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Sharpe (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean
about Richard Sharpe
, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars
. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell
; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books. Produced by Central Independent Television
for the ITV
network, the series was shot mainly in Turkey
and the Crimea
, although some filming was also done in England, Spain and Portugal.
The series originally ran from 1993 to 1997. In 2004, as part of ITV's
new set of drama
, ITV announced that it intended to produce new episodes of Sharpe, in co-production with BBC America
, loosely based on his time in India, with Sean Bean
continuing his role as Sharpe. Sharpe's Challenge
is a two-part adventure; part one premiered on ITV on 23 April 2006, with part two being shown the following night. More gory than earlier episodes, the show was broadcast by BBC America in September 2006.
At a book signing in Bath on 11 October 2006, Bernard Cornwell revealed that there were plans by ITV to film two more episodes. Filming was supposed to start in April, but was postponed due to the resignation of ITV's chief executive, at which point production was pushed back to September. However, Sean Bean was unavailable due to other commitments, so production was postponed once more. When asked about the stories, Cornwell said that he believed that they were producing two new stories specially for television. It was announced that filming Sharpe's Peril
, produced by Celtic Film/Picture Palace, began on 3 March 2008 in India. The first part was broadcast on ITV1 on 2 November 2008 with the second part shown a week later. Sharpe's Challenge and Sharpe's Peril were broadcast in the US in 2010 as part of PBS' Masterpiece Classic season.
) is a sergeant
in the 95th Rifles serving in Portugal in 1809. When he singlehandedly saves the life of General Sir Arthur Wellesley
(David Troughton
in the first two films, then Hugh Fraser
for the following films) from a group of French cavalry
men, Wellesley gives Sharpe a battlefield commission, appointing him a lieutenant. Sharpe is placed in charge of a detachment of the 95th Rifles: the "chosen men", which is a contemporary term for a slightly elevated rank roughly equivalent to a modern lance corporal (marked by the same single white stripe). Rather than a formal rank, it reflected more a commanding officer's acknowledgment of performance and grant of a few small privileges (such as avoiding certain routine duties) and was a step on the path to non-commissioned officer rank. Sergeant Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley
) eventually becomes his best friend and sergeant major.
Wellesley and his various spymasters, first Major Michael Hogan (Brian Cox), followed by Major Nairn (Michael Byrne
), Major Mungo Monroe (Hugh Ross
) and Major General Ross (James Laurenson
), find Sharpe to be an extremely capable and cunning officer and give him progressively more important tasks. Despite their backing, he has to fight against the strong prejudice of aristocrats (who often owe their army positions to money
and social connections rather than military skill) against a ragamuffin commoner raised from the ranks. He makes a number of dangerous enemies, such as French Major Pierre Ducos (Féodor Atkine) and Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson (Michael Cochrane
), and encounters one from his prior service in India, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill (Pete Postlethwaite
). However, Sharpe's successes gain him steady promotion. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars, at the Battle of Waterloo
, he is Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe.
Along the way, Sharpe has a number of romances. During the course of the series, he marries the Spanish guerrilla leader Teresa Moreno (Assumpta Serna
), with whom he has a daughter. Teresa is killed by Hakeswill. Sharpe then marries Jane Gibbons (Abigail Cruttenden
, Bean's real-life wife for less than three years), who deserts him, steals his hard-earned money, and takes a lover. He finally settles down with Lucille Castineau (Cécile Paoli
), a Frenchwoman who passes away some time after Napoleon's final defeat, leaving Sharpe free once more. (However, according to the Starbuck Chronicles, another series of Cornwell books, she outlives Sharpe.)
was cast in the title role; however, two days into filming of the first episode, McGann injured his knee playing football
and was forced to withdraw. By the time production was ready to start again, Sean Bean
became available and took on the role.
Author Bernard Cornwell was so impressed by Sean Bean's performances that he dedicated one of the novels, Sharpe's Battle, "to Sean Bean".
