Sharpe's Rifles (TV programme)

Sharpe's Rifles
Written byEoghan Harris
Directed byTom Clegg
StarringSean Bean
Brian Cox
Daragh O'Malley
Assumpta Serna
David Troughton
Theme music composerDominic Muldowney
John Tams
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time100 minutes
Original release
NetworkITV
Release5 May 1993 (1993-05-05)
Related
Sharpe's Eagle
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

Sharpe's Rifles is the first of the Sharpe television dramas, based on Bernard Cornwell's 1988 novel of the same name. Shown on ITV in 1993, the adaptation stars Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley and Assumpta Serna. It began a long series of successful and critically acclaimed television adaptations of the novels.

The drama tells the story of Richard Sharpe, an ambitious and hardened soldier from Yorkshire. The story follows the exploits of Sharpe and his band of chosen men through Spain after they survive an ambush by French cavalry.

Filming took place in the Crimea,[1] Portugal and England, during which Paul McGann who was the original actor cast for the role of Richard Sharpe, broke his leg and was quickly replaced with Sean Bean.[2]

  1. ^ Programme end credits
  2. ^ Ferrier, Morwenna (15 March 2009). "Paul McGann, actor, 49". My body & soul. The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2019.