The Jewel in the Crown
Encyclopedia
The Jewel in the Crown (1984) is a British television serial about the final days of the British Raj
in India during World War II, based upon the Raj Quartet
novels by Paul Scott. Granada Television
produced it for the ITV
network.
and the Indian independence movement
. Hari Kumar (Art Malik
) is a young Indian man who was educated at the British
public school (the term for a private school
) 'Chillingborough' and considers himself English
rather than Indian. He works as a journalist
in India, lives with his aunt, and becomes involved with a British woman, Daphne Manners. One night, Daphne and Hari are attacked in the Bibighar Gardens by a group of unknown men and Daphne is raped.
A lower-middle class British police officer, Ronald Merrick, holds Hari responsible for the rape and puts him in prison where he tortures him, even though he knows him to be innocent. Merrick's motives are twofold: he resents Hari's privileged education as well as the fact that Daphne preferred Hari to him (Merrick had previously proposed to Daphne and was rejected). Moreover, as becomes explicit in a later episode of the series, Merrick is a repressed homosexual who is not consciously aware of his attraction to Hari. This story becomes the backdrop for a number of intertwining subplots during the end of the British Raj.
After Daphne's death in childbirth, another young British woman, Sarah Layton, becomes the central character. Like Daphne, Sarah is pursued by Merrick, but prefers his subordinate, Guy Perron. Sarah's sister, Susan, is married to the ineffectual Teddie Bingham, who is killed in an enemy attack despite Merrick's attempt to save his life. Merrick later marries Susan.
Hari Kumar is eventually released from prison, but rarely appears in the story. Merrick's activities are known by the authorities and disapproved of, and he dies in disgrace, although his sexual proclivities remain a secret from polite society.
The story line of the television series largely follows that of the novels although, unlike the novels, in the TV series events unfold in roughly chronological order. (In the novel, Hari Kumar does not appear, except in brief vignettes, until more than halfway through The Jewel in the Crown.) More detailed descriptions of the plots are available on the individual pages of the novels:
The first episode was double-length (105mins). All others were 52 minutes.
1. Crossing the river
Daphne Manners arrives in India for the first time and meets Hari Kumar.
2. The Bibighar Gardens
The controversy around Daphne's and Hari's relationship escalates to a surprising degree.
3. Questions of loyalty
Hari remains in prison while Daphne gives birth.
4. Incidents at a wedding
Merrick serves as best man at Teddy's and Susan's wedding.
5. The Regimental silver
Susan prepares to celebrate her 21st birthday.
6. Ordeal by fire
Merrick reveals the details of Teddy's death.
7. Daughters of the Regiment
Sarah is the centre of attention when she visits Aunt Fenny.
8. The day of the Scorpion
Sarah meets the Count while travelling home.
9. The towers of silence
Barbie falls ill after a visit to the home of Captain Coley.
10. An evening at the Maharanee's
Merrick interrogates some suspected traitors.
11. Travelling companions
Sarah is promoted to Sergeant.
12. The Moghul room
Perron investigates the secrets in Merrick's past.
13. Pandora's box
Susie struggles to regain her balance after Merrick's accident.
14. The division of the spoils
Merrick's demise is recounted in full.
and Charles Dance
. Other leading actors included Om Puri
, Peggy Ashcroft
(who won the BAFTA
Best TV Actress award for her performance), Tim Pigott-Smith
, Geraldine James
, Judy Parfitt
, Rachel Kempson
, Eric Porter
, Susan Wooldridge
, Saeed Jaffrey
, and Karan Kapoor
(son of Shashi Kapoor
and Jennifer Kendal
). The complexities of the plot ensured that no one character was at the centre of the action throughout, and, thanks to a flashback in the final part, only Ronald Merrick (Piggott-Smith) appeared in every episode (except for Episode 7, where he doesn't appear at all). All four "Best TV Actress" nominations at that year's BAFTAs went to stars of the series, with Ashcroft winning over Wooldridge, James and Parfitt. Pigott-Smith won Best TV Actor.
It was shot on 16mm film, much of it on location in India. The programme was often screened from grainy prints, but was fully remastered for its 2005 DVD
release and ITV3
screening, resulting in much better picture quality.