Several actors have played different characters in the series. Peter-Hugo Daly
portrayed first Sergeant Rodd in Sharpe's Gold
and then Bickerstaff, another unruly sergeant who dislikes Sharpe. Julian Fellowes
played Major Warren Dunnett in Sharpe's Rifles
and also the Prince Regent in Sharpe's Regiment
. Tony Haygarth
was "Marshal" Pot-au-Feu in Sharpe's Enemy
and Sir Willoughby Parfitt in Sharpe's Justice
.
in London and has dark hair. Sean Bean is blond
and, being from Sheffield
, he speaks with a pronounced Sheffield accent. Sharpe is revealed to have been born in Keighley
to local woman, Lizzie Sharpe in Sharpe's Justice
; this contradicts the books which often state his mother was a London "Cat Street whore" who died in the Gordon Riots
. In novels written after the television series started airing, the issue of Sharpe's northern accent and roots is addressed
by having him flee from London to Yorkshire when he is a teenager to avoid retribution for a murder of an employer over a woman.
While in the novels Sharpe commands a group of thirty riflemen, the series focuses on a much smaller group of "Chosen Men" (Lance-Corporals), some of whom were invented for the series. The series' creations Harris and Perkins are introduced
in later novels, notably Sharpe's Battle
which takes place between earlier novels. These novels also feature Cooper, despite the fact that the character had been killed off in the novel Sharpe's Rifles
. Harris (the educated rifleman) and Perkins (the youngest rifleman) share characteristics with Cornwell's originals Tongue and Pendleton, and appear
together with them in later novels.
In the first TV episode, Sharpe is a sergeant
in the 95th Rifles in Portugal when he saves Wellesley's life. In the books, this occurs in India during the Battle of Assaye
, while he is serving in the 33rd Foot. The television series also differs in the fact that Sharpe was already a commissioned officer by the time he was posted to Portugal in the novels.
Due to actor Brian Cox's illness, his character, Major Michael Hogan, was replaced with borrowed character namesakes from numerous novels to create three more exploring officers: Major Nairn, Major Monroe, and Major General Ross; this also removed the future death of Major Hogan by disease in later novels. Instead this was used in Sharpe's Siege
, whereby Major General Ross catches malarial fever but recovers.
In one of the most recent episodes, Sharpe's Challenge
, Sharpe states that his latest lover, Lucille, has died, something never mentioned in the books. It should also be noted that the characters of Sergeant Bickerstaff and General William Dodd are killed off in this programme. Sharpe's Challenge is a composite of the three prequels that are set in India, creating a number of inconsistencies, since the TV version is set after the events at Waterloo. Bickerstaff's counterpart in the books is Hakeswill, who is killed off in Sharpe's Enemy
.
Harry Price is shot and apparently killed in Sharpe's Company
, when in the book the character killed is Captain Knowles; however Price, played by a different actor, is alive and well in Sharpe's Waterloo
.
----
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
about Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books. Produced by Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television
Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central is the Independent Television contractor for the Midlands, created following the restructuring of ATV and commencing broadcast on 1 January 1982. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting...
for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network, the series was shot mainly in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, although some filming was also done in England, Spain and Portugal.
The series originally ran from 1993 to 1997. In 2004, as part of ITV's
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
new set of drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, ITV announced that it intended to produce new episodes of Sharpe, in co-production with BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
, loosely based on his time in India, with Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
continuing his role as Sharpe. Sharpe's Challenge
Sharpe's Challenge
Sharpe's Challenge is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe . Here, the former British soldier undertakes his last mission for his former commander, the Duke of Wellington.-Plot:In 1803 India, Sergeant Sharpe leads a patrol to an East India Company...
is a two-part adventure; part one premiered on ITV on 23 April 2006, with part two being shown the following night. More gory than earlier episodes, the show was broadcast by BBC America in September 2006.
At a book signing in Bath on 11 October 2006, Bernard Cornwell revealed that there were plans by ITV to film two more episodes. Filming was supposed to start in April, but was postponed due to the resignation of ITV's chief executive, at which point production was pushed back to September. However, Sean Bean was unavailable due to other commitments, so production was postponed once more. When asked about the stories, Cornwell said that he believed that they were producing two new stories specially for television. It was announced that filming Sharpe's Peril
Sharpe's Peril
Sharpe's Peril is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, based on the novels of Bernard Cornwell.- Production history :...
, produced by Celtic Film/Picture Palace, began on 3 March 2008 in India. The first part was broadcast on ITV1 on 2 November 2008 with the second part shown a week later. Sharpe's Challenge and Sharpe's Peril were broadcast in the US in 2010 as part of PBS' Masterpiece Classic season.
