To Play the King
Encyclopedia
To Play The King is a 1993 BBC
television serial, the second part of the House of Cards
trilogy. Directed by Paul Seed
, the serial was based on the Michael Dobbs
novel of the same name and adapted for television by Andrew Davies
. It details the conflict between British Prime Minister Francis Urquhart
and a newly crowned king.
The book and TV serialisation follow on from the TV version of the first part of the trilogy. To Play the King (and the final part The Final Cut
) reflect upon the end of the first series which saw Urquhart murder Storin before becoming Prime Minister. (The ending of the House of Cards novel has Urquhart committing suicide when confronted by journalist Mattie Storin.)
of the new monarch, and revolves around Francis Urquhart's political battles with the newly-crowned King
(Michael Kitchen
). Although his name is never mentioned, his mannerism, social outlook and the portrayal of his divorced wife and son, as well as his having succeeded a long-serving female monarch, leads viewers to assume he is a character modelled on Prince Charles
.
Urquhart is also preoccupied with attempts to cover up evidence of his earlier crimes.
The series portrays a Conservative
government (after the downfall of Margaret Thatcher
) continuing to dominate the Labour Opposition. The King is disenchanted with the Conservative agenda and becomes involved in politics in a way that the Prime Minister finds unacceptable for a constitutional monarch.
At their first meeting The King expresses concern about Urquhart's social policies which he argues have led to greater social deprivation and social exclusion in urban areas. This tension becomes exacerbated when Urquhart moves his progressive Environment Secretary to a job in Strasbourg
and rejects his proposals to assist poorer pensioners. The King's Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, leaks the outcome of the meeting to the press, which rankles Urquhart.
The King is having problems with his advisors - his Chief of Staff, David Mycroft, appears to be more interested in his new life and attractive boyfriend than his official duties and his assistant advisor appears to be using the King to promote her own left-wing views. The sinister Commander Corder, Urquhart's bodyguard and security advisor, is revealed to have any potential threats to Urquhart under surveillance, including the King.
Fearing the King will weaken his position, Urquhart obtains 'Regal Insurance' from Princess Charlotte, also known as 'The Fat Princess', the former wife of a member of the royal family. Tim Stamper persuades her to meet Sir Bruce Bullerby, editor of the Daily Clarion newspaper, and to agree to reveal every shred of scandal or gossip about the Monarchy for 'historical purposes' on condition the information is only published after her death. Urquhart's wife Elizabeth introduces Urquhart to Sarah Harding
and persuades him to choose her as a political advisor, or, as he phrases it to her, 'my slave'. It is subtly hinted that were the two to seek a sexual relationship, Elizabeth would not mind (their marriage appears to be polyamorous). Indeed, Elizabeth appears to be having an affair with Commander Corder with Francis's knowledge. Having been irked by the King's intransigence, and with him meeting covertly with leaders of the Opposition and the less trustworthy members of Urquhart's Party, to persuade them to unite forces against Urquhart, he calls an early election.
Throughout this time we learn that Urquhart also has the murder of Mattie Storin at the end of the series House of Cards
on his conscience, and that someone has a tape recording of her death (made by Mattie on the rooftop). After an abduction by some homeless thugs, Sarah Harding is told to 'Ask 'im about Mattie Storin.' Despite having started an affair with Urquhart, Harding begins to question his version of events about Mattie's death. She meets John Krajewski, now a paranoid
freelance journalist, who worked on the same newspaper as Mattie. Corder and his staff execute Krajewski and blame it on the IRA
.
Urquhart threatens the King that he has information from Princess Charlotte's memoirs which could bring down the Monarchy. Urquhart claims he does not want it to be published but will if the King continues to oppose his policies in a public manner. The King refuses to be blackmailed. Urquhart has also engaged in secret meetings with the ex-wife of the King (a character based on Princess Diana), at, as Urquhart terms it, 'the House of Wounded Feelings', who urges him not to back down to the King.
Urquhart then blackmails Bullerby to publish the memoirs in his newspaper, through threatening him that, if he does not print the Princess's memoirs, he will print the photographs and release the videos of his sexual relationship with the Princess. The great scandal gives the Conservatives a boost in the polls and hurts the King's popularity. However, a Conservative backbencher, aptly named John Staines, who had been vocally critical in Parliament
of the King and the aristocracy, is arrested in the Houses of Parliament by the police on charges of molestation and rape of minors. This scandal greatly hurts the Conservatives and a furious Urquhart blames Tim Stamper for putting Staines in the public arena before his arrest. This strains their relationship considerably as Stamper feels increasingly undervalued at Urquhart's reluctance to give him a senior position
.
The explosion of a tower block, as a result of a tenant tapping into the gas supply with considerable loss of life, puts the King's arguments about social exclusion and the need to tackle the homeless problem back into the public domain. Stamper meanwhile reveals himself to Sarah Harding and gives her a copy of the tape.
