First broadcast: 1981
Stars: Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrews, John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Diana Quick
Click for clips, star interviews and slideshow from the new film
Adapted by: John Mortimer, based on Evelyn Waugh’s bestseller
The lowdown: One of the finest, most expensive ITV serials, Brideshead Revisited set the benchmark for others to follow. It launched the career of film star Jeremy Irons and co-starred a host of A-listers, including Sir Laurence Olivier in one of his most acclaimed TV roles. Off screen, the drama was just as intense. Filming was almost ruined by a broadcasting union strike in 1979, which put the production on hold.
Memorable moment: Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) first meets Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews) in Oxford. Charles’s father (Edward Ryder) pretends his friend is an American. The opening credits with Geoffrey Burgon’s exquisite score and the beautiful setting of Castle Howard in North Yorkshire.
Trivia: The show won seven awards at the Baftas in 1982, with the Best Actor gong Anthony Andrews.
Sebastian's teddy bear, Aloysius, was based on a real one called Archie. It belonged to John Betjeman, one of Waugh's pals from his Oxford days.
A big screen remake of Brideshead Revisited is currently in production, with Emily Blunt, Emma Thompson and Michael Gambon among the all-star cast.