Plot summary
At the beginning of the series, Richard Sharpe (Sean BeanSean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
) is a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 95th Rifles serving in Portugal in 1809. When he singlehandedly saves the life of General Sir Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(David Troughton
David Troughton
David Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father...
in the first two films, then Hugh Fraser
Hugh Fraser (actor)
Hugh Fraser is an English actor and theatre director.-Early life:Born in London but raised in the East Midlands, Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
for the following films) from a group of French cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
men, Wellesley gives Sharpe a battlefield commission, appointing him a lieutenant. Sharpe is placed in charge of a detachment of the 95th Rifles: the "chosen men", which is a contemporary term for a slightly elevated rank roughly equivalent to a modern lance corporal (marked by the same single white stripe). Rather than a formal rank, it reflected more a commanding officer's acknowledgment of performance and grant of a few small privileges (such as avoiding certain routine duties) and was a step on the path to non-commissioned officer rank. Sergeant Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley
Daragh O'Malley
Daragh O'Malley is an Irish film, theatre and television actor, best known for his portrayal of the much loved and ever faithful but rather fearsome Patrick Harper in the legendary Sharpe TV series along side Sean Bean...
) eventually becomes his best friend and sergeant major.
Wellesley and his various spymasters, first Major Michael Hogan (Brian Cox), followed by Major Nairn (Michael Byrne
Michael Byrne (actor)
Michael Byrne is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television. He has often been cast in Nazi military roles such as Colonel Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Obergruppenführer Odilo Globocnik in the BBC radio dramatisation of the novel Fatherland by Robert Harris...
), Major Mungo Monroe (Hugh Ross
Hugh Ross
Hugh Ross may refer to:* Hugh Ross , American choral director and conductor* Hugh McGregor Ross , computing pioneer and specialist in the Gospel of Thomas...
) and Major General Ross (James Laurenson
James Laurenson
James Laurenson is a New Zealand actor, who has performed many classical roles on stage and television.Laurenson was born in Marton, New Zealand...
), find Sharpe to be an extremely capable and cunning officer and give him progressively more important tasks. Despite their backing, he has to fight against the strong prejudice of aristocrats (who often owe their army positions to money
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
and social connections rather than military skill) against a ragamuffin commoner raised from the ranks. He makes a number of dangerous enemies, such as French Major Pierre Ducos (Féodor Atkine) and Colonel Sir Henry Simmerson (Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane
Michael Cochrane is an English actor who specialises in playing upper class characters, sometimes with a suaveness that hides their villainy....
), and encounters one from his prior service in India, Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill (Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
). However, Sharpe's successes gain him steady promotion. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars, at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, he is Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe.
Along the way, Sharpe has a number of romances. During the course of the series, he marries the Spanish guerrilla leader Teresa Moreno (Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna is a Spanish actress. She is known for her roles in I, The Worst of All portraying famous Mexican religious scholar Sor Juana, Nostradamus, The Craft, and Wild Orchid, although she may be most remembered for her role as Peninsular War guerrilla commander Teresa Moreno in the first...
), with whom he has a daughter. Teresa is killed by Hakeswill. Sharpe then marries Jane Gibbons (Abigail Cruttenden
Abigail Cruttenden
Abigail Cruttenden is an English actress.Cruttenden played opposite Sean Bean as his character's onscreen wife Jane in several episodes of Sharpe. The couple wed in real life in 1997 and had a daughter, Evie. Three months later they started divorce proceedings, and divorced in 2000. In 2003,...
, Bean's real-life wife for less than three years), who deserts him, steals his hard-earned money, and takes a lover. He finally settles down with Lucille Castineau (Cécile Paoli
Cécile Paoli
Cécile Paoli is a French actress who is also well known on British television from the series Sharpe, Bergerac and Holby City.She played Isabelle de Chamonpierre in the 1989 television serial The Ginger Tree, based on the novel by Oswald Wynd. In Sharpe, she portrayed Lucille Castineau.-External...
), a Frenchwoman who passes away some time after Napoleon's final defeat, leaving Sharpe free once more. (However, according to the Starbuck Chronicles, another series of Cornwell books, she outlives Sharpe.)
Casting
Initially, Paul McGannPaul McGann
Paul McGann is an English actor who made his name on the BBC serial The Monocled Mutineer, in which he played the lead role...
was cast in the title role; however, two days into filming of the first episode, McGann injured his knee playing football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and was forced to withdraw. By the time production was ready to start again, Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
became available and took on the role.
Author Bernard Cornwell was so impressed by Sean Bean's performances that he dedicated one of the novels, Sharpe's Battle, "to Sean Bean".
