This BBC production dramatised the novel by Anne Brontë (the least known of the three Brontë sisters) over four consecutive Saturdays over the Christmas/New Year period, beginning on 28 December 1968.
Adapted for television by celebrated playwright Christian Fry, the four episodes preserved the tone, intentions and scale of judgements of the novel remarkably well, while eliminating the lengthy (and messy) editorial descriptions.
Secretive young widow Helen Graham (Janet Munro) and her son move into the long-abandoned Elizabethan mansion of Wildfell Hall in Yorkshire. Her fiercely independent lifestyle and refusal to socialise soon spark intense gossip and malicious rumours among the local villagers.
She especially attracts the interest of local farmer Gilbert Markham (Bryan Marshall). As they grow closer, he refuses to believe the town gossip that she is having an affair with her landlord, Lawrence (William Gaunt).
To clear her name, Helen hands Gilbert her private diary.
Helen’s diary reveals her tragic past: she married a wealthy, charismatic man named Arthur Huntingdon (Corin Redgrave) who quickly degenerated into a cruel, debauched and violent alcoholic man who engaged in frequent affairs and brought his corrupt friends into their home.
Fearing her husband would completely corrupt their young son, Arthur (Jeremy Burring), Helen committed what was then a serious crime: she secretly fled her husband, took her son, and began a new life using an assumed name (supported by her brother, Lawrence).
After reading the diary, Gilbert vows to protect her secret.
Eventually, Helen returns to care for a dying Huntingdon until his end. After a series of misunderstandings, Helen (now a wealthy widow) and Gilbert are finally reunited and marry.
Not to be confused with the 1996 BBC miniseries starring Tara Fitzgerald and Toby Stephens, which was criticised by Brontë purists who disliked the structural changes in the new production and the rushed conclusion.
Helen Graham/Huntingdon
Janet Munro Gilbert Markham
Bryan Marshall Mr Lawrence
William Gaunt Rachel
Margery Withers Arthur Huntingdon
Corin Redgrave Mrs Markham
Megs Jenkins Fergus Markham
Anthony May Benson
Charles Lamb Arthur
Jeremy Burring Lady Annabella Lowborough
Angela Browne Millicent Hargrave
Janet Key Hattersley
Donald Burton Walter Hargrave
Jonathan Newth Lord Lowborough
John Quentin Esther Hargrave
Nicola Davies Mrs Maxwell
Jean Anderson Rose
Felicity Kendal Eliza Millward
Suzan Farmer Miss Myers
Valerie Van Ost
Episodes
Recluse | Marriage | Revolt | Pursuit
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Adapted for television by celebrated playwright Christian Fry, the four episodes preserved the tone, intentions and scale of judgements of the novel remarkably well, while eliminating the lengthy (and messy) editorial descriptions.
Helen’s diary reveals her tragic past: she married a wealthy, charismatic man named Arthur Huntingdon (Corin Redgrave) who quickly degenerated into a cruel, debauched and violent alcoholic man who engaged in frequent affairs and brought his corrupt friends into their home.
