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GEM screens original House of Cards (UK)

Before there was Frank Underwood there was Francis Urquhart.

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Before there was Frank Underwood there was Francis Urquhart as played by Ian Richardson in the original British production of House of Cards.

The 4 part series aired in 1990 in the UK and became the basis for the US adaptation.

GEM will screen this series on Tuesday nights from tomorrow, if you were interested in comparing with the Netflix series, featuring Kevin Spacey.

Urquhart is the perfect politician. Impeccably diplomatic, charming, admired, trusted and respected by all. But events are about to spark his ambition. When he is passed over for promotion by a new party leader, he hatches a dastardly plot revenge.

8:40pm Tuesday on GEM

16 Responses

  1. It’s a wonderful show – and it illustrates once again that when the British create a top show, and the Americans “convert” it to what is needed for their audiences, the show always suffers.

    But this is the British thing, and it’s great.

    But – why did Gem start with the first show in the series and then, the following week, they broadcast the third show. And then they’ve pulled it!

    Why do they treat their audience like this – especially after all the promotion they gave it?

  2. Has lost none of its bite, I recently watched the whole 3 series the original and I have seen the US version, but in my mind the original is still the best!

  3. Is it just House of Cards or the full Trilogy? (To Play a King and The Final Cut) I just finished watching it on Netflix a few days ago and you can’t just stop at House of Cards

  4. OMG…I remember this now…seeing the pic….I have never watched the new one….and did not even put the two together…..*senior moment*

    1. It’s one of the classic TV shows of the 1990s and a great political conspiracy drama. It has a terrific script by Andrew Davies and Ian Richardson is brilliant. I watched it on cable a couple of years ago and it holds up well (there’s one sex scene with some role play that’s a bit silly towards the end).

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