The Final Cut (TV serial)
Encyclopedia
The Final Cut is a 1995 BBC
television serial, the third part of the House of Cards
trilogy. Directed by Mike Vardy, the serial, based on Michael Dobbs
's 1995 novel of the same name, was adapted for television by Andrew Davies
. It details the conclusion of Francis Urquhart
's reign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Francis Urquhart
shooting his gun dog, now too old to perform its duties - a scene which establishes the theme of the ending of a career. This scene is followed by the state funeral of his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher
. Urquhart publicly praises Thatcher as his mentor, but privately begrudges her record as the longest-serving Prime Minister
in recent history, a record that Urquhart himself is soon to surpass.
To "leave my mark on Europe," Urquhart champions a treaty resolving the Cyprus dispute
between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. While boundaries are fixed by five international judges, Urquhart – prompted by his wife Elizabeth – is secretly working to bring offshore oil deposits under the control of the Turkish authorities on the island so that a Turkish-British consortium will have the right to exploit them; an executive of the consortium has promised to provide for Urquhart's retirement fund in return.
Urquhart also has a personal connection to Cyprus. As a nineteen-year-old British Army lieutenant serving there in 1956, he killed two young men of the EOKA
terrorist group while trying to get information from them. Urquhart has frequent nightmares and flashbacks of this event, and also of the murders of Mattie Storin and others, shown in the previous serials.
Returning to London on the motorway from a meeting with the oil company executive, Urquhart's car is rammed by another car containing three drunken louts. The attackers are quickly killed by his security staff. Urquhart sustains minor head injuries in the collision, but his life is not endangered. Lying in his hospital room, Urquhart experiences again his recurring nightmare about the killings in Cyprus. When Elizabeth arrives at the hospital, he is delirious and confuses the incident on the motorway with the incident in Cyprus.
Tom Makepeace, the Foreign Secretary
and Deputy Prime Minister
, chairs a cabinet meeting while Urquhart is in hospital, and it is announced that the motorway incident was simply the result of "road rage." Urquhart considers Makepeace – the actual negotiator of the Cyprus treaty – as a potential challenger, although he doesn't take the threat very seriously, considering him "not a fighter" but "a sentimental dreamer".
Meanwhile, the brother of the two Greek Cypriots killed by Urquhart decades ago is now living in London. Unknown to Urquhart, he witnessed their deaths and recognises Urquhart as the soldier who killed them. He asks his daughter Maria to investigate, using the pretext that he wishes to find the location where they are buried in order to arrange a proper memorial, but it is revenge rather than mourning that is on his mind. He asks himself, in the event he is able to confirm that Urquhart is their killer, "How will I punish him?" Maria's search of government records finds a report written by the soldier who killed her uncles, but the name of the soldier is deleted. She approaches Urquhart, who appears to be welcoming and eager to help. Unknown to her, he arranges that documents revealing his involvement be excluded from a coincidental declassification of records relating to the British involvement in Cyprus. But he also confides the truth to his wife Elizabeth.
As in the previous serials, Urquhart chooses a female protégé (although this time without the mediation of his wife). He appoints the ambitious backbencher
Claire Carlsen as his Parliamentary Private Secretary
. Claire also happens to be Makepeace's lover. When Urquhart asks her advice about Makepeace, however, she tells Urquhart to "get rid of him."
Encouraged by Claire, Urquhart enrages Makepeace by making a speech in the House of Commons suggesting that Britain should not adopt the European currency, but that Europe should instead adopt English as its official language. When Makepeace remonstrates with Urquhart, Urquhart tells him his tenure as Foreign Secretary is over and offers him the Department of Education in a Cabinet reshuffle. The furious Makepeace resigns from the government, crosses the floor, and emerges as the prime minister's main adversary in parliament. He also challenges Urquhart for the leadership of the Conservative Party and forces him into a second ballot. Although Claire ends her sexual relationship with Makepeace, she continues to talk to him privately and encourages him to fight Urquhart. She also advises Maria to take her case to Makepeace, who repeatedly raises the cover-up in parliament. At Makepeace's suggestion, Claire purloins the original report on the Cyprus killings with Urquhart's name revealed from the secret government archive where it is stored, but Urquhart's bodyguard, Corder – informed by the archive clerk – seizes the document from her.
