Presents the lives and loves of a family of cousins starting in 1939. Begins with a funeral and uses the reminiscences of those gathered to fill in details in the lives of Richard and Helena and their nieces and nephews. The convoluted and surprisingly explicit love lives of a group of cousins just before and during World War II. The series garnered quite a bit of controversy (and publicity) thanks to its frankness with language and sex scenes.

C a s t

Tara Fitzgerald as Young Polly
Claire Bloom as Older Sophy
Virginia McKenna as Older Polly
Paul Eddington as Richard Cuthbertson
Jennifer Ehle as Young Calypso
Rebecca Hall as Young Sophy
Rosemary Harris as Older Calypso
Richard Johnson as Older Oliver
Felicity Kendal as Helena Cuthbertson
Nicholas Le Prevost
Vivienne Ritchie as Iris
Toby Stephens as Young Oliver
Richard Syms
Trudy Weiss as Monika
Oliver Cotton as Max Erstweiler

Production Credits

Producers Sophie Balhetchet & Glenn Wilhide
Director Sir Peter Hall
Screenwriter Kenneth Taylor
Writer Mary Wesley based on her book
Made by Zed Productions for C4 TV. First broadcast 5th - 26th March 1991