House of Cards (British TV series)

House of Cards
Based on	House of Cards by Michael Dobbs
Written by	Andrew Davies Michael Dobbs
Directed by	Paul Seed
Starring	Ian Richardson Susannah Harker Miles Anderson Alphonsia Emmanuel Malcolm Tierney Diane Fletcher Colin Jeavons Damien Thomas Kenneth Gilbert David Lyon Kenny Ireland James Villiers Isabelle Amyes
Music by	Jim Parker
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	4
Production
Producer	Ken Riddington
Running time	55 minutes
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	18 November (1990-11-18) – 9 December 1990 (1990-12-09)
Related
To Play the King The Final Cut
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House of Cards is a 1990 British political thriller television serial in four episodes, set after the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was televised by the BBC from 18 November to 9 December 1990. Released to critical and popular acclaim for its writing, direction, and performances, it is considered one of the greatest British television shows ever made.

The story is centred on the sudden and manipulative rise to power of the machiavellian Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, Francis Urquhart. Urquhart, on the party's right wing, is frustrated over his lack of promotion in the wake of Margaret Thatcher's resignation and the moderate government which succeeds it. He conceives a calculated and meticulous plan to bring down the new Prime Minister and replace him, on the same lines as Shakespeare's Richard III (which he often quotes). During this drawn-out and ruthless coup, his life is complicated by his relationship with young female reporter Mattie Storin, whom he uses to leak sensitive information in confidence. The question of whether the serial's ending is a tragedy (in the same vein as plays such as Macbeth) is left to the viewer.

Andrew Davies adapted the story from the 1989 novel of the same name by Michael Dobbs, a former chief of staff at Conservative Party headquarters. Neville Teller also dramatised Dobbs's novel for the BBC World Service in 1996, and it had two television sequels (To Play the King and The Final Cut). The opening and closing theme music for this TV series is entitled "Francis Urquhart's March", by Jim Parker.^[1]

House of Cards was ranked 84th in the British Film Institute list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000.^[2] In 2013, the serial and the Dobbs novel were the basis for a US adaptation set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by Netflix as the first ever major streaming service television show. This version was also entitled House of Cards, and starred Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright.