Known by his initials F U, what is the name of the Old Etonian Conservative politician created by Michael Dobbs and played on British TV by Ian Richardson?
"""The Final Cut""). The opening and closing theme music for those TV series is entitled ""Francis Urquhart's March."" ""House of Cards"" was ranked 84th in the British Film Institute list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000. 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. The antihero of ""House of Cards"" is Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, played by Ian Richardson. The plot follows his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and,"
"thereon, as a plausibly deniable way of agreeing with people and/or leaking information. Michael Dobbs stated that the inspiration behind Urquhart came during a drinking session at a swimming pool after a tense encounter with Margaret Thatcher, deliberately creating a character moulded around the initials ""FU"". Ian Richardson was offered the role of Urquhart for the BBC TV adaptation of ""House of Cards"" in 1990, which he immediately accepted, noting: Richardson based his portrayal of the character on a representative of the British Council whom he met whilst touring with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Japan. While acknowledging that playing"
"He has also directed several UK touring theatre productions. He was a Conservative councillor on Tendring District Council for Frinton ward, having been first elected in the United Kingdom local elections, 2007. On 10 September 2014, he was shortlisted in the Conservative's Clacton open primary to decide the party's candidate against Douglas Carswell in the Clacton by-election and was adopted following a public meeting on 11 September 2014. He lost the by-election and the 2015 general election, but was elected in the 2017 general election. Giles Watling Giles Francis Watling (born 18 February 1953) is an English actor and Conservative"
"from 1979-90 he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of The Western European Union (WEU). He also served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Wilkinson was one of the Maastricht rebels, from whom the Conservative whip was withdrawn when they voted against legislation to ratify the Maastricht Treaty on European Union. Wilkinson and the other rebels continued to oppose the European policy of Conservative Prime Minister John Major for much of the 1992-97 parliament. Wilkinson was portrayed by Jasper Jacob in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial ""The Falklands Play"". John"
"election by the Labour candidate David Owen, who went on to become Foreign Secretary. Ian Fraser (Plymouth Sutton MP) Ian Montagu Fraser (14 October 1916 – 8 November 1987) was a British Conservative party politician. Fraser stood for Tottenham in 1955 and was defeated. In the run-up to the 1959 general election he tried to win the Conservative nomination for Finchley, but at the selection meeting was narrowly defeated by Margaret Thatcher. At the election he was elected as Member of Parliament for the Plymouth Sutton constituency. In his time in Parliament he became Parliamentary Private Secretary. He was narrowly"
"thus, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Michael Dobbs did not envision writing the second and third books, as Urquhart dies at the end of the first novel. The screenplay of the BBC's dramatisation of ""House of Cards"" differs from the book, and hence allows future series. Dobbs wrote two following books, ""To Play the King"" and ""The Final Cut"", which were televised in 1993 and 1995, respectively. ""House of Cards"" was said to draw from Shakespeare's plays ""Macbeth"" and ""Richard III"", both of which feature main characters who are corrupted by power and ambition. Richardson has a Shakespearean background"
"have three children. Noted for his ""portly frame, jovial expression, and bright white beard"", he is sometimes compared humorously to Father Christmas. Dobson is a supporter of West Ham United. Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (born 15 March 1940) is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015. He served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997-1999, and was the official Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2000, ultimately finishing third in the election, behind Conservative Steven Norris and the winner,"
"October to 12 November 2016, with Powell portrayed by Ian McDiarmid and Clem Jones by George Costigan. UK Parliament elections Notes Bibliography Further reading Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–74), then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP (1974–87), and was Minister of Health (1960–63). Before entering politics, Powell was a classical scholar, becoming a full professor of Ancient Greek at the age of 25 in Australia. During World War II, he served in both staff and"