Makepeace's leadership challenge has attracted enough support to convince Urquhart that his position is in jeopardy. He decides to leak information regarding the oil deposits in the territory awarded to the Turks in order to stir up a conflict on Cyprus that he can use as "our Falklands" to unite Britain under his leadership. In reaction, Greek nationalists kidnap a British diplomat, and later also the Greek Cypriot President. Urquhart orders a British military intervention. Though initially successful, the intervention later results in the death of civilians, including young schoolgirls, largely because of the prime minister's drastic orders. Urquhart's support plummets, and when he proves unwilling to accept responsibility for the deaths, or even to express sympathy for the victims, many MPs openly call on him to resign.
While Urquhart appears defiant, his wife is worried, and she consults Corder for advice on how to save him. Corder advises "drastic measures", and informs her that he has sent a copy of Mattie Storin's tape, revealing Urquhart's role in her death, to Makepeace.
Makepeace confronts the prime minister and announces that he will publish the tape, but not before Urquhart has achieved his aim of surpassing Margaret Thatcher's record. After this, Urquhart again meets Maria. The incriminating Cyprus report has been sent to Maria's father anonymously - presumably by Corder - and Maria vows to publish it. After this, Urquhart despairs, but Elizabeth consoles him: "We can be safe still!" and hints at a ploy by Corder.
At the unveiling of the Margaret Thatcher memorial, on the day when Urquhart surpasses her record, a sniper in Corder's services appears on a rooftop and shoots the prime minister (and Maria's father, who had approached Urquhart with a pistol). Elizabeth had arranged for his assassination as the only way to preserve his reputation (and the retirement fund). Urquhart dies in her arms, while Corder offers his services to Makepeace, the apparent successor.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television serial, the third part of the House of Cards
House of Cards
House of Cards is a 1990 political thriller television drama serial by the BBC in four parts, set after the end of Margaret Thatcher's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. It was televised from 18 November to 9 December 1990, to critical and popular acclaim...
trilogy. Directed by Mike Vardy, the serial, based on Michael Dobbs
Michael Dobbs
Michael Dobbs, Baron Dobbs is a British Conservative politician and best-selling author.-Background: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 and Christ Church, Oxford University....
's 1995 novel of the same name, was adapted for television by Andrew Davies
Andrew Davies (writer)
Andrew Wynford Davies is a British author and screenwriter. He was made a Fellow of BAFTA in 2002.-Education and early career:...
. It details the conclusion of Francis Urquhart
Francis Urquhart
Francis Ewan Urquhart is a fictional character created by Michael Dobbs. A Conservative politician, he appeared in a trilogy of novels: House of Cards in 1989, To Play the King in 1992 and The Final Cut in 1995...
's reign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Plot
The serial opens with Prime MinisterPrime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Francis Urquhart
Francis Urquhart
Francis Ewan Urquhart is a fictional character created by Michael Dobbs. A Conservative politician, he appeared in a trilogy of novels: House of Cards in 1989, To Play the King in 1992 and The Final Cut in 1995...
shooting his gun dog, now too old to perform its duties - a scene which establishes the theme of the ending of a career. This scene is followed by the state funeral of his predecessor, Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. Urquhart publicly praises Thatcher as his mentor, but privately begrudges her record as the longest-serving Prime Minister
Records of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom
Records of Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom:- Period of service :The Prime Minister with the longest single term was Sir Robert Walpole, lasting 20 years and 314 days from 4 April 1721 until 11 February 1742...
in recent history, a record that Urquhart himself is soon to surpass.
To "leave my mark on Europe," Urquhart champions a treaty resolving the Cyprus dispute
Cyprus dispute
The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus....
between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. While boundaries are fixed by five international judges, Urquhart – prompted by his wife Elizabeth – is secretly working to bring offshore oil deposits under the control of the Turkish authorities on the island so that a Turkish-British consortium will have the right to exploit them; an executive of the consortium has promised to provide for Urquhart's retirement fund in return.
