First Among Equals (1986) [10 of 10]

Episode 10 (Dec. 2 1986) : Simon and Charles battle to be leader of the Conservative party, but one of them suffers a blow that changes his perspective on politics. A general election is called and two of the MPs are in the running for prime minister--with the third holding the deciding vote.

First Among Equals is a ten-part serial based on Jeffrey Archer's 1984 novel 'First Among Equals'. As in the novel, the series follows the careers and personal lives of four fictional British politicians (Simon Kerslake, MP for Coventry Central and later Pucklebridge; Charles Seymour, MP for Sussex Downs; Raymond Gould, MP for Leeds North; and Andrew Fraser, MP for Edinburgh Carlton) from 1964 to 1991, with each vying to become Prime Minister. Several situations in the novel are drawn from Archer's own early political career in the British House of Commons. While the novel depicts the fictional characters interacting with actual political figures from the UK and elsewhere (including Winston Churchill, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Margaret Thatcher, Douglas Hurd, Colonel Gaddafi, Gary Hart and Queen Elizabeth II), this adaptation uses different names for the real-life politicians.

The teleplay was written by Derek Marlowe and the series was directed by Brian Mills. It stars Jeremy Child, James Faulkner, David Robb, and Tom Wilkinson. The excellent theme music was composed by Richard Harvey.