The King begins a tour of disadvantaged estates in Britain accompanied by the press and no security to show that he cares. He arranges for Opposition leaders to follow his tour and secretly supports them. Urquhart arranges for Corder to have the King abducted by some thugs during a tour of an estate
in Manchester
. The Army, secretly shadowing the King's tour on Urquhart's orders, rescues him from possible harm. The King is seen as foolish for rejecting security on his tour and is not helped when Mycroft resigns as his Chief-of-Staff, fearing that his homosexuality will be revealed by the press.
Urquhart announces that he intends that the young long-term unemployed adults of the council estates will serve in the military and re-enacts a form of national service
. The Conservatives subsequently win the General Election
with a twenty-two seat overall majority. With his policies vindicated by the electorate, despite the King's public opposition to them, Urquhart forces him to abdicate in favour of his son (a character based on Prince William
).
Corder has realised through his surveillance that Stamper has information on the circumstances of Mattie Storin's death, which he (Stamper) subsequently passed on to Harding as insurance. Urquhart orders Corder to assassinate them in separate car bombings. Harding's car explodes when she is en route to meet with The King's former Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, while Stamper's car explodes outside New Scotland Yard. The car bombings are interpreted by the media as being Provisional Irish Republican Army
(PIRA) activities.
, Urquhart occasionally speaks directly to the audience. He takes the viewer into his confidence, and at the end of the series, as at the end of the first, he challenges the viewer to condemn him.
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 second 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 Paul Seed
Paul Seed
Paul Seed is a British television director and former actor.Born in Bideford in Devon, he began his career as an actor, appearing in numerous television series, including Z-Cars, Softly Softly: Taskforce, Survivors, Doctor Who, Secret Army, Coronation Street, Crown Court and Tales of the Unexpected...
, the serial was based on the 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....
novel of the same name and 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 conflict between British Prime Minister 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...
and a newly crowned king.
The book and TV serialisation follow on from the TV version of the first part of the trilogy. To Play the King (and the final part The Final Cut
The Final Cut (TV serial)
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...
) reflect upon the end of the first series which saw Urquhart murder Storin before becoming Prime Minister. (The ending of the House of Cards novel has Urquhart committing suicide when confronted by journalist Mattie Storin.)
Overview
The serial opens with the coronationCoronation
A coronation is a ceremony marking the formal investiture of a monarch and/or their consort with regal power, usually involving the placement of a crown upon their head and the presentation of other items of regalia...
of the new monarch, and revolves around Francis Urquhart's political battles with the newly-crowned King
British monarchy
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
(Michael Kitchen
Michael Kitchen
Michael Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as DCS Foyle in the British TV series Foyle's War.-Early life:...
). Although his name is never mentioned, his mannerism, social outlook and the portrayal of his divorced wife and son, as well as his having succeeded a long-serving female monarch, leads viewers to assume he is a character modelled on Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
.
Urquhart is also preoccupied with attempts to cover up evidence of his earlier crimes.
The series portrays a Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
government (after the downfall of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
) continuing to dominate the Labour Opposition. The King is disenchanted with the Conservative agenda and becomes involved in politics in a way that the Prime Minister finds unacceptable for a constitutional monarch.
At their first meeting The King expresses concern about Urquhart's social policies which he argues have led to greater social deprivation and social exclusion in urban areas. This tension becomes exacerbated when Urquhart moves his progressive Environment Secretary to a job in Strasbourg
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and rejects his proposals to assist poorer pensioners. The King's Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, leaks the outcome of the meeting to the press, which rankles Urquhart.
The King is having problems with his advisors - his Chief of Staff, David Mycroft, appears to be more interested in his new life and attractive boyfriend than his official duties and his assistant advisor appears to be using the King to promote her own left-wing views. The sinister Commander Corder, Urquhart's bodyguard and security advisor, is revealed to have any potential threats to Urquhart under surveillance, including the King.
Fearing the King will weaken his position, Urquhart obtains 'Regal Insurance' from Princess Charlotte, also known as 'The Fat Princess', the former wife of a member of the royal family. Tim Stamper persuades her to meet Sir Bruce Bullerby, editor of the Daily Clarion newspaper, and to agree to reveal every shred of scandal or gossip about the Monarchy for 'historical purposes' on condition the information is only published after her death. Urquhart's wife Elizabeth introduces Urquhart to Sarah Harding
Minor characters in the House of Cards trilogy
This article is about characters in the House of Cards trilogy other than Francis Urquhart. The trilogy consists of three separate four part serials, House of Cards, To Play the King and The Final Cut, all based on identically-titled novels by Michael Dobbs.-Elizabeth Urquhart:Elizabeth Urquhart ...
and persuades him to choose her as a political advisor, or, as he phrases it to her, 'my slave'. It is subtly hinted that were the two to seek a sexual relationship, Elizabeth would not mind (their marriage appears to be polyamorous). Indeed, Elizabeth appears to be having an affair with Commander Corder with Francis's knowledge. Having been irked by the King's intransigence, and with him meeting covertly with leaders of the Opposition and the less trustworthy members of Urquhart's Party, to persuade them to unite forces against Urquhart, he calls an early election.
