The Forsyte Saga (1967 series)
| The Forsyte Saga | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | John Galsworthy |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Eric Coates |
| Opening theme | 'Halcyon Days' from The Three Elizabeths |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Donald Wilson |
| Production company(s) | BBC |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC2 |
| Picture format | 4:3, Black and white |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 7 January – 1 July 1967 |
The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy's series of The Forsyte Saga novels, and its sequel trilogy A Modern Comedy. The series follows the fortunes of the upper middle class Forsyte family, and stars Eric Porter as Soames, Kenneth More as Young Jolyon and Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene.
It was adapted for television and produced by Donald Wilson and was originally shown in twenty-six episodes on Saturday evenings between 7 January and 1 July 1967 on BBC2, at a time when only a small proportion of the population had television sets able to receive the channel. It was therefore the Sunday night repeat run on BBC1, starting on 8 September 1968, that secured the programme's success with 18 million tuning in for the final episode in 1969.
It was shown in the United States on public television and broadcast all over the world, and became the first BBC television series to be sold to the Soviet Union.
Donald Wilson initially intended to produce the series as a 15-part serial adapted by Constance Cox in 1959. However, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer held the rights to the novels, having adapted the first novel A Man of Property into That Forsyte Woman in 1949. After a distribution arrangement with MGM was reached in 1965, the series developed into a groundbreaking 26-part serial, depicting the fortunes of the Forsyte family between 1879 and 1926.
The Forsyte Saga was the last major British drama serial to be made in black and white, even though the BBC was beginning to equip for full-time colour transmission. In an interview for the DVD release, Wilson admits he would have loved to have shot the programme in colour, but delaying recording would have meant re-casting and he felt he had the perfect cast for the adaptation. The series was a gamble for the BBC, with a budget of £10,000 per episode.
...
Wikipedia