"series of 2006, ""Tory! Tory! Tory!"", and continues to appear regularly on television, such as BBC's ""Question Time"". John Redwood John Alan Redwood (born 15 June 1951) is a British Conservative Party politician, and Member of Parliament (MP) for Wokingham in the county of Berkshire. He was formerly Secretary of State for Wales in Prime Minister John Major's Cabinet, and was twice an unsuccessful challenger for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the 1990s. He served in the Shadow Cabinets of William Hague and Michael Howard, and has remained a backbencher since then. Redwood is a veteran Eurosceptic who"
"Michael Dobbs Michael Dobbs, Baron Dobbs (born 14 November 1948) is a British Conservative politician and best-selling author, most notably for his ""House of Cards"" trilogy. Michael Dobbs was born on 14 November 1948 in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, the son of nurseryman Eric and Eileen Dobbs. He was educated at Hertford Grammar School, Cheshunt Grammar School, and Christ Church, Oxford. After graduating from Oxford in 1971 with a degree in PPE, Dobbs moved to the United States. He attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts and graduated in 1977 with an M.A., M.A.L.D., and"
"Cornwall. Nott's fourth book, ""Mr Wonderful Seeks Immortality"", was published in 2014. Nott was interviewed about the rise of Thatcherism for the 2006 BBC TV documentary series ""Tory! Tory! Tory!"". In 2016, Nott criticised the ""poisoned EU debate"" in the Conservative Party, and announced he would not renew his party membership until there was change of leadership. Nott was portrayed by Clive Merrison in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial ""The Falklands Play"". In the film ""The Iron Lady"" Nott is played by Angus Wright. John Nott Sir John William Frederic Nott (born 1 February 1932) is a"
"Frank Dobson Frank Gordon Dobson (born 15 March 1940) is a British Labour Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St. Pancras from 1979 to 2015. He served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Health from 1997-1999, and was the official Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2000, ultimately finishing third in the election, behind Conservative Steven Norris and the winner, Labour-turned-Independent Ken Livingstone. Dobson stood down at the United Kingdom general election, 2015. Dobson was born in York in 1940. His father, a railwayman, died when Dobson was sixteen years"
"John Edwards (played by Geoffrey Hutchings), who is closely based on Poulson. One of the reasons the production took so long to reach the screen—Flannery had originally written it for the stage in 1982—was the fear of the BBC that Poulson and others fictionalised in the drama might take legal action. In the event, the deaths of Poulson and T. Dan Smith in 1993 finally allowed the production to commence. John Poulson John Garlick Llewellyn Poulson (14 April 1910 – 31 January 1993) was a British architect and businessman who caused a major political scandal when his use of bribery"
"hideouts the IRA were doing the same thing"". Gow was portrayed by Paul Brooke in the 2004 BBC production of ""The Alan Clark Diaries"", and in the film ""The Iron Lady"". Ian Gow Ian Reginald Edward Gow (; 11 February 1937 – 30 July 1990) was a British Conservative politician and solicitor. While serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Eastbourne, he was assassinated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), who exploded a bomb under his car outside his home in East Sussex. He was the last of a series of British politicians to be assassinated by the IRA,"
"House of Cards (novel) House of Cards is a political thriller novel by British author Michael Dobbs. Published in 1989, it tells the story of Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, and his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. A television adaptation, written by Andrew Davies and produced by the BBC was aired in 1990. In 2013, the serial and the Dobbs novel were the basis for a US television adaptation set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by Netflix. The novel was"
"and John Fairley. A dramatisation of the life of Percy Toplis, deserter from the British Army during the First World War, it starred Paul McGann in the title role and was Bleasdale's first historical drama, and his first adaptation of someone else's work for television. The series was produced and broadcast in a period of great controversy for the BBC. During 1985 and 1986 the Peacock Committee was deciding the future of the BBC, which caused renewed pressure on it to take advertising, while at the same time the Chairman of the Conservative Party, Norman Tebbit, was monitoring the BBC"
"not in the television series: Before the series was reissued in 2013 to coincide with the release of the US version of ""House of Cards"", Dobbs rewrote portions of the novel to bring the series in line with the television mini-series and restore continuity among the three novels. In the 2013 version: The first installment of the TV series coincidentally aired two days before the Conservative Party leadership election. Author Dobbs said that John Major's leadership headquarters ""came to a halt"" to view the show. During a time of ""disillusionment with politics"", the series ""caught the nation's mood"". Ian Richardson"