Throughout this time we learn that Urquhart also has the murder of Mattie Storin at the end of the series 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...
on his conscience, and that someone has a tape recording of her death (made by Mattie on the rooftop). After an abduction by some homeless thugs, Sarah Harding is told to 'Ask 'im about Mattie Storin.' Despite having started an affair with Urquhart, Harding begins to question his version of events about Mattie's death. She meets John Krajewski, now a paranoid
Paranoia
Paranoia [] is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself...
freelance journalist, who worked on the same newspaper as Mattie. Corder and his staff execute Krajewski and blame it on the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
.
Urquhart threatens the King that he has information from Princess Charlotte's memoirs which could bring down the Monarchy. Urquhart claims he does not want it to be published but will if the King continues to oppose his policies in a public manner. The King refuses to be blackmailed. Urquhart has also engaged in secret meetings with the ex-wife of the King (a character based on Princess Diana), at, as Urquhart terms it, 'the House of Wounded Feelings', who urges him not to back down to the King.
Urquhart then blackmails Bullerby to publish the memoirs in his newspaper, through threatening him that, if he does not print the Princess's memoirs, he will print the photographs and release the videos of his sexual relationship with the Princess. The great scandal gives the Conservatives a boost in the polls and hurts the King's popularity. However, a Conservative backbencher, aptly named John Staines, who had been vocally critical in Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
of the King and the aristocracy, is arrested in the Houses of Parliament by the police on charges of molestation and rape of minors. This scandal greatly hurts the Conservatives and a furious Urquhart blames Tim Stamper for putting Staines in the public arena before his arrest. This strains their relationship considerably as Stamper feels increasingly undervalued at Urquhart's reluctance to give him a senior position
Great Offices of State
The Great Offices of State in the United Kingdom are the four most senior and prestigious posts in the British parliamentary system of government. They are the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary. Since 11 May 2010 these posts have been...
.
The explosion of a tower block, as a result of a tenant tapping into the gas supply with considerable loss of life, puts the King's arguments about social exclusion and the need to tackle the homeless problem back into the public domain. Stamper meanwhile reveals himself to Sarah Harding and gives her a copy of the tape.
The King begins a tour of disadvantaged estates in Britain accompanied by the press and no security to show that he cares. He arranges for Opposition leaders to follow his tour and secretly supports them. Urquhart arranges for Corder to have the King abducted by some thugs during a tour of an estate
Moss Side
Moss Side is an inner-city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre and has a population of around 17,537...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. The Army, secretly shadowing the King's tour on Urquhart's orders, rescues him from possible harm. The King is seen as foolish for rejecting security on his tour and is not helped when Mycroft resigns as his Chief-of-Staff, fearing that his homosexuality will be revealed by the press.
Urquhart announces that he intends that the young long-term unemployed adults of the council estates will serve in the military and re-enacts a form of national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. The Conservatives subsequently win the General Election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
with a twenty-two seat overall majority. With his policies vindicated by the electorate, despite the King's public opposition to them, Urquhart forces him to abdicate in favour of his son (a character based on Prince William
Prince William of Wales
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge KG , is the elder son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, and third eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
).
Corder has realised through his surveillance that Stamper has information on the circumstances of Mattie Storin's death, which he (Stamper) subsequently passed on to Harding as insurance. Urquhart orders Corder to assassinate them in separate car bombings. Harding's car explodes when she is en route to meet with The King's former Assistant Press Secretary, Chloe Carmichael, while Stamper's car explodes outside New Scotland Yard. The car bombings are interpreted by the media as being Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(PIRA) activities.
Breaking the Fourth Wall
As in House of CardsHouse 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...
, Urquhart occasionally speaks directly to the audience. He takes the viewer into his confidence, and at the end of the series, as at the end of the first, he challenges the viewer to condemn him.
Differences from the novel
- The events of the novel follow on directly from those of House of Cards, in that Urquhart has just taken over as Leader of the Conservative Party. In the television series Urquhart is well-established as prime minister.
- Tim Stamper takes over as Party Chairman at the beginning of the novel rather than as the plot unfolds as it is Urquhart's plan to call a snap election to increase his party's parliamentary majority.
- After the prime minister stops his business interests expanding, Ben Landless becomes an opponent of Urquhart and an ally of the king. He does not appear in the television series.
- Chloe Carmichael does not feature in the novel.
- The character of Sarah Harding does not appear. Her character is represented by Sally Quinn, an American who also feeds information about Urquhart to Ben Landless.
- Tim Stamper does not betray Urquhart and therefore is not murdered.
- Mattie Storin's and Roger O'Neil's murders are not directly mentioned nor used as a plot device.
- It is implied that Urquhart is responsible for his and his wife's childlessness. Indeed their relationship is less close than in the television series. When Landless threatens to expose Mrs Urquhart's affair, FU implies that he will divorce her to gain sympathy and to cling to power.
- In the novel the King willingly abdicates ahead of the general election, indicating that he will stand against Urquhart. In fact, he insists on his abdication being handled before Urquhart can call the election. Rather than feeling confident that the King has been politically neutered, Urquhart is left feeling that the ground is slipping beneath him.