Several actors have played different characters in the series. Peter-Hugo Daly
Peter-Hugo Daly
Peter-Hugo Daly is an actor and musician. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Daly was a member of new wave band the Cross along with fellow actor Phil Daniels. The band released a single, "Kill Another Night" on RCA Records in 1979...
portrayed first Sergeant Rodd in Sharpe's Gold
Sharpe's Gold (TV programme)
Sharpe's Gold is a 1995 British television drama, part of a series screened on the ITV network that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The drama has almost nothing in common with the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell. Scriptwriter Nigel...
and then Bickerstaff, another unruly sergeant who dislikes Sharpe. Julian Fellowes
Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:...
played Major Warren Dunnett in Sharpe's Rifles
Sharpe's Rifles (TV programme)
Sharpe's Rifles is the first of the Sharpe television dramas, based on the Bernard Cornwell novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna...
and also the Prince Regent in Sharpe's Regiment
Sharpe's Regiment (TV programme)
Sharpe's Regiment is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. This episode is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:...
. Tony Haygarth
Tony Haygarth
Tony Haygarth is an English television, film and theatre actor.-Career:At the age of eighteen, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully as a lifeguard in Torquay, and also tried escapology, equally unsuccessfully...
was "Marshal" Pot-au-Feu in Sharpe's Enemy
Sharpe's Enemy (TV programme)
Sharpe's Enemy is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars...
and Sir Willoughby Parfitt in Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most of the other installments of the series, this episode was not based on a novel by Bernard Cornwell...
.
Discrepancies
There are some differences between the series and the novels. For instance, in the books, Sharpe was born in WappingWapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
in London and has dark hair. Sean Bean is blond
Blond
Blond or blonde or fair-hair is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color...
and, being from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, he speaks with a pronounced Sheffield accent. Sharpe is revealed to have been born in Keighley
Keighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
to local woman, Lizzie Sharpe in Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice
Sharpe's Justice is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most of the other installments of the series, this episode was not based on a novel by Bernard Cornwell...
; this contradicts the books which often state his mother was a London "Cat Street whore" who died in the Gordon Riots
Gordon Riots
The Gordon Riots of 1780 were an anti-Catholic protest against the Papists Act 1778.The Popery Act 1698 had imposed a number of penalties and disabilities on Roman Catholics in England; the 1778 act eliminated some of these. An initial peaceful protest led on to widespread rioting and looting and...
. In novels written after the television series started airing, the issue of Sharpe's northern accent and roots is addressed
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
by having him flee from London to Yorkshire when he is a teenager to avoid retribution for a murder of an employer over a woman.
While in the novels Sharpe commands a group of thirty riflemen, the series focuses on a much smaller group of "Chosen Men" (Lance-Corporals), some of whom were invented for the series. The series' creations Harris and Perkins are introduced
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
in later novels, notably Sharpe's Battle
Sharpe's Battle (novel)
Sharpe's Battle is a novel of historical fiction, a component of the Sharpe series written by Bernard Cornwell. The book is set during the Peninsular War in Spain in the spring of 1811.-Plot summary:...
which takes place between earlier novels. These novels also feature Cooper, despite the fact that the character had been killed off in the novel Sharpe's Rifles
Sharpe's Rifles (novel)
Sharpe's Rifles was the first prequel novel in the series written by Bernard Cornwell. It tells the story of Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809...
. Harris (the educated rifleman) and Perkins (the youngest rifleman) share characteristics with Cornwell's originals Tongue and Pendleton, and appear
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
together with them in later novels.
In the first TV episode, Sharpe is a sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 95th Rifles in Portugal when he saves Wellesley's life. In the books, this occurs in India during the Battle of Assaye
Battle of Assaye
The Battle of Assaye was a major battle of the Second Anglo-Maratha War fought between the Maratha Confederacy and the British East India Company...
, while he is serving in the 33rd Foot. The television series also differs in the fact that Sharpe was already a commissioned officer by the time he was posted to Portugal in the novels.
Due to actor Brian Cox's illness, his character, Major Michael Hogan, was replaced with borrowed character namesakes from numerous novels to create three more exploring officers: Major Nairn, Major Monroe, and Major General Ross; this also removed the future death of Major Hogan by disease in later novels. Instead this was used in Sharpe's Siege
Sharpe's Siege (TV programme)
Sharpe's Siege is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot summary:...
, whereby Major General Ross catches malarial fever but recovers.