Urquhart also has a personal connection to Cyprus. As a nineteen-year-old British Army lieutenant serving there in 1956, he killed two young men of the EOKA
EOKA
EOKA was an anticolonial, antiimperialist nationalist organisation with the ultimate goal of "The liberation of Cyprus from the British yoke". Although not stated in its initial declaration of existence which was printed and distributed on the 1st of April 1955, EOKA also had a target of achieving...
terrorist group while trying to get information from them. Urquhart has frequent nightmares and flashbacks of this event, and also of the murders of Mattie Storin and others, shown in the previous serials.
Returning to London on the motorway from a meeting with the oil company executive, Urquhart's car is rammed by another car containing three drunken louts. The attackers are quickly killed by his security staff. Urquhart sustains minor head injuries in the collision, but his life is not endangered. Lying in his hospital room, Urquhart experiences again his recurring nightmare about the killings in Cyprus. When Elizabeth arrives at the hospital, he is delirious and confuses the incident on the motorway with the incident in Cyprus.
Tom Makepeace, the Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
and Deputy Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a senior member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the Prime Minister, who may appoint to other offices...
, chairs a cabinet meeting while Urquhart is in hospital, and it is announced that the motorway incident was simply the result of "road rage." Urquhart considers Makepeace – the actual negotiator of the Cyprus treaty – as a potential challenger, although he doesn't take the threat very seriously, considering him "not a fighter" but "a sentimental dreamer".
Meanwhile, the brother of the two Greek Cypriots killed by Urquhart decades ago is now living in London. Unknown to Urquhart, he witnessed their deaths and recognises Urquhart as the soldier who killed them. He asks his daughter Maria to investigate, using the pretext that he wishes to find the location where they are buried in order to arrange a proper memorial, but it is revenge rather than mourning that is on his mind. He asks himself, in the event he is able to confirm that Urquhart is their killer, "How will I punish him?" Maria's search of government records finds a report written by the soldier who killed her uncles, but the name of the soldier is deleted. She approaches Urquhart, who appears to be welcoming and eager to help. Unknown to her, he arranges that documents revealing his involvement be excluded from a coincidental declassification of records relating to the British involvement in Cyprus. But he also confides the truth to his wife Elizabeth.
As in the previous serials, Urquhart chooses a female protégé (although this time without the mediation of his wife). He appoints the ambitious backbencher
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
Claire Carlsen as his Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
. Claire also happens to be Makepeace's lover. When Urquhart asks her advice about Makepeace, however, she tells Urquhart to "get rid of him."
Encouraged by Claire, Urquhart enrages Makepeace by making a speech in the House of Commons suggesting that Britain should not adopt the European currency, but that Europe should instead adopt English as its official language. When Makepeace remonstrates with Urquhart, Urquhart tells him his tenure as Foreign Secretary is over and offers him the Department of Education in a Cabinet reshuffle. The furious Makepeace resigns from the government, crosses the floor, and emerges as the prime minister's main adversary in parliament. He also challenges Urquhart for the leadership of the Conservative Party and forces him into a second ballot. Although Claire ends her sexual relationship with Makepeace, she continues to talk to him privately and encourages him to fight Urquhart. She also advises Maria to take her case to Makepeace, who repeatedly raises the cover-up in parliament. At Makepeace's suggestion, Claire purloins the original report on the Cyprus killings with Urquhart's name revealed from the secret government archive where it is stored, but Urquhart's bodyguard, Corder – informed by the archive clerk – seizes the document from her.
Makepeace's leadership challenge has attracted enough support to convince Urquhart that his position is in jeopardy. He decides to leak information regarding the oil deposits in the territory awarded to the Turks in order to stir up a conflict on Cyprus that he can use as "our Falklands" to unite Britain under his leadership. In reaction, Greek nationalists kidnap a British diplomat, and later also the Greek Cypriot President. Urquhart orders a British military intervention. Though initially successful, the intervention later results in the death of civilians, including young schoolgirls, largely because of the prime minister's drastic orders. Urquhart's support plummets, and when he proves unwilling to accept responsibility for the deaths, or even to express sympathy for the victims, many MPs openly call on him to resign.