The series is often mentioned in the same breath as Brideshead Revisited
. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
drawn up by the British Film Institute
in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, The Jewel in the Crown was placed 22nd.
there was "a cycle of film and television productions which emerged during the first half of the 1980s, which seemed to indicate Britain's growing preoccupation with India, Empire and a particular aspect of British cultural history" http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/J/htmlJ/jewelinthe/jewelinthe.htm. In addition to The Jewel in the Crown, this cycle also included Gandhi
(1982), Heat and Dust
(1983), The Far Pavilions
(1984) and A Passage to India
(1984). The trend was spoofed on The Lenny Henry Show
in the mid-1980s with a mock serial called The Jewel in India's Passage.
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
in India during World War II, based upon the Raj Quartet
Raj Quartet
The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. The Times called it "one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction."The story of The Raj Quartet begins...
novels by Paul Scott. Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
produced it for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network.
Plot
The film opens in the fictional Indian city of Mayapore and is set during the 1940s against the backdrop of the last days of the British RajBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and the Indian independence movement
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
. Hari Kumar (Art Malik
Art Malik
Art Malik is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant-Ivory television serials and films...
) is a young Indian man who was educated at the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
public school (the term for a private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
) 'Chillingborough' and considers himself English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rather than Indian. He works as a journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
in India, lives with his aunt, and becomes involved with a British woman, Daphne Manners. One night, Daphne and Hari are attacked in the Bibighar Gardens by a group of unknown men and Daphne is raped.
A lower-middle class British police officer, Ronald Merrick, holds Hari responsible for the rape and puts him in prison where he tortures him, even though he knows him to be innocent. Merrick's motives are twofold: he resents Hari's privileged education as well as the fact that Daphne preferred Hari to him (Merrick had previously proposed to Daphne and was rejected). Moreover, as becomes explicit in a later episode of the series, Merrick is a repressed homosexual who is not consciously aware of his attraction to Hari. This story becomes the backdrop for a number of intertwining subplots during the end of the British Raj.
After Daphne's death in childbirth, another young British woman, Sarah Layton, becomes the central character. Like Daphne, Sarah is pursued by Merrick, but prefers his subordinate, Guy Perron. Sarah's sister, Susan, is married to the ineffectual Teddie Bingham, who is killed in an enemy attack despite Merrick's attempt to save his life. Merrick later marries Susan.
Hari Kumar is eventually released from prison, but rarely appears in the story. Merrick's activities are known by the authorities and disapproved of, and he dies in disgrace, although his sexual proclivities remain a secret from polite society.
The story line of the television series largely follows that of the novels although, unlike the novels, in the TV series events unfold in roughly chronological order. (In the novel, Hari Kumar does not appear, except in brief vignettes, until more than halfway through The Jewel in the Crown.) More detailed descriptions of the plots are available on the individual pages of the novels:
- The Jewel in the Crown (novel)The Jewel in the Crown (novel)The Jewel in the Crown is the 1966 novel by Paul Scott that starts his Raj Quartet.-Plot introduction:Much of the novel is written in the form of interviews and reports of conversations and research from the point of view of a narrator. Other portions are in the form of letters from one character...
- The Day of the ScorpionThe Day of the ScorpionThe Day of the Scorpion is the 1968 novel by Paul Scott, the second in his Raj Quartet.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in British India of the 1940s. it follows on the from the storyline in the The Jewel in the Crown....
- The Towers of SilenceThe Towers of SilenceThe Towers of Silence is the 1971 novel by Paul Scott that continues his Raj Quartet. It gets its title from the Parsi Towers of Silence where the bodies of the dead are left to be picked clean by vultures. The novel is set in the British Raj of 1940s India...
- A Division of the SpoilsA Division of the SpoilsA Division of the Spoils is the 1975 novel by Paul Scott that concludes his Raj Quartet.-Plot introduction:The novel is set in the British Raj. It follows on from the storyline in the The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, and The Towers of Silence...
TV series episode titles
The following titles are as given on the DVD release.The first episode was double-length (105mins). All others were 52 minutes.
1. Crossing the river
Daphne Manners arrives in India for the first time and meets Hari Kumar.
2. The Bibighar Gardens
The controversy around Daphne's and Hari's relationship escalates to a surprising degree.
3. Questions of loyalty
Hari remains in prison while Daphne gives birth.
4. Incidents at a wedding
Merrick serves as best man at Teddy's and Susan's wedding.
5. The Regimental silver
Susan prepares to celebrate her 21st birthday.
6. Ordeal by fire
Merrick reveals the details of Teddy's death.
7. Daughters of the Regiment
Sarah is the centre of attention when she visits Aunt Fenny.
8. The day of the Scorpion
Sarah meets the Count while travelling home.
9. The towers of silence
Barbie falls ill after a visit to the home of Captain Coley.