In one of the most recent episodes, Sharpe's Challenge
Sharpe's Challenge
Sharpe's Challenge is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe . Here, the former British soldier undertakes his last mission for his former commander, the Duke of Wellington.-Plot:In 1803 India, Sergeant Sharpe leads a patrol to an East India Company...
, Sharpe states that his latest lover, Lucille, has died, something never mentioned in the books. It should also be noted that the characters of Sergeant Bickerstaff and General William Dodd are killed off in this programme. Sharpe's Challenge is a composite of the three prequels that are set in India, creating a number of inconsistencies, since the TV version is set after the events at Waterloo. Bickerstaff's counterpart in the books is Hakeswill, who is killed off in Sharpe's Enemy
Sharpe's Enemy (TV programme)
Sharpe's Enemy is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars...
.
Harry Price is shot and apparently killed in Sharpe's Company
Sharpe's Company (TV programme)
Sharpe's Company is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. This episode is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:...
, when in the book the character killed is Captain Knowles; however Price, played by a different actor, is alive and well in Sharpe's Waterloo
Sharpe's Waterloo (TV programme)
Sharpe's Waterloo is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:...
.
List of episodes
The episodes are listed by first airing date.| Date Aired | Episode Name | Setting | Date Set |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Sharpe's Rifles Sharpe's Rifles (TV programme) Sharpe's Rifles is the first of the Sharpe television dramas, based on the Bernard Cornwell novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna... |
Retreat to Coruña | 1809 |
| 1993 | Sharpe's Eagle Sharpe's Eagle (TV programme) Sharpe's Eagle is the second in the series of Sharpe television dramas, based on the novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna.-Plot summary:... |
Battle of Talavera | 1809 |
| 1994 | Sharpe's Company Sharpe's Company (TV programme) Sharpe's Company is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. This episode is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:... |
Siege of Badajoz | 1812 |
| 1994 | Sharpe's Enemy Sharpe's Enemy (TV programme) Sharpe's Enemy is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars... |
Defence of Portugal | 1812 |
| 1994 | Sharpe's Honour Sharpe's Honour (TV programme) Sharpe's Honour is a 1994 British television drama, part of a series screened on the ITV network that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars... |
Battle of Vitoria Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria an allied British, Portuguese, and Spanish army under General the Marquess of Wellington broke the French army under Joseph Bonaparte and Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan near Vitoria in Spain, leading to eventual victory in the Peninsular War.-Background:In July 1812, after... |
1813 |
| 1995 | Sharpe's Gold Sharpe's Gold (TV programme) Sharpe's Gold is a 1995 British television drama, part of a series screened on the ITV network that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The drama has almost nothing in common with the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell. Scriptwriter Nigel... |
||
| 1995 | Sharpe's Battle Sharpe's Battle (TV programme) Sharpe's Battle is a 1995 British television drama, part of a series screened on the ITV network that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars... |
Franco-Spanish Border | 1813 |
| 1995 | Sharpe's Sword Sharpe's Sword (TV programme) Sharpe's Sword is a 1995 British television drama, part of a series screened on the ITV network that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars... |
Franco-Spanish Border | 1813 |
| 1996 | Sharpe's Regiment Sharpe's Regiment (TV programme) Sharpe's Regiment is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. This episode is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:... |
England | 1813 |
| 1996 | Sharpe's Siege Sharpe's Siege (TV programme) Sharpe's Siege is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot summary:... |
Bordeaux | 1813 |
| 1996 | Sharpe's Mission Sharpe's Mission Sharpe's Mission is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most of the other installments of the series, this episode was not based on a novel by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot summary:It is 1813. France... |
France | 1810 & 1813 |
| 1997 | Sharpe's Revenge Sharpe's Revenge (TV programme) Sharpe's Revenge is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot summary:... |
1814 | |
| 1997 | Sharpe's Justice Sharpe's Justice Sharpe's Justice is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. Unlike most of the other installments of the series, this episode was not based on a novel by Bernard Cornwell... |
Peace of 1814 | 1814 |
