The Governor (TV series)

The Governor is a 1977 New Zealand docudrama television miniseries on Sir George Grey, co-produced by TV One and the National Film Unit, with Grey played by English actor Corin Redgrave. There are six parts, screened from Sunday 2 October 1977; the series has not been rescreened as TV One omitted to obtain repeat rights.

The series is about Sir George Grey as Governor of New Zealand from 1845–53 and 1861–68. In the nineteenth century he was both Governor and (later) Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Governor of South Australia and Governor of the Cape Colony. Neville describes him as “a Victorian gentleman, a drug addict (he used laudanum) and a lecher”. The cost (with over-runs) was $1 million, and Prime Minister Rob Muldoon instigated an investigation by the parliamentary public expenditure committee into budgeting and the control of expenditure in television. The series also aroused controversy because of the emphasis on Grey’s private life, and the dialogue in the Māori language, often without subtitles.

Keith Aberdein wrote the script, from an idea by Michael A. Noonan, and carried out his own historical research and interviews. The series was produced by Tony Isaac. It won the 1978 Feltex Award for best drama, and Episode 4 won the award for best script.

There was an American TV series of the 1960s with a similar name (The Governor and J.J.).

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