10. An evening at the Maharanee's
Merrick interrogates some suspected traitors.
11. Travelling companions
Sarah is promoted to Sergeant.
12. The Moghul room
Perron investigates the secrets in Merrick's past.
13. Pandora's box
Susie struggles to regain her balance after Merrick's accident.
14. The division of the spoils
Merrick's demise is recounted in full.
Production and reviews
The series made stars of Art MalikArt Malik
Art Malik is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant-Ivory television serials and films...
and Charles Dance
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
. Other leading actors included Om Puri
Om Puri
Om Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
, Peggy Ashcroft
Peggy Ashcroft
Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
(who won the BAFTA
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is a charity in the United Kingdom that hosts annual awards shows for excellence in film, television, television craft, video games and forms of animation.-Introduction:...
Best TV Actress award for her performance), Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith
Tim Pigott-Smith is an English film and television actor.-Early life:Pigott-Smith was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the son of Margaret Muriel and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon, and...
, Geraldine James
Geraldine James
Geraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
, Judy Parfitt
Judy Parfitt
Judy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
, Rachel Kempson
Rachel Kempson
Rachel, Lady Redgrave , known primarily by her birth name as Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.-Career:...
, Eric Porter
Eric Porter
Eric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
, Susan Wooldridge
Susan Wooldridge
Susan Wooldridge , is the daughter of British actress Margaretta Scott and composer John Wooldridge. She is also the sister of Hugh Wooldridge.She was born in London, England, and educated at convent schools....
, Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey
Saeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
, and Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor
Karan Kapoor, Indian actor and model of the 1980s, is a member of the famous Kapoor family, an influential film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema.-Career:...
(son of Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...
and Jennifer Kendal
Jennifer Kendal
Jennifer Kapoor - born Jennifer Kendal - was a British actress who married Shashi Kapoor of the Kapoor family.-Childhood:Jennifer Kendal was born in Southport, England, but spent much of her youth in India...
). The complexities of the plot ensured that no one character was at the centre of the action throughout, and, thanks to a flashback in the final part, only Ronald Merrick (Piggott-Smith) appeared in every episode (except for Episode 7, where he doesn't appear at all). All four "Best TV Actress" nominations at that year's BAFTAs went to stars of the series, with Ashcroft winning over Wooldridge, James and Parfitt. Pigott-Smith won Best TV Actor.
It was shot on 16mm film, much of it on location in India. The programme was often screened from grainy prints, but was fully remastered for its 2005 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release and ITV3
ITV3
ITV3 is an entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom that is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. The channel was launched on 1 November 2004. ITV3 is the second largest UK multi-channel, second only to ITV2.-History:...
screening, resulting in much better picture quality.
The series is often mentioned in the same breath as Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited (TV serial)
Brideshead Revisited is a 1981 British television serial produced by Granada Television for broadcast by the ITV network. The teleplay is based on Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited...
. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes
100 Greatest British Television Programmes
The BFI TV 100 is a list compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute , chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest British television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened....
drawn up by the British Film Institute
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, The Jewel in the Crown was placed 22nd.
Select Cast
- Peggy AshcroftPeggy AshcroftDame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE was an English actress.-Early years:Born as Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, Ashcroft attended the Woodford School, Croydon and the Central School of Speech and Drama...
- Barbara Batchelor - Derrick Branche - Ahmed Kasim
- Charles DanceCharles DanceWalter Charles Dance, OBE is an English actor, screenwriter and director. Dance typically plays assertive bureaucrats or villains. His most famous roles are Guy Perron in The Jewel in the Crown , Dr Clemens, the doctor of penitentiary Fury 161, who becomes Ellen Ripley's confidante in Alien 3 ,...
- Sgt. Guy Perron - Geraldine JamesGeraldine JamesGeraldine James, OBE is an English actress.-Early life and family:James was born in Maidenhead, Berkshire, to a cardiologist father...
- Sarah Layton - Rachel KempsonRachel KempsonRachel, Lady Redgrave , known primarily by her birth name as Rachel Kempson, was an English actress. She married Sir Michael Redgrave, and was the matriarch of the famous acting dynasty.-Career:...
- Lady Ethel Manners - Art MalikArt MalikArt Malik is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant-Ivory television serials and films...
- Hari Kumar - Wendy MorganWendy Morgan (actress)Wendy Morgan is an English actress. She won the award of Best Newcomer — Actress at the Evening Standard British Film Awards in 1980.-Television appearances:...
