Britain Prepares Lavish Adaptation of GORMENGHAST.

By Andrew Osmond     January 10, 2000

Following several years in which British tele-fantasy seemed in terminal decline, the BBC is opening the new century with a £10 million mini-series based on the acclaimed 'Gormenghast' novels by Mervyn Peake. The four-part adaptation begins on BBC2 on January 17th.

The series is based on Peake's novels TITUS GROAN and GORMENGHAST (both 1946). The action takes place in Gormenghast itself, a castle the size of a city, peopled by Dickensian eccentrics and grotesques whose lives are dominated by tradition and in-fighting. Into this crumbling world comes Steerpike, a wily kitchen-boy capable of tearing Gormenghast asunder. Steerpike is played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who appeared in the films VELVET GOLDMINE, RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, and the new Shakespearean adaptation TITUS ANDRONICUS.

GORMENGHAST's other cast members may not be so familiar to US readers, but are household names in Britain. They include Ian Richardson (DARK CITY), Celia Imrie, John Sessions, Stephen Fry, Spike Milligan (MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN), Martin Clunes, Eric Sykes and Warren Mitchell. Horror and fantasy icon Christopher Lee (most recently seen in SLEEPY HOLLOW) plays Flay, the desiccated manservant of the Earl of Gormenghast.

The Gormenghast saga is often seen as an allegory for the decline of the British empire and the rise of fascism. Although Terry Gilliam expressed an interest in filming it, this serial is the first screen adaptation (barring, reportedly, a minor independent short animation). The challenges in dramatizing the work include the large cast, Peake's ornate prose, and the sheer scale of the story.

A behind-the-scenes Gormenghast exhibition is currently running as part of the 'BBC Experience' at Broadcasting House, near Oxford Circus in London. There will also be a video and DVD release, the latter including a background documentary and interviews with the production team.

GORMENGHAST is a BBC/WGBH Boston co-production in association with CHUM Television, made by BBC Production. The lavish serial is designed by Christopher Hobbs, directed by Andy Wilson, and produced by Estelle Daniel. Screenplay is by Malcolm McKay.