While Urquhart appears defiant, his wife is worried, and she consults Corder for advice on how to save him. Corder advises "drastic measures", and informs her that he has sent a copy of Mattie Storin's tape, revealing Urquhart's role in her death, to Makepeace.
Makepeace confronts the prime minister and announces that he will publish the tape, but not before Urquhart has achieved his aim of surpassing Margaret Thatcher's record. After this, Urquhart again meets Maria. The incriminating Cyprus report has been sent to Maria's father anonymously - presumably by Corder - and Maria vows to publish it. After this, Urquhart despairs, but Elizabeth consoles him: "We can be safe still!" and hints at a ploy by Corder.
At the unveiling of the Margaret Thatcher memorial, on the day when Urquhart surpasses her record, a sniper in Corder's services appears on a rooftop and shoots the prime minister (and Maria's father, who had approached Urquhart with a pistol). Elizabeth had arranged for his assassination as the only way to preserve his reputation (and the retirement fund). Urquhart dies in her arms, while Corder offers his services to Makepeace, the apparent successor.
Cast
- Ian RichardsonIan RichardsonIan William Richardson CBE was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of the Machiavellian Tory politician Francis Urquhart in the BBC's House of Cards trilogy. He was also a leading Shakespearean stage actor....
as Francis Urquhart, Prime Minister - Diane FletcherDiane FletcherDiane Fletcher is an English actress.Fletcher was born in Derbyshire. She played Nancy in Fairly Secret Army, and has appeared in other popular British television shows such as Coronation Street as Angela Hawthorne,...
as Elizabeth Urquhart - Isla BlairIsla BlairIsla Blair is an India-born actress of British descent. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and her first credited film appearance in the 1965 horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors.- Biography :Isla Blair...
as Claire Carlsen MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary - Paul Freeman as Tom Makepeace, foreign secretarySecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth AffairsThe Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
- Nickolas GraceNickolas GraceNickolas Grace is a British actor known for his roles on television, including Anthony Blanche in the acclaimed ITV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited and the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1980s series Robin of Sherwood...
as Geoffrey Booza Pitt, Chancellor of the Duchy of LancasterChancellor of the Duchy of LancasterThe Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
and later foreign secretary - Nick BrimbleNick BrimbleNick Brimble , is an English actor known for his performance as Little John in the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and his appearances on various television shows....
as Corder, Urquhart's bodyguard - Yolanda VazquezYolanda VazquezYolanda Vazquez is a film, television and theatre actress best known for appearing in the film The Air Up There. More recently, she had a cameo in the well-received British indie science fiction thriller, Children of Men...
as Maria Passolides
Production
- The opening scenes containing Margaret Thatcher's funeral proved controversial and generated a great deal of adverse commentary in newspapers, as it was felt to be inappropriate to show the funeral of a real person who was still alive. It also led to Michael DobbsMichael DobbsMichael Dobbs, Baron Dobbs is a British Conservative politician and best-selling author.-Background: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 and Christ Church, Oxford University....
demanding that his name be removed from the credits. - The episode length was reduced from 1 hour to 50 minutes.
Differences from the novel
- Urquhart does not kill Georgios and Euripides Pasolides in the novel in a lone operation but, as an officer, is responsible for their deaths.
- Urquhart successfully thwarts the attempt to build a statue in honour of Margaret Thatcher. Its erection is a theme (of political mortality) running through the television series.
- Makepeace does not openly challenge Urquhart for the leadership of their party but leads a popular movement against the Prime Minister.
- Urquhart faces losing a general election and he is urged to resign by his Cabinet Ministers to keep his undefeated record.
- Mattie Storin's murder is not mentioned in the novel and the information not revealed to Makepeace.
- Urquhart is not suspected as the murderer of Georgios and Euripides Pasolides until is revealed at the end.
- In the novel, Urquhart is not assassinated on Corder's orders, but allows the brother of the men he killed in Cyprus to shoot him, making himself a martyr in the process.
- Tom Makepeace does not succeed Urquhart but is tarred by association with Urquhart's assassin as planned.
- It is unclear whether Urquhart beats Margaret Thatchers record in office as the longest-serving post-war prime minister.