The Diary of Samuel Pepys
The Diary of Samuel Pepys is a British historical television series which was originally broadcast on the BBC in 1958. Based on the diaries of the naval administrator Samuel Pepys, it portrays life at the court of Charles II from the year 1660 to 1669.
Main cast
- Peter Sallis as Samuel Pepys, English diarist
- Susan Maryott as Elizabeth Pepys, the wife of Samuel Pepys
- Alan Rowe as William Hewer
- Douglas Wilmer as King Charles II
- David Peel as the Duke of York
- Diana Fairfax as Lady Castlemaine/Barbara Palmer
- Manning Wilson as Lord Sandwich
- Paul Eddington as Sir William Coventry
- John Arnatt as the Duke of Albemarle
- Anthony Newlands as Sir William Penn
- John Sharplin as John Evelyn
- Howard Lamb as William Bowyer
- Raymond Rollett as Sir John Minnes
- Frederick Peisley as John Pepys, the father of Samuel Pepys
- Jill Carey as the Duchess of York
- Robert James as the Duke of Buckingham and Father of Child
- Wensley Pithey as Viscount Brouncker
- Patricia Heneghan as Pall Pepys, the sister of Samuel Pepys
- John Dunbar as the Bishop of London and Master Wren
- Josephine Wilson as Lady Sandwich, the wife of Lord Sandwich
- Peter Stephens as Lord Clarendon
- Hedley Colson as Prince Rupert and Garter King-of-Arms
Plot
The series debuted on Friday 7th March 1958 and the series was based on the diaries of Samuel Pepys from the age of 27 to 36. The series portrays life at the court of Charles II from 1660 to 1669. With 162 speaking parts, The Diary of Samuel Pepys was one of the largest BBC productions to date.Review
This series was Peter Sallis's first appearance as a principal character on television as well as his first extended television role. A reason for this was that he bore a resemblance when compared to contemporary picture portraits of Samuel Pepys. The series was dramatised by A R Rawlinson for Chloe Gibson. Chloe Gibson was one of the first female producers for BBC television.Using the diaries as a template, Sallis captured the wit, verve and cheeky humour of Pepys and was lauded for his performance.
Episode status
The series was a 14 episode part series that ran from 7 March 1958 - 13 June 1958 on BBC Television with each episode being 30 minutes long. Out of all 14 episodes produced for the series, episodes 1, 7, 8 and 13 are available to watch on TV Brain. As for the other 10 episodes from the series it's believed they are now missing.| # | Title | Original airdate |