| 1997 | Sharpe's Waterloo Sharpe's Waterloo (TV programme) Sharpe's Waterloo is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars. The adaptation is based on the novel of the same name by Bernard Cornwell.-Plot:... |
Battle of Waterloo Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands... |
1815 |
| 2006 | Sharpe's Challenge Sharpe's Challenge Sharpe's Challenge is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe . Here, the former British soldier undertakes his last mission for his former commander, the Duke of Wellington.-Plot:In 1803 India, Sergeant Sharpe leads a patrol to an East India Company... |
India | 1803 & 1817 |
| 2008 | Sharpe's Peril Sharpe's Peril Sharpe's Peril is a British television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, based on the novels of Bernard Cornwell.- Production history :... |
India | 1817 |
Chosen men
| Actor | Character | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Bean Sean Bean Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe... |
Colonel Richard Sharpe Richard Sharpe (fictional character) Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean.... |
1993–1997, 2006, 2008 |
| Daragh O'Malley Daragh O'Malley Daragh O'Malley is an Irish film, theatre and television actor, best known for his portrayal of the much loved and ever faithful but rather fearsome Patrick Harper in the legendary Sharpe TV series along side Sean Bean... |
Regimental Sergeant Major Patrick Harper | 1993–1997, 2006, 2008 |
| Michael Mears | Rifleman Francis Cooper | 1993–1995 |
| John Tams John Tams John Tams is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician.- Folk musician :John Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s, then worked with Ashley Hutchings as singer and melodeon-player on albums including Son of Morris On, and as a member of the... |
Sergeant Daniel Hagman | 1993–1997 |
| Jason Salkey Jason Salkey Jason Salkey is an English actor. He played Rifleman Harris in Sharpe, and Paul Lang in The Bill. He has also been in Bergerac, Boon, Wycliffe, About a Boy, and In America.... |
Sergeant Harris | 1993–1997 |
| Paul Trussell Paul Trussell Paul Trussell is an English actor.Born in Wimbledon, he has appeared in many plays, television series and films. He has worked closely with the director, Mike Leigh, on the stage play It's a Great Big Shame, and the films Life is Sweet and the Oscar-nominated Secrets & Lies, .He is known to TV... |
Rifleman Isaiah Tongue | 1993 |
| Lyndon Davies | Rifleman Ben Perkins | 1993–1995 |
Supporting characters
| Actor | Character | Years |
|---|---|---|
| David Troughton David Troughton David Troughton is an English actor, best known for his Shakespearean roles on the British stage.- Biography :David Troughton was born in Hampstead, North London. He comes from a theatrical family: he is the son of Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton, elder brother of Michael Troughton, and father... |
Sir Arthur Wellesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century... |
1993 |
| Hugh Fraser Hugh Fraser (actor) Hugh Fraser is an English actor and theatre director.-Early life:Born in London but raised in the East Midlands, Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art... |
Sir Arthur Wellesley, Lord Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century... |
1994–1997, 2006 |
| Malcolm Jamieson | Colonel de L'Eclin | 1993 |
| Brian Cox | Major Michael Hogan | 1993 |
| Kerry Shale Kerry Shale Kerry Shale is a UK-based actor, writer and voice-over artist. He is married to Suzanne Shale, a former Oxford University law don, now a specialist in the field of medical ethics.-Theatre:... |
James Rothschild | 1993 |
| Simón Andreu Simón Andreu Simón Andreu is a Spanish actor. He has appeared in over 135 films since 1961.-Selected filmography:* The Good Love * Bad Man's River * The Blood Spattered Bride * El sacerdote... |
Major Blas Vivar | 1993 |
| Tim Bentinck | Captain Murray | 1993 |
| Daniel Craig Daniel Craig Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert... |
Lieutenant Berry | 1993 |
| David Ashton David Ashton (actor) David Ashton is a Scottish character actor who played Dr McDuff in the Granada Television Series Brass and Major Roddy Maclean in the Scottish television series Hamish Macbeth in the 1990s.... |
Major Lennox | 1993 |
| Neil Dudgeon Neil Dudgeon Neil Dudgeon is a British actor best known for his many television appearances, most often in crime drama.-Early Life:Dudgeon was born 1 January 1961 in Doncaster, Yorkshire, and attended Danum Grammar School among others. He established himself as an actor in school plays and went on to study... |
Lieutenant Gibbons | 1993 |
| James Purefoy James Purefoy James Brian Mark Purefoy is an English actor best known for portraying Mark Antony in the HBO series Rome.-Early life and work:... |
Captain Jack Spears | 1995 |
| Gavan O'Herlihy Gavan O'Herlihy Gavan O'Herlihy is an Irish actor.O'Herlihy was born in Dublin, the son of Elsa Bennett and Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy. In his youth, he was an avid tennis player, and even became Irish National Tennis Champion... |
