The Great Fire is a four-part television drama first shown on ITV from 16 October to 6 November 2014. It is set during the Great Fire of London in England in 1666. It was written by Tom Bradby and produced by Ecosse Films. Each hour-long (including commercial breaks) episode is set in one day of the fire.
Contents
Plot
The series portrays events from the points of view of the Farriner family, in whose bakery on Pudding Lane the fire started, and of the royal court in responding to the fire.
The storyline adds depictions never recorded from the real event. The fire was shown as starting when Farriner's daughter left the oven's stoke-hatch open and its fire ejected a hot ember which ignited loose straw on the wooden floor. It suggests Farriner had a contract to supply baked goods to the Royal Navy and was suffering financial difficulties as a result of their persistently delaying payment. It also follows a sub-plot in which there is a suspected Catholic plot to kill King Charles II, in which the Farriners become suspected of complicity.
Cast
Andrew Buchan as Thomas Farriner
Rose Leslie as Sarah, Thomas Farriner's (fictional) sister-in-law
Jack Huston as King Charles II of England
Daniel Mays as Samuel Pepys
Perdita Weeks as Elizabeth Pepys, Samuel's wife
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as James, Duke of York (the King's brother, the future King James II of England)
Charles Dance as Lord Denton, the King's (fictional) spymaster
Nicholas Blane as Thomas Bloodworth, Lord Mayor of London
Andrew Tiernan as Vincent, a prisoner in Newgate Prison
Antonia Clarke as Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond
Uriel Emil as Signor Romero
Sonya Cassidy as Catherine of Braganza
Filming locations
Cobham Hall was used to film some of the London street scenes and Penshurst Place in Kent doubled as the exterior of the King's palace.
Reception
The Guardian was moderately positive, describing it as, 'decent enough drama, if not quite as great as its title would like it to be, and it is lifted by a fine cast, particularly Charles Dance as the sinister intelligence officer Lord Denton.' The Independent also praised the cast, but said the series lacked suspense. The Telegraph gave it two stars.