.gif)
Sharpe's Company (TV programme)
Encyclopedia
Sharpe's Company is a British
television drama, part of a series
that follows the career of Richard Sharpe
, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars
. This episode is based on the novel of the same name
by Bernard Cornwell
.
(Hugh Fraser
) is ready to invade Spain from Portugal. But two formidable fortresses stand in the way. When the first, Ciudad Rodrigo
, is taken, Colonel Lawford is severely wounded and forced to relinquish command of the South Essex Regiment
, depriving Captain Sharpe (Sean Bean
) of an influential friend.
Colonel Windham (Clive Francis
), the new commander, brings his own officers, so Sharpe is demoted to lieutenant and is humiliated by being put in charge of the baggage and losing command of his "chosen men" to an aristocratic officer (Marc Warren
) who purchased the commission
of the South Essex's Light Company. Worse, one of the reinforcements is Sergeant Obidiah Hakeswill (Pete Postlethwaite
), an old enemy from Sharpe's days in India.
Meanwhile, Sharpe's lover, Teresa (Assumpta Serna
), tells him that he has a baby daughter living with her family in Badajoz
, the second fortress town. Not knowing who she is, Hakeswill tries to rape her, but proves no match for her. Teresa then slips into Badajoz to spy on the French and to see her baby.
To cause trouble for Sharpe, Hakeswill steals from the officers and plants a picture frame belonging to Windham in the kit of Sharpe's right hand man, Sergeant Harper (Daragh O'Malley
). When it is found, the colonel has Harper flogged. Later, during a night skirmish, a turncoat French soldier escapes the besieged town, bearing a dispatch and a letter from Teresa, but he is shot and killed. Sharpe recovers the letter, which contains a map showing where she is staying, but on his way back Hakeswill tries to shoot Sharpe in the confusion, but kills a young ensign (William Mannering) who has the misfortune to step in front of him at that exact moment.
Eventually, the walls of Badajoz are breached
, but the first assault falters. Sharpe rallies the men and leads them into the town. Hakeswill gets to Teresa first due to the letter he stole from Sharpe, but Sharpe is not far behind and foils his evil plans. However, Hakeswill manages to get away.
For his bravery and because many of the other officers have been killed, Sharpe gets back command of his Light Company. Harper is exonerated when he finds the missing portrait of Windham's wife hidden in Hakeswill's shako
and returns it to the colonel.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television drama, part of a series
Sharpe (TV series)
Sharpe is a British series of television dramas starring Sean Bean about Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in the Napoleonic Wars. Sharpe is the hero of a number of novels by Bernard Cornwell; most, though not all, of the episodes are based on the books...
that follows the career of Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
, a British soldier during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. This episode is based on the novel of the same name
Sharpe's Company (novel)
Sharpe's Company is a historical novel by Bernard Cornwell. Set January to August 1812 during the Peninsular War and featuring the Siege of Badajoz, it is the 13th in the Richard Sharpe Series.-Plot introduction:...
by Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
.
Plot
It is 1812. General WellesleyArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
(Hugh Fraser
Hugh Fraser (actor)
Hugh Fraser is an English actor and theatre director.-Early life:Born in London but raised in the East Midlands, Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
) is ready to invade Spain from Portugal. But two formidable fortresses stand in the way. When the first, Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo
Ciudad Rodrigo is a small cathedral city in the province of Salamanca, in western Spain, with a population of about 14,000. It is the seat of a judicial district as well....
, is taken, Colonel Lawford is severely wounded and forced to relinquish command of the South Essex Regiment
South Essex Regiment
The South Essex Regiment, later the Prince of Wales' Own Volunteers, is a fictional infantry line regiment in the British Army that was created by Bernard Cornwell in the Sharpe series of books.-Fictional history:...
, depriving Captain Sharpe (Sean Bean
Sean Bean
Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
) of an influential friend.
Colonel Windham (Clive Francis
Clive Francis
-Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star...
), the new commander, brings his own officers, so Sharpe is demoted to lieutenant and is humiliated by being put in charge of the baggage and losing command of his "chosen men" to an aristocratic officer (Marc Warren
Marc Warren
Marc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
) who purchased the commission
Sale of commissions
The sale of commissions was a common practice in most European armies where wealthy and noble officers purchased their rank. Only the Imperial Russian Army and the Prussian Army never used such a system. While initially shunned in the French Revolutionary Army, it was eventually revived in the...
of the South Essex's Light Company. Worse, one of the reinforcements is Sergeant Obidiah Hakeswill (Pete Postlethwaite
Pete Postlethwaite
Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr...
), an old enemy from Sharpe's days in India.
Meanwhile, Sharpe's lover, Teresa (Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna
Assumpta Serna is a Spanish actress. She is known for her roles in I, The Worst of All portraying famous Mexican religious scholar Sor Juana, Nostradamus, The Craft, and Wild Orchid, although she may be most remembered for her role as Peninsular War guerrilla commander Teresa Moreno in the first...
), tells him that he has a baby daughter living with her family in Badajoz
Badajoz
Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257....
, the second fortress town. Not knowing who she is, Hakeswill tries to rape her, but proves no match for her. Teresa then slips into Badajoz to spy on the French and to see her baby.