"midst"", he wrote, ""and although I should deplore suppression of free speech they should be treated as traitors"". The letter was not released until January 2016. In the 2008 TV drama ""The Long Walk to Finchley"", about the early career of Margaret Thatcher, Smithers was played by Michael Cochrane. Smithers died on 9 December 1954 aged 74. Waldron Smithers Sir Waldron Smithers (5 October 1880 – 9 December 1954) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was a member of Parliament for more than 30 years and an active anti-communist. Smithers was educated at Charterhouse and in"
"Huw Edwards (EastEnders) Huw Edwards is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ""EastEnders"", played by Richard Elis. Huw was introduced on 28 May 1996 and remained on-screen until 15 April 1999. Huw is an amiable Welshman from Pontarddulais, who is best friends with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman). They live in a squat in Albert Square, enjoying loud music and winding up Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt). Lenny and Huw also operate a pirate radio station from the premises for a while. Ian tries to get them evicted several times — once calling the council to complain about noise pollution"
"produced by the BBC was aired in 1990. In 2013, the television series and the novel were the basis for a US television adaptation set in Washington, D.C., commissioned and released by Netflix. In 2018 was announced an Argentinian adaptation produced by Pol-Ka and Cablevision Flow. House of Cards (novel) House of Cards is a political thriller novel by British author Michael Dobbs. Published in 1989, it tells the story of Francis Urquhart, a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party, and his amoral and manipulative scheme to become leader of the governing party and, thus, Prime Minister of the"
"character in ""The Long Walk to Finchley"", on Thatcher's selection to succeed him as Conservative candidate for his seat - he is played, in a less than flattering yet accurate light, by Geoffrey Palmer. John Crowder Sir John Frederick Ellenborough Crowder (10 November 1891 — 9 July 1961) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Finchley from the 1935 general election until the 1959 general election, when he was succeeded by Margaret Thatcher (who went on to become the first female British Prime Minister). Crowder was educated at Eton College"
"heavy resemblance to Sellers's friend and occasional co-star Terry-Thomas and the prosthetic-limbed RAF ace Sir Douglas Bader. For his performance as President Merkin Muffley, Sellers assumed the accent of an American Midwesterner. Sellers drew inspiration for the role from Adlai Stevenson, a former Illinois governor who was the Democratic candidate for the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections and the U.N. ambassador during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In early takes, Sellers faked cold symptoms to emphasize the character's apparent weakness. That caused frequent laughter among the film crew, ruining several takes. Kubrick ultimately found this comic portrayal inappropriate, feeling that Muffley"
"by a young tearaway. The series also co-starred Ashley Walters, Iddo Goldberg, Stephen Graham and Colin McFarlane. Aside from a single rerun during the T4 strand of programming in 2006, the series has never been repeated since and has never been released on DVD. Due to the timeslot of broadcast, no viewing figures were recorded for any of the three episodes. London, 2009. Voter apathy is at an all-time high in the United Kingdom, and a new right-wing political party, The Democratic Consensus Party, led by Richard Wheeler (Charles Dance), have just been voted into office. Unbeknownst to the public,"
"(played by Dana Michie and Barry Hayes), who are referred to by Florence as ""Mr Fenning's foster children"". The nearest Wolfie comes to legitimate political office is contesting the Tooting North constituency as the TPF candidate at a televised by-election; however, he gains only six votes, losing to Conservative candidate David West. He and the gang attempt to kidnap the new MP from a victory celebration, only to mistakenly capture Harry Fenning (who was leaving the Conservative Club during the occasion) instead (Episode 6 - ""The Hostage""). Series two consists of six episodes; however, owing to industrial action at the"
"and said he based his characterisation of Urquhart on Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard III. Urquhart frequently talks through the camera to the audience, breaking the fourth wall. After Margaret Thatcher's resignation, the ruling Conservative Party is about to elect a new leader. Francis Urquhart (Ian Richardson), an MP and the Government Chief Whip in the House of Commons, introduces viewers to the contestants, from which Henry ""Hal"" Collingridge (David Lyon) emerges victorious. Urquhart is secretly contemptuous of the well-meaning but weak Collingridge, but expects a promotion to a senior position in the Cabinet. After the general election, which the party"
