Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart in BBC's House of Cards
You may know House of Cards as an American, political drama series. But it's first incarnation was on the BBC – the first episode was broadcast 25 years ago on 18 November 1990. The story tells of charming chief whip Frances Urquhart who plots revenge against his colleagues. To mark the anniversary, here are five House of Cards facts you may not have known.
- Of course, the American House of Cards is based on the BBC original, but did you know that the original was adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs bestselling novel? Dobbs was Margaret Thatcher’s chief-of-staff but in the weeks before the general election of 1987 she fired him, convinced he was plotting against her. His reprisal was to write the novel.
- The series spawned the oft-quoted political double-speak phrase: “You might very will think that, I couldn't possibly comment.”
- The BBC's television adaptation of the House of Cards series received 14 BAFTA nominations and won two.
- The story deals the ousting of a Prime Minister and the BBC’s adaptation aired in the same week Margaret Thatcher was forced to resign.
- The American remake of House of Cards cost $100m – the equivalent of 14 BBC series or 79 hours of BBC content.
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And here are three bonus facts about the original:
- The composer was Jim Parker (Foyle's War, The House of Eliott, Mapp and Lucia)
- The producer Ken Riddington (House of Elliot, A Very Peculiar Practice)
- And the director was Paul Seed (Z Cars, Doctor Who, Tales of the Unexpected)
Buy and watch a digital copy of the original House of Cards on BBC Store.