- Susan Layton - Judy ParfittJudy ParfittJudy Parfitt is a BAFTA-nominated English theatre, film and television actress who began her career on stage in 1954.-Life and work:...
- Mildred Layton - Tim Pigott-SmithTim Pigott-SmithTim Pigott-Smith is an English film and television actor.-Early life:Pigott-Smith was born in Rugby, Warwickshire, the son of Margaret Muriel and Harry Thomas Pigott-Smith, who was a journalist. He was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School, Leicester, King Edward VI School Stratford-upon-Avon, and...
- Supt./Capt/Maj./Lt. Col. Ronald Merrick - Eric PorterEric PorterEric Richard Porter was an English actor of stage, film and television.-Early life:Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth Spall...
- Count Dmitri Bronowsky - Susan WooldridgeSusan WooldridgeSusan Wooldridge , is the daughter of British actress Margaretta Scott and composer John Wooldridge. She is also the sister of Hugh Wooldridge.She was born in London, England, and educated at convent schools....
- Daphne Manners - Ralph ArlissRalph ArlissRalph Arliss is a British actor.His television credits include: Doctor Who , Z Cars, The Sweeney, Survivors, Return of the Saint, Secret Army, Love for Lydia, Shoestring, Airline, The Jewel in the Crown, Dempsey & Makepeace, Call Me Mister, Boon, Prime Suspect, Casualty and The...
- Capt. Samuels - Geoffrey BeeversGeoffrey BeeversGeoffrey Beevers is a British actor who has appeared in many different television roles.Beevers has worked extensively at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond upon Thames, both as an actor ; and as an adaptor/director of George Eliot's novel Adam Bede , for which he won a Time Out Award, and Balzac's...
- Capt. Kevin Coley - James BreeJames BreeJames Bree was a British actor who played many supporting roles in both film and television.Bree was educated at Radley College and during World War II served in the RAF. He later trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama...
- Maj./Lt. Col. Arthur Grace - Jeremy ChildJeremy ChildSir Coles John "Jeremy" Child, 3rd Baronet is an English actor.He was born in Woking, England and educated at Eton College, as well as trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After appearing in repertory theatre, he was cast in a significant role in the 1967 film Privilege...
- Robin White - Warren ClarkeWarren Clarke-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
- Cpl. "Sophie" Dixon - Rowena CooperRowena CooperRowena Cooper is an actress who appeared in the last three series of Rumpole of the Bailey as the wife of Chambers Head Sam Ballard; and also appeared in other roles on television. She is married to actor Terrence Hardiman.-Notes:...
- Connie White - Anna CropperAnna CropperAnna Cropper was a British stage and television actress.-Career:Cropper studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. She made her television debut as Chrysalis in "The Insect Play" in 1960, based on the 1921 play by Czechs Josef and Karel Capek...
- Nicky Paynton - Fabia DrakeFabia DrakeFabia Drake OBE was an English actress whose professional career spanned almost 73 years during the 20th century.Drake was born in Herne Bay, Kent...
- Mabel Layton - Nicholas FarrellNicholas FarrellNicholas Farrell is an English stage, film and television actor. His early screen career included the role of Aubrey Montague in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. In 1983, he starred as Edmund Bertram in a television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel, Mansfield Park...
- Edward "Teddie" Bingham - Matyelok Gibbs - Sister Ludmila Smith
- Carol Gillies - Clarissa Peplow
- Rennee Goddard - Dr. Anna Klaus
- Jonathan Haley and Nicholas Haley - Edward Bingham Jr.
- Saeed JaffreySaeed JaffreySaeed Jaffrey OBE is an Indian-born British actor, who has done numerous British movies. He was born in Malerkotla, Punjab...
- the Nawab of Mirat - Karan KapoorKaran KapoorKaran Kapoor, Indian actor and model of the 1980s, is a member of the famous Kapoor family, an influential film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema.-Career:...
- Colin Lindsey - Rashid Karapiet - Judge Menen
- Kamini KaushalKamini KaushalKamini Kaushal is a Hindi film and television actress, most noted for her roles in films like Neecha Nagar which won the 1946 Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and Biraj Bahu which won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1955.-Early life:Kaushal was born to a botanist and professor at...
- Shalini Sengupta - Rosemary LeachRosemary LeachRosemary Leach is a British stage, television and film actress.She was born at Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Her parents were teachers related to Edmund Leach. She attended grammar school and RADA...
