About
A Dance to the Music of Time is a four-part adaptation of Anthony Powell's 12-volume novel sequence that aired on Channel 4 in 1997. The series is a sharp, comic portrait of upper-class and bohemian England, spanning almost a century, from the early 1920s to modern times.
Cast
Simon Russell Beale
as Widmerpool
James Purefoy
as Nicholas Jenkins
James Fleet
as Moreland
Jonathan Cake
as Peter Templer
Paul Rhys
as Charles Stringham
Claire Skinner
as Jean
Miranda Richardson
as Pamela Flitton
Adrian Scarborough
as JG Quiggin
Edward Fox
as Uncle Giles
John Standing
as Nicholas Jenkins (older)
Gillian Barge
as Mrs Erdleigh
Annabel Mullion
as Mona
Oliver Ford Davies
as Le Bas
Robin Bailey
as Uncle Alfred
Nicholas Jones
as Bob Duport
Nigel Lindsay
as Odo Stevens
Nicholas Rowe
as David Pennistone
Michael Williams
as Ted Jeavons
Sarah Badel
as Lady Molly
Zoë Wanamaker
as Audrey Maclintick
Seasons
Episodes
Miniseries
The Twenties
The first film looks at the life of Kenneth Widmerpool, a tubby, much-teased boy at school who is to grow into a determined influence on his friends. Among these friends is Nicholas Jenkins, who is having an adulterous affair.
The Thirties
Nick Jenkins and his friends have moved from twenty- to thirty-somethings. Marriages are beginning to crumble and youthful optimism is fading fast. Nick's affair with Jean Templer is coming to an end, but all unhappiness is swept aside when he meets Isobel Tolland, who takes him into London's bohemian life. A world of heavy drinking, all-night parties and colourful eccentrics. But, across the Channel in Germany, Hitler's power is rising and war seems inevitable.
The War
WWII has broken out and Nick Jenkins is in the army, leaving behind his wife Isobel, who is expecting their first child. Meanwhile, Kenneth Widmerpool makes the most of his connections and soon rises through the ranks to enjoy power and prestige. This episode also sees the arrival of Pamela Flitton, a dangerously beautiful woman who can cast a spell on all the men she meets - even the normally cool-headed Widmerpool.
Post War
A decade has passed. Nick and his wife Isobel have moved to the country. Widmerpool has become a Labour MP and is dabbling in Eastern European politics. His wife Pamela is behaving even more outrageously, and gossip surrounding her bizarre sex life is raging.
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