To cause trouble for Sharpe, Hakeswill steals from the officers and plants a picture frame belonging to Windham in the kit of Sharpe's right hand man, Sergeant Harper (Daragh O'Malley
Daragh O'Malley
Daragh O'Malley is an Irish film, theatre and television actor, best known for his portrayal of the much loved and ever faithful but rather fearsome Patrick Harper in the legendary Sharpe TV series along side Sean Bean...
). When it is found, the colonel has Harper flogged. Later, during a night skirmish, a turncoat French soldier escapes the besieged town, bearing a dispatch and a letter from Teresa, but he is shot and killed. Sharpe recovers the letter, which contains a map showing where she is staying, but on his way back Hakeswill tries to shoot Sharpe in the confusion, but kills a young ensign (William Mannering) who has the misfortune to step in front of him at that exact moment.
Eventually, the walls of Badajoz are breached
Battle of Badajoz (1812)
In the Battle of Badajoz , the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieged Badajoz, Spain and forced the surrender of the French garrison....
, but the first assault falters. Sharpe rallies the men and leads them into the town. Hakeswill gets to Teresa first due to the letter he stole from Sharpe, but Sharpe is not far behind and foils his evil plans. However, Hakeswill manages to get away.
For his bravery and because many of the other officers have been killed, Sharpe gets back command of his Light Company. Harper is exonerated when he finds the missing portrait of Windham's wife hidden in Hakeswill's shako
Shako
A shako is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a peak or visor and sometimes tapered at the top...
and returns it to the colonel.
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Sean Bean Sean Bean Shaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe... |
Richard Sharpe Richard Sharpe (fictional character) Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean.... |
| Daragh O'Malley Daragh O'Malley Daragh O'Malley is an Irish film, theatre and television actor, best known for his portrayal of the much loved and ever faithful but rather fearsome Patrick Harper in the legendary Sharpe TV series along side Sean Bean... |
Sergeant Patrick Harper |
| Assumpta Serna Assumpta Serna Assumpta Serna is a Spanish actress. She is known for her roles in I, The Worst of All portraying famous Mexican religious scholar Sor Juana, Nostradamus, The Craft, and Wild Orchid, although she may be most remembered for her role as Peninsular War guerrilla commander Teresa Moreno in the first... |
Comandante Teresa Moreno |
| Clive Francis Clive Francis -Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star... |
Colonel Windham |
| Nicholas Jones Nicholas Jones (actor) Nicholas Jones is an English character actor. His older sister is actress Gemma Jones. They are the children of actor Griffith Jones.... |
Colonel Fletcher |
| Michael Byrne Michael Byrne (actor) Michael Byrne is an English actor noted for his roles on film and television. He has often been cast in Nazi military roles such as Colonel Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Obergruppenführer Odilo Globocnik in the BBC radio dramatisation of the novel Fatherland by Robert Harris... |
Major Nairn |
| Hugh Fraser Hugh Fraser (actor) Hugh Fraser is an English actor and theatre director.-Early life:Born in London but raised in the East Midlands, Fraser studied acting at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art... |
Sir Arthur Wellesley Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century... |
| Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane Michael Cochrane is an English actor who specialises in playing upper class characters, sometimes with a suaveness that hides their villainy.... |
Sir Henry Simmerson |
| Pete Postlethwaite Pete Postlethwaite Peter William "Pete" Postlethwaite, OBE, was an English stage, film and television actor.After minor television appearances including in The Professionals, Postlethwaite's first success came with the film Distant Voices, Still Lives in 1988. He played a mysterious lawyer, Mr... |
Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill |
| Michael Mears | Rifleman Francis Cooper |
| John Tams John Tams John Tams is an English actor, singer, songwriter, composer and musician.- Folk musician :John Tams was a member of Derbyshire folk group Muckram Wakes in the 1970s, then worked with Ashley Hutchings as singer and melodeon-player on albums including Son of Morris On, and as a member of the... |
Rifleman Daniel Hagman |
| Jason Salkey Jason Salkey Jason Salkey is an English actor. He played Rifleman Harris in Sharpe, and Paul Lang in The Bill. He has also been in Bergerac, Boon, Wycliffe, About a Boy, and In America.... |
Rifleman Harris |
| Lyndon Davies | Rifleman Ben Perkins |
| William Mannering | Ensign Matthews |
| Scott Cleverdon Scott Cleverdon Scott Cleverdon is a Scottish actor best known as the angel Pyriel in the movie The Prophecy 3: The Ascent. He has also done significant voice acting.... |
Lieutenant Harry Price |
| Robert Morgan | Major Collett |
| Peter Gunn | Private Clayton |
| Louise Germaine Louise Germaine Louise Germaine is an English actress and model best known for her appearance as usherette Sylvia Berry in the 1993 Dennis Potter serial Lipstick on Your Collar... |
Sally Clayton |
| Soo Drouet | Mrs. Grimes |
| Marc Warren Marc Warren Marc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:... |
Captain Rymer |
| Peter Birrel Peter Birrel Peter Birrel was an English actor.He played numerous bit parts in British TV series for nearly forty years.... |
Don Moreno |
| Tat Whalley | Hope |
| Jérôme Pradon Jérôme Pradon Jérôme Pradon is an actor and singer who has performed in the West End, Paris and various other places around the world. He was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine, France on 3 June 1964.- Theatre :... |
Reynier |