"eight, by a 15-year-old boy. Andrew Griffiths (politician) Andrew James Griffiths (born 19 October 1970) is a British Conservative Party politician and former banker. First elected in 2010, he is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Burton. He served as Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy until his resignation in July 2018 after the ""Sunday Mirror"" revealed that Griffiths had sent over 2,000 text messages to two female constituents, many of a violent sexual nature. Griffiths grew up in Dudley and attended Bramford Primary School"
"in the elections, his boringness, his relationship with his wife Je Lan, his racism towards Maori people and the various things he has done in order to win votes. The real Don Brash stated that he doesn't mind being parodied by the show. Winston Peters (played by Cohen Holloway), the leader of the New Zealand First party. Jokes are based on his relationships to Labour and National, his anger against foreign immigrants such as Asians, Muslims (especially Iraqis whom he claims are all terrorists) and any other ethnic minorities, the fact that only elderly people vote for him and his"
"to me."" Huw has been described by Jane Simon of ""The People"" as a ""token Welshman"". Stuart Heritage from ""The Guardian"" recalled the character in 2011, suggesting that Huw's ""only role was to say the name 'Ian Beale' in increasingly malevolent ways."" Huw Edwards (EastEnders) Huw Edwards is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ""EastEnders"", played by Richard Elis. Huw was introduced on 28 May 1996 and remained on-screen until 15 April 1999. Huw is an amiable Welshman from Pontarddulais, who is best friends with Lenny Wallace (Des Coleman). They live in a squat in Albert Square, enjoying"
"G.B.H. (TV series) GBH is a seven-part British television drama written by Alan Bleasdale shown in the summer of 1991 on Channel 4. The protagonists are Michael Murray (played by Robert Lindsay), the hard-left Labour leader of a city council in the North of England, and Jim Nelson (played by Michael Palin), the headmaster of a special school. The series was controversial partly because Murray appeared to be based on Derek Hatton, former Deputy Leader of Liverpool City Council—in an interview in the ""G.B.H."" DVD Bleasdale recounts an accidental meeting with Hatton before the series, who indicates that he has"
"Robb Wilton Robb Wilton (28 August 1881 – 1 May 1957), born Robert Wilton Smith, was an English comedian and comic actor who was famous for his filmed monologues in the 1930s and 1940s in which he played incompetent authority figures. Wilton was born in Everton, Liverpool, and had a dry Lancashire accent which suited his comic persona as a procrastinating and work-shy impediment to the general public. Wilton's comedy emerged from the tradition of English music hall, especially popular in the North of England, and he was a contemporary of Frank Randle and George Formby, Sr.. He portrayed the"
"Herr Otto Flick Herr Otto Flick is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom ""'Allo 'Allo!"", which ran from 1982 to 1992. He was played by Richard Gibson for most of the sitcom's run, and by David Janson in the ninth and final series. On ""The Return of 'Allo 'Allo!"" it was revealed that the character was based on a combination of Joseph Goebbels and Arnold Toht from ""Raiders of the Lost Ark"", and that Gibson had wished to incorporate all manner of grotesqueries from these characters into his depiction of Flick but had only been allowed a limp. Herr"
"Elisabeth Kirkby Elisabeth Wilma Kirkby (born 26 January 1921), alternatively Elizabeth Kirkby, is a retired English Australian politician, theatre and television actress, radio broadcaster, writer, public affairs commentator, producer, director and grazier. She was also the State Parliamentary Leader with the Australian Democrats, serving as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1981 to 1998 and became Australia's oldest university graduate in 2014, having been awarded a doctorate. Born in Bolton, Lancashire, to James Burton Kirkby and Frances Robinson and Kirkby's acting career began in the United Kingdom where she spent three years working for the war"
"and John Reid. On 9 June 2010 during Prime Minister's questions David Cameron referred to Ed Balls as ""the new Alf Garnett of British politics"" following his comments on immigration. Alf Garnett Alfred Edward ""Alf"" Garnett is a fictional character from the British sitcom ""Till Death Us Do Part"" and its follow-on and spin-off series ""Till Death..."" and ""In Sickness and in Health"". Alf also starred in the chat show ""The Thoughts of Chairman Alf"". The character was created by Johnny Speight and played by Warren Mitchell. Alf was born in Wapping around 1917. He was always unpopular as a"