White Heat (TV series)
White Heat is a British television drama series, written by Paula Milne, and first broadcast on BBC Two from 8 March to 12 April 2012. The series follows seven students who first meet in a London, Tufnell Park[1] flatshare in 1965 and consists of six one-hour episodes, set in 1965, 1967, 1973, 1979, 1982 and 1990.
| White Heat | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Paula Milne |
| Directed by | John Alexander |
| Starring | Lindsay Duncan Michael Kitchen |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Kate Bartlett Paula Milne Lucy Richer |
| Producer | Elinor Day |
| Cinematography | Matt Gray BSC |
| Editor | Roy Sharman |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 8 March – 12 April 2012 |
The series was trailed in Radio Times with an article titled Our Friends in the South, an echo of Peter Flannery's 1996 television series Our Friends in the North. Milne herself rejected a direct comparison, however; "Our Friends in the North was absolutely seminal. But it didn't have a lot to do with women, and it didn't have a lot to do with race, and it didn't have a lot to do with sexual politics." Milne, who had experience of both the Central School of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art in the mid-1960s, said her experience most tallied with that of the character Lilly (MyAnna Buring).
"The mix of the personal and the political is framed by a flash-forward to the present day, in which the house is revisited by the former friends after one of their number dies and makes them the executors of his or her will."[2] The identity of the dead character is withheld until the final episode.
Milne has said she thinks its theme is "the disappointment of the Left. [...] Edward, Jack's father, says to Jack during the 1979 episode (when Margaret Thatcher is elected), that 'this is the end of consensus politics and it's you guys who opened the door and let her in. Just remember that'. Fucking right they did. Excuse my French."[2]
The title of the sixth episode comes from the nickname for the Japanese forest Aokigahara.
Episodes edit
- The Past Is a Foreign Country – 8 March 2012
- Eve of Destruction – 15 March 2012
- The Dark Side of the Moon – 22 March 2012
- The Personal Is Political – 29 March 2012
- The Eye of the Needle – 5 April 2012
- The Sea of Trees – 12 April 2012
Cast edit
| Character | Young | Old |
|---|---|---|
| Lily | MyAnna Buring | Lindsay Duncan |
| Jack Walsh | Sam Claflin | Michael Kitchen |
| Alan | Lee Ingleby | Paul Copley |
| Orla | Jessica Gunning | Sorcha Cusack |
| Charlotte Pew | Claire Foy | Juliet Stevenson |
| Jay | Reece Ritchie | Ramon Tikaram |
| Victor | David Gyasi | Hugh Quarshie |
Supporting cast edit
- Beth Pew – Tamsin Greig
- Miles – Richard Lintern
- Edward Walsh – Jeremy Northam
- Derek Bowden – Julian Barratt
- Val – Karen Henthorn
- Frank – Geoff Leesley
- Leo – Euan MacNaughton
- Boris – Tim Barlow
- Alec – William Bliss
- Alicia – Rebecca Calder
- Stephen – Brendan Foster
- Saaghoor – Abhin Galeya
- Emma – Abigail Guiver
- TJ – Emma Hartley-Miller
- Granger – Adam Leese
- Gareth – Jonathan Readwin
- Aasif – Akshay Kumar
- Nancy – Sally Mortemore
- Connor – Andrew Simpson
- Ewan – Christian Roe
- Owen – Adam Woodroffe
- Leah – Holly Weston
Music used in the series edit
Episode 1 edit
- Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze
- Petula Clark – Downtown
- Dusty Springfield
- The Who – My Generation
- The Yardbirds – For Your Love
- The McCoys – Hang On Sloopy
- The Kinks – You Really Got Me
Episode 2 edit
- The Pretty Things – S.F. Sorrow
- The Spencer Davis Group – Gimme Some Lovin
- Bob Dylan – The Times They Are a-Changin'
- Elton John – Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Episode 3 edit
Episode 4 edit
Episode 5 edit
Filming locations edit
Although notionally set in Tufnell Park,[1] exterior shots of the house were filmed in Avenue Park Road, Tulse Hill,[3] on the other side of London. The property has subsequently been refurbished, and as of April 2011 was for sale at £1.6 million.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b Weldon, Fay; Soames, Emma; Howe, Darcus; Whitehorn, Katharine; McGough, Roger; Roberts, Yvonne (11 March 2012). "Has White Heat got the 1960s right?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b The Independent, Talking about her generation, 29 February 2012 [1]
- ^ [2] [dead link]
- ^ "Properties for sale in West Norwood, SE27 through Foxtons Estate Agents". www.foxtons.co.uk.
External links edit
- White Heat at BBC Online
- White Heat at IMDb