- Fenella "Fenny" Grace - David LelandDavid LelandDavid Leland is a director, screenwriter and actor who came to international fame with his directorial debut Wish You Were Here in 1987.-Life:...
- Capt. Leonard Purvis - Nicholas Le PrevostNicholas Le PrevostNicholas Le Prevost is an English actor. He was educated at Shaftesbury Grammar School, Shaftesbury, Dorset from 1957 to 1961 and at Kingswood School, Bath from 1961 to 1964...
- Capt. Nigel Rowan - Marne MaitlandMarne MaitlandJames Marne Maitland was an Anglo-Indian character actor in British films and television programmes.He made his film debut in Cairo Road , and went onto be type cast as villains from the Far East, particularly for Hammer Film Productions...
- Pandit Baba - Jamila MasseyJamila MasseyJamila Massey is an Indian actress and writer. Massey has had a long career on UK television and radio. She is possibly best known for playing Auntie Satya in the long running radio soap The Archers, Jamila Ranjha in Mind Your Language, and her role as Neelam Kapoor in EastEnders.-Early...
- Maharanee Aimee - Zia MohyeddinZia MohyeddinZia Mohyeddin is a Pakistani actor famed for his voice.He was born in Faisalabad, , British India in a Urdu Speaking Family. He passed his early life in Karachi. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from 1953-1956...
- Mohammad Ali Kasim - Salmaan Peerzada - Sayed Kasim
- Om PuriOm PuriOm Puri is an Indian actor who has appeared in both mainstream Indian films and art films. His credits also include appearances in British and American films. He has received an honorary OBE.-Early life:...
- Mr. de Souza - Stephen Riddle - Capt. Dicky Beauvais
- Norman Rutherford - Edgar Maybrick
- Dev Sagoo - S.V. Vidyasagar
- Zohra SehgalZohra SehgalZohra Segal is an Indian stage and film actress, who started her career as dancer with dancer Uday Shankar in 1935 and worked with him for the next eight years. She has appeared in many Bollywood films as well as English language films and television series...
- Lili Chatterjee - Frederick TrevesFrederick Treves (actor)Frederick William Treves BEM, is an English character actor with an extensive repertoire, specialising in avuncular military and titled types....
- Lt. Col. John Layton - Stuart Wilson - Capt. James Clark
- Leslie GranthamLeslie GranthamLeslie Michael Grantham is an English actor best known for his role as "Dirty" Den Watts in the soap opera EastEnders. He is also a convicted murderer, having served 10 years for the killing of a German taxi driver, and he generated significant press coverage as the result of an online sex scandal...
- Signals Sergeant
Broader context
According to the Museum of Broadcast CommunicationsMuseum of Broadcast Communications
The Museum of Broadcast Communications is an American museum that currently exists exclusively on the Internet and not in any physical capacity. Its stated mission is "to collect, preserve, and present historic and contemporary radio and television content as well as educate, inform and entertain...
there was "a cycle of film and television productions which emerged during the first half of the 1980s, which seemed to indicate Britain's growing preoccupation with India, Empire and a particular aspect of British cultural history" http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/J/htmlJ/jewelinthe/jewelinthe.htm. In addition to The Jewel in the Crown, this cycle also included Gandhi
Gandhi (film)
Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both...
(1982), Heat and Dust
Heat and Dust (film)
Heat and Dust is a 1983 romantic drama film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel, Heat and Dust. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant...
(1983), The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions
The Far Pavilions is an epic novel of British-Indian history by M. M. Kaye, first published in 1978, which tells the story of an English officer during the Great Game. The novel, rooted deeply in the romantic epics of the 19th century, has been hailed as a masterpiece of storytelling...
(1984) and A Passage to India
A Passage to India (film)
A Passage to India is a 1984 drama film written and directed by David Lean. The screenplay is based on the 1924 novel of the same title by E. M. Forster and the 1960 play by Santha Rama Rau that was inspired by the novel....
(1984). The trend was spoofed on The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show
The Lenny Henry Show is a comedy sketch show featuring Lenny Henry. In its first incarnation it ran for two seasons on BBC 1, in 1984 and 1985. Each season had six episodes. A 40-minute special was aired in December 1987...
in the mid-1980s with a mock serial called The Jewel in India's Passage.
See also
- "Jewel in the Crown" is also a song by Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
on his 1998 album Tubular Bells IIITubular Bells IIITubular Bells III is the 18th album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1998. A sequel to Oldfield's 1973 Tubular Bells and his 1992 Tubular Bells II albums, it was released on the 25th anniversary of the first Tubular Bells album....
.