After Pilkington


After Pilkington is a BBC television drama film written by Simon Gray, starring Miranda Richardson, Bob Peck and Barry Foster. It was first broadcast as part of BBC Two's Screen Two series, in 1987.

Plot

The quiet life of Oxford professor James Westgate is shattered when he is introduced to Penny, the wife of his crass new colleague. Westgate recognises her as his childhood sweetheart "Patch", and the two resume their friendship. Westgate is bored with his mundane college life, including his German friend Boris, who experiments on animals in the lab, and his lady friend Amanda, as well as the attentions of a shy male student who claims to be in love with him. He is only too happy to be diverted into joining Penny/Patch in her search for missing archaeologist Pilkington. As Westgate's obsession with his childhood friend grows, he is drawn into a tangle of misunderstanding, intrigue, and murder. Bob Peck imbues his character with comic ineptitude.
The film frequently has the 4th movement from Schubert's Trout Quintet on the soundtrack.

Awards and nominations