Storyline

Urquhart aims to secure his legacy on the international stage, but faces threats both from abroad and closer to home.

First Aired

1995-11-05
Last Aired

1995-11-26
Creator

Andrew Davies
Genre

Drama, Comedy, War & Politics
Seasons

1
Episodes

4
Status

Ended
Language

English
Network

BBC One

Keywords:

prime minister miniseries political thriller house of commons house of cards

Stream and watch The Final Cut

Season 1

1. Part 1

Approaching his 65th birthday, Prime Minister Frances Urquhart begins to see the end of his career. No...More

Approaching his 65th birthday, Prime Minister Frances Urquhart begins to see the end of his career. Not that he has the intention of resigning anytime soon. He does however hope to establish a legacy, one for the history books and one to provide his pension. For the latter, his wife Elizabeth introduces him to Mr. Nures, a Turkish-Cypriot businessman who will contribute handsomely to the Urquhart Trust if the upcoming boundary commission report provides a ruling favorable to Turkish-occupied Cyprus. As for the history books, he's decided to take credit for the upcoming peace deal in Cyprus, much to the consternation of the Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace. Still haunted by what happened to Mattie Storin, he is also haunted by events when he was in Cyprus as an army officer in the 1950s. An encounter on the motorway lands him in hospital.Less

52mins 1995-11-05

2. Part 2

Having sacked his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Urquhart casts about for a replacement. At the sugg...More

Having sacked his Parliamentary Private Secretary, Urquhart casts about for a replacement. At the suggestion of Geoffrey Booza Pitt he gives serious consideration to backbench MP Claire Carlsen, despite the fact that she is carrying on an affair with Foreign Secretary Tom Makepeace. Claire is clearly playing both sides of the fence to ensure her own place in the hierarchy, regardless of what the future may hold. Urquhart decides the time has come to shake things up and forces Makepeace to resign, something his wife Elizabeth isn't sure is in their best interest. He also continues working on his legacies, dropping a good word in the ear of the British judge on the Cyprus boundary panel. Meanwhile, a young Greek-Cypriot woman, Maria Passolides, seeks Urquhart's assistance in solving the death of two uncles who were killed in Cyprus in the 1950s.Less

53mins 1995-11-12

3. Part 3

Having resigned as Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace launches a blistering attack in the House of Commo...More

Having resigned as Foreign Secretary, Tom Makepeace launches a blistering attack in the House of Commons directed not only at the government in general but at the Prime Minister in particular. He then moves across the aisle to sit on the opposition benches. For his part, Francis Urquhart takes it all in stride quite sure of his position and his ability to retain the leadership of the party. As chance would have it, Cypriot nationalists attack the British High Commission in Cyprus and kidnap the High Commissioner thus allowing Urquhart to question the wisdom of Makepeace's constant challenges on the Cypriot peace deal. Makepeace for his part takes up the cause of identifying the killer of Maria Passolides' uncles.Less

54mins 1995-11-19

4. Part 4

Not having secured enough votes on the first ballot to retain the party leadership, Francis Urquhart p...More

Not having secured enough votes on the first ballot to retain the party leadership, Francis Urquhart plots to not only keep him in place as Prime Minister but to win the next general election. He is desperate to surpass Margaret Thatcher's length of service as PM and decides that to emulate her is likely the best approach: starting a war in Cyprus, his own little Falklands, as he describes it to his wife. It all goes very badly however and the PM's hold on power begins to slip. Claire Coulsen learns that there is a cost to playing both sides in any contest. In the end, it's left to Elizabeth Urqhart to come up with a solution that will ensure the PM's legacy for all time.Less

54mins 1995-11-26

Similar Tv Shows

Wayward

Dream Productions

Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King

Pride and Prejudice

The Good Mothers

Back Street Girls: Gokudols

Hound's Hill

The Widower

Parot

Five Daughters

War and Remembrance

Goliath Awaits

Covert One: The Hades Factor

Helen of Troy

Robert Kennedy & His Times

The State Within

Hippies

Takeda Shingen

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance

The Serial Killer's Wife

Cast

Ian Richardson

Francis Urquhart

Diane Fletcher

Elizabeth Urquhart

Paul Freeman

Tom Makepeace

Isla Blair

Claire Carlsen

Nickolas Grace

Geoffrey Booza Pitt

Glyn Grain

Rayner

Nick Brimble

Corder

Videos and Photos

Movie Reviews

Reviews for The Final Cut

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2024-06-05

"Francis Urquhart" (Ian Richardson) is he now pretty unassailable as his Premiership welcomes a new King and he looks to establish some sort... read more

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)

A Review by CinemaSerf

"Francis Urquhart" (Ian Richardson) is he now pretty unassailable as his Premiership welcomes a new King and he looks to establish some sort of legacy to eclipse even that of his inspirational predecessor. That opportunity comes when he inv...