Gideon's Daughter
Encyclopedia
Gideon's Daughter is the second of two linked BBC television drama
s written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff
.
Produced independently for the BBC by Talkback Thames and starring Bill Nighy
, Miranda Richardson
, and Emily Blunt
, it aired in the UK on BBC One
on 26 February 2006 and in the US on BBC America
a month later. It was shown across Australia on ABC1 on 2 November 2008. The first of the dramas, Friends and Crocodiles
, had been broadcast the previous month, with the character of Sneath (Robert Lindsay
) appearing in both and acting as the narrator of Gideon's Daughter. The Mini series was watch by 10.2 million viewers.
Both Nighy and Blunt received Golden Globe Awards for their performances.
The production won a Peabody Award
in April 2007
. Gideon is a hotshot publicist
and the widowed father of a sullen teenage daughter, driven to the edge of a nervous breakdown by her emotional detachment from him. She is resentful that he was a serial adulterer who was calling his mistress as her mother lay dying of cancer
. To put distance between them, she at first plans to do volunteer work in South America or (her father's preferred choice) to study at the University of Edinburgh
.
Stella is mourning the death of her young son, killed while riding his bike on public roads for the first time. Afraid of sleep, and desperate to escape her sense of bereavement, she works the night shift in a supermarket
where she raises guinea pigs in the back. She meets Gideon when her ex-husband tries to accost one of Gideon's clients, a New Labour minister, about the government's lack of response to the unsafe traffic conditions that caused their son's death. Soon after the chance meeting, the two find themselves developing an emotional bond, brought together by a shared sense of grief and loss.
BBC television drama
BBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
s written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff
Stephen Poliakoff, CBE, FRSL is an acclaimed British playwright, director and scriptwriter, widely judged amongst Britain's foremost television dramatists.-Early life and career:...
.
Produced independently for the BBC by Talkback Thames and starring Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy
William Francis "Bill" Nighy is an English actor and comedian. He worked in theatre and television before his first cinema role in 1981, and made his name in television with The Men's Room in 1991, in which he played the womanizer Prof...
, Miranda Richardson
Miranda Richardson
Miranda Jane Richardson is an English stage, film and television actor. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards, and has won two Golden Globes and a BAFTA during her career....
, and Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt
Emily Olivia Leah Blunt is an English actress best known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada , The Young Victoria , and The Adjustment Bureau . She has been nominated for two Golden Globe Awards, two London Film Critics' Circle Awards, and one BAFTA Award...
, it aired in the UK on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 26 February 2006 and in the US on BBC America
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
a month later. It was shown across Australia on ABC1 on 2 November 2008. The first of the dramas, Friends and Crocodiles
Friends and Crocodiles
Friends and Crocodiles is a one-off British television drama production, written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and first broadcast on BBC One on 15 January 2006.-Overview:...
, had been broadcast the previous month, with the character of Sneath (Robert Lindsay
Robert Lindsay (actor)
Robert Lindsay is an English actor who is best known for his television work, especially his roles of Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Michael Murray in G.B.H., Captain Sir Edward Pellew in Hornblower and Ben Harper in My Family which has been on television screens since 2000.-Early life:Lindsay was...
) appearing in both and acting as the narrator of Gideon's Daughter. The Mini series was watch by 10.2 million viewers.
Both Nighy and Blunt received Golden Globe Awards for their performances.
The production won a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in April 2007
Story
Exploring themes of love, loss, parenthood, and the cult of celebrity, it is set against the backdrop of New Labour's rise to power, the death of Princess Diana, and the ill-advised development of the Millennium DomeMillennium Dome
The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...
. Gideon is a hotshot publicist
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
and the widowed father of a sullen teenage daughter, driven to the edge of a nervous breakdown by her emotional detachment from him. She is resentful that he was a serial adulterer who was calling his mistress as her mother lay dying of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. To put distance between them, she at first plans to do volunteer work in South America or (her father's preferred choice) to study at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
.
Stella is mourning the death of her young son, killed while riding his bike on public roads for the first time. Afraid of sleep, and desperate to escape her sense of bereavement, she works the night shift in a supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
where she raises guinea pigs in the back. She meets Gideon when her ex-husband tries to accost one of Gideon's clients, a New Labour minister, about the government's lack of response to the unsafe traffic conditions that caused their son's death. Soon after the chance meeting, the two find themselves developing an emotional bond, brought together by a shared sense of grief and loss.
External links
- Gideon's Daughter at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Gideon's Daughter at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...