The Life and Times of David Lloyd George | |
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Genre | Historical drama |
Written by | Elaine Morgan |
Directed by | John Hefin (uncredited) |
Starring | |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 9 |
Production | |
Producer | John Hefin |
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Running time | 60 minutes (episodes 1-8), 70 minutes (episode 9) |
Original release | |
Network | BBC Two |
Release | 4 March 29 April 1981 | –
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The Life and Times of David Lloyd George is a BBC Wales drama serial first broadcast in 1981 on BBC Two.[1] It stars Philip Madoc as David Lloyd George, the final Liberal prime minister of the UK. The cast also includes Lisabeth Miles, Kika Markham and David Markham. It was written by Elaine Morgan and produced and directed by John Hefin.
The serial is in nine hour-long parts, covering most of the major events of Lloyd George's life, from his birth in Manchester in January 1863 until his death in 1945 in Llanystumdwy. It covers his personal life, specifically the running of two families. The duration of Lloyd George's political career, of over 54 years, combined with the length of the series, means that certain periods of history have been skirted over. This is particularly the case with the various Liberal Party splits from 1918 onwards. The historical consultant for the series was the historian A. J. P. Taylor.
The serial featured music by Ennio Morricone, including the theme music ("Chi Mai"), which was a surprise hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 2. The opening titles showed an elderly Lloyd George walking through the Welsh countryside near Criccieth remembering his Uncle Lloyd baptising the young David George (later Lloyd George) in a mountain stream.