The King begins a tour of disadvantaged estates in Britain accompanied by the press and no security to show he cares. He arranges for Opposition leaders to follow his tour and secretly supports them. Urquhart arranges for Corder to have The King abducted by some thugs during a tour of an estate in Manchester. The Army, secretly shadowing the King's tour on Urquhart's orders, rescues him from possible harm. The King is seen as foolish for rejecting security on his tour and is not helped when Mycroft resigns as his Chief-of-Staff, fearing that his homosexuality will be revealed by the press.

Urquhart announces he intends that the young long-term unemployed adults of the council estates will serve in the military and re-enacts a form of national service. The Conservatives subsequently win the General Election with a twenty-two seat overall majority. With his policies vindicated by the electorate, despite The King's public opposition to them, Urquhart forces him to abdicate in favour of his son (a character based on Prince William).

Corder has realised through his surveillance that Stamper has information on the circumstances of Mattie Storin's death, which he (Stamper) subsequently passed on to Harding as insurance. Urquhart orders Corder to assassinate them in separate car bombings. Harding's car explodes when she is en route to meet with The King's former Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, while Stamper's car explodes outside New Scotland Yard. The car bombings are interpreted by the media as being Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) activities.

Political backdrop

The political backdrop is a substantial homeless problem (despite an apparently prosperous economy) and a government that appears not to care, which was a common perception of the point of view of many British Conservatives of the day. In fact, John Major succeeded Margaret Thatcher during the period the three series were being produced. Major was never seen as the scheming Francis Urquhart character of the series, however. At the very start of "To Play the King" Urquhart indirectly refers to Major when speaking to the viewer directly "Remember that frightfully nice man who talked a lot about the classless society? He had to go of course in the end. Everything changes"

Also at this time the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) was carrying out a bombing campaign in the British mainland, providing a backdrop for where the Urquhart security team make the PIRA look responsible for Urquhart's security team's own politically motivated car bombing assassinations.

ignificance

As in "House of Cards", Urquhart occasionally speaks directly to the audience. He takes the viewer into his confidence, and at the end of the series, as at the end of the first, he challenges the viewer to condemn him.

External links

*imdb title|id=0108962|title=To Play the King
* [http://www.action-tv.org.uk/guides/toplayking.htm "To Play the King"] at Action TV