Captain Thomas Leroy | 1993 |
| Martin Jacobs | Colonel William Lawford | 1993 |
| Benedict Taylor Benedict Taylor Benedict Sean Taylor is a British actor. His adoptive sister is Femi Taylor... |
William Lawford | 1996 |
| Assumpta Serna Assumpta Serna Assumpta Serna is a Spanish actress. She is known for her roles in I, The Worst of All portraying famous Mexican religious scholar Sor Juana, Nostradamus, The Craft, and Wild Orchid, although she may be most remembered for her role as Peninsular War guerrilla commander Teresa Moreno in the first... |
Comandante Teresa Moreno | 1993–1994 |
| Mark Strong Mark Strong Mark Strong is an English actor, with a body of work in both films and television. He has performed in films as varied as Body of Lies, Syriana, The Young Victoria, Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla, Stardust, and Kick-Ass... |
Colonel Brand | 1996 |
| Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane is an English actor who specialises in playing upper class characters, sometimes with a suaveness that hides their villainy.... |
Colonel/General Sir Henry Simmerson | 1993, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2008 |
| Christopher Villiers Christopher Villiers Christopher Francis Villiers is an English actor.He is known for his part in the top rated ITV1 soap opera, Emmerdale in which he plays the role of the solicitor Grayson Sinclair. He also played the part of Captain Nigel Croker in Mile High from 2004 to 2005... |
Colonel Horace Bampfylde | 1996 |
| Philip Whitchurch Philip Whitchurch Philip Whitchurch is a British stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for playing Chief Inspector Philip Cato in The Bill from 1993 to 1995... |
Captain William Frederickson | 1994, 1996, 1997 |
| Michael Byrne Michael Byrne (actor) Michael Byrne is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television. He has often been cast in Nazi military roles such as Colonel Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Obergruppenführer Odilo Globocnik in the BBC radio dramatisation of the novel Fatherland by Robert Harris... |
Major Nairn | 1994 |
| Pete Postlethwaite Pete Postlethwaite Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr... |
Sergent Obadiah Hakeswill | 1994 |
| Féodor Atkine Féodor Atkine Féodor Atkine is a French actor.Born in Paris of Russian-Polish descent, he has had a career in European cinema and television since the early 1970s, and made occasional appearances in English-language films, notably as the Russian gangster "Mikhi" in Ronin, as Woody Allen's brother in Love and... |
Major Pierre Ducos | 1994, 1996, 1997 |
| Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Hurley Elizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los... |
Lady Isabella Farthingdale | 1994 |
| Diana Perez | Ramona (Gonzalez) Harper | 1994–1996, 2006 |
| Alice Krige Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige is a South African actress. Her first feature film role was as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon in the 1981 Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire... |
La Marquesa de Casares el Grande y Melida Sadaba | 1994 |
| Emily Mortimer Emily Mortimer Emily Kathleen A. Mortimer is an English actress. She began performing on stage, and has since appeared in several film and television roles, including Scream 3, Match Point, Lars and the Real Girl, and Shutter Island.... |
Lass | 1995 |
| Hugh Ross Hugh Ross Hugh Ross may refer to:* Hugh Ross , American choral director and conductor* Hugh McGregor Ross , computing pioneer and specialist in the Gospel of Thomas... |
Major Mungo Munro | 1995 |
| Julian Fellowes Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, DL , known as Julian Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, as well as a Conservative peer.-Early life:... |
Major Dunnet; HRH the Prince Regent George IV of the United Kingdom George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later... |
1993, 1996 |
| Olivier Pierre | General Jean-Baptiste Calvet | 1996 |
| John Benfield John Benfield John Benfield is a British actor, who has appeared in 75 TV episodes or films starting in 1981. He lives in Oxford with his wife, Lillian, and son, Fred.-Selected filmography:*Sharpe*The Worst Week of My Life*Cassandra's Dream... |
General Jean-Baptiste Calvet | 1997 |
| James Laurenson James Laurenson James Laurenson is a New Zealand actor, who has performed many classical roles on stage and television.Laurenson was born in Marton, New Zealand... |
Major General Hector Ross | 1996–1997 |
| Caroline Langrishe Caroline Langrishe Caroline Langrishe is an English actress.In 1976, Langrishe appeared in the BBC production of The Glittering Prizes. In 1977 she played the role of Kitty in a BBC adaptation of Anna Karenina. Her first big part was in the 1978 British adaption of Les Misérables... |
