TV Gold

Looking now towards the second episode, ?The English Princess?, and moving forward to 1858, we find a new story with new characters and here the famous faces really seemed, for me, to come thick and fast. The first rather brief scene I was surprised to see noted comedy actor Frank Thornton (best known for ?Are You Being Served??) playing Prince Albert alongside Perlita Neilson?s portrayal of Queen Victoria. Another creditable performance by Denis Lill (?Survivors?) and the distinguished elder statesman Maurice Denham as respectively Prince Frederick of Prussia and Kaiser Wilhelm I also feature. However the performance in this episode that I was most impressed with was that of Otto von Bismark, brought to life in a rare, but most welcome performance by Curt Jurgens. Prior to this I only knew of him through his participation in the 1977 James Bond film ?The Spy Who Loved Me? as the arch villain Carl Stromberg. Throughout this episode he brings a determined convincing and enjoyable conviction to the character in, what I believe, is a rare television appearance.