An epic full-cast dramatisation of Paul Scott's classic series of
novels charting the last days ofthe British Raj.
Spanning the years from 1942 to 1947, this landmark saga explores the
relationships between an array of soldiers and civilians stationedin
India, as the sun sets on British colonial rule.
As The Jewel in the Crown opens, World War II is at its height and
Gandhi is calling for the British to leave. When Daphne Manners arrives
in Mayapore, she meets two men who will change her life: Hari Kumar and
Ronald Merrick. She begins to fall for Hari, but Ronald Merrick - the
local police superintendent - becomes infatuated with her and seethes
with hatred for Hari.
The Day of the Scorpion finds Merrick worming his way into the Layton
family, and his treatment of Hari Kumar is revealed. In The Towers of
Silence, it is summer 1945, and as the war ends Mabel Layton's
companion Barbie Batchelor is forced to leave her home in Pankot. In A
Division of the Spoils, Sergeant Guy Perron arrives to witness India's
independence, while the Laytons plan for their future - but the division
of the country will spark tragic consequences for many.
The extensive, star-studded cast includes Anna Maxwell Martin (Bleak
House, Motherland), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Doctor Foster), Geraldine
James (who also starred in the film of The Jewel in the Crown), Mark
Bazeley (Broadchurch), Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Kulvinder
Ghir (Goodness Gracious Me) and Nina Wadia (Eastenders).
Duration: 9 hours approx.