Lady Anne Camoynes | 1996, 1997 |
| Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Cruttenden Abigail Cruttenden is an English actress.Cruttenden played opposite Sean Bean as his character's onscreen wife Jane in several episodes of Sharpe. The couple wed in real life in 1997 and had a daughter, Evie. Three months later they started divorce proceedings, and divorced in 2000. In 2003,... |
Jane Gibbons | 1996–1997 |
| Alexander Armstrong Alexander Armstrong (comedian) Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong is a British comedian, actor and television presenter.-Early life and career:Armstrong was born in Rothbury, Northumberland, the youngest of three children, to Henry Angus Armstrong and his wife Emma Virginia Peronnet Thompson-McCausland, daughter of Lucius... |
Lord John Rossendale | 1996 |
| Alexis Denisof Alexis Denisof Alexis Denisof is an American actor who is known for playing Wesley Wyndam-Pryce in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.-Early life:... |
Lord John Rossendale | 1997 |
| Cécile Paoli Cécile Paoli Cécile Paoli is a French actress who is also well known on British television from the series Sharpe, Bergerac and Holby City.She played Isabelle de Chamonpierre in the 1989 television serial The Ginger Tree, based on the novel by Oswald Wynd. In Sharpe, she portrayed Lucille Castineau.-External... |
Lucille Castineau, Madame la Vicomtessa de Seleglise | 1997 |
| Paul Bettany Paul Bettany Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code... |
Prince William of Orange William II of the Netherlands William II was King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Duke of Limburg from 7 October 1840 until his death in 1849.- Early life and education :... |
1997 |
| Toby Stephens Toby Stephens Toby Stephens is an English stage, television and film actor who has appeared in films in both Hollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for playing megavillain Gustav Graves in the James Bond film Die Another Day , Edward Fairfax Rochester in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Eyre and Philip... |
William Dodd | 2006 |
Production team
- Directed by: Tom Clegg
- Produced by: Malcolm Craddock, Muir Sutherland
- Writing credits:
- Novels: Bernard Cornwell
- Screenplays:
-
- Eoghan HarrisEoghan HarrisEoghan Harris is an Irish journalist, fiction writer, director, columnist and politician. He currently writes for the Sunday Independent. He was a member of Seanad Éireann from 2007–11, having been nominated by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern....
(8) - Charles WoodCharles Wood (playwright)Charles Wood is a playwright and scriptwriter for radio, television, and film. He lives in England....
(3) - Russell Lewis (3)
- Nigel KnealeNigel KnealeNigel Kneale was a British screenwriter from the Isle of Man. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay...
(1) - Colin MacDonald (1)
- Patrick Harbinson (1)
- Eoghan Harris
See also
- 95th Rifles
- South Essex RegimentSouth Essex RegimentThe South Essex Regiment, later the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers, is a fictional infantry line regiment in the British Army that was created by Bernard Cornwell in the Sharpe series of books.-Fictional history:...
- "Over the Hills and Far AwayOver the Hills and Far Away (traditional)"Over the Hills and Far Away" is a traditional English song, dating back to at least the late 17th century. One version was published in Thomas D'Urfey's Wit and Mirth, or Pills to Purge Melancholy; a very different one appeared in George Farquhar's 1706 play The Recruiting Officer...
", the theme song of the series - Over the Hills & Far Away: The Music of SharpeOver the Hills & Far Away: The Music of SharpeOver the Hills & Far Away: The Music of Sharpe was released in 1996 as a companion to the Sharpe television series. The recording features performances by various artists, including British folk musicians John Tams and Kate Rusby, composer Dominic Muldowney, and The Band and Bugles of the...
, companion album
External links
- The official SharpeFilm.com website
- Celtic Films Entertainment, co-producer of the TV dramas
- Sharpe Appreciation Society
- The Video Diaries of Rifleman Harris
- Trailers, Audio Clips, and Plot Summaries
- The Russian Sharpe Site
- http://rrflondon.2day.ws/Napoleonic Eagles captured during the Peninsular Campaigns, Baker rifles, a 6-barrel volley gun as carried by Sgt Harper, and the type of heavy Cavalry sabre carried by Richard Sharpe are all visible at the Royal Regiment of FusiliersRoyal Regiment of FusiliersThe Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division.The regiment was formed on April 23, 1968, as part of the reforms of the army that saw the creation of the first 'large infantry regiments', by the amalgamation of the four English fusilier...
Museum in HM Tower of LondonTower of LondonHer Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
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