Directed by Paul Seed (the first two series) and Mike Vardy (final series

Note: Do not confuse this series with the movie of the same name with Tommy Lee Jones and Kathleen Turner!

I?ve been fortunate enough to be the reviewer of a couple of ?magic? series recently ? notably Frontline and The Seven Wonders of the Industrial World ? a great comedy series, and great documentary series respectively. Without question, though, these pale in comparison to the three part series The House of Cards that I rank as the greatest television drama series (certainly political) I have EVER seen!

What Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister did for popularising politics in comedy, so this series immortalises the darker side of politics in the most compelling way possible. Whereas the conniving, scheming and treacherous behaviour inherent in the former two series was a cause of great mirth; similar actions in the latter are sinister in the extreme, and the source of great soul searching within the serious viewer. The series is so riveting that I often found myself snickering in disbelief at what had occurred during an episode!

The entire series is based on a trilogy of novels as listed below by Michael Dobbs, and adapted for the screen by the renowned Andrew Davies (the person who adapted such magnificent period dramas as ?Pride and Prejudice? to the screen) for maximum impact ? there are deviations from the original stories (particularly the endings of the first and third novels), but this is acceptable when transferring the printed word to the ?box?.

The House of Cards is an 11-hour ?super series? that plots the rise and fall of Francis Urquhart MP in the British political system. It comprises three separate self-contained series; each of four episodes:

? House of Cards ? that traces the rise of Francis Urquhart from the position of ?jilted? Chief Whip to the ultimate position in British politics ? the Prime Ministership, ably coerced/assisted by his ambitious wife, Elizabeth. This chapter of the series is more based on psychological manipulation and character plays than the following two series

? To Play the King ? follows his successful attempts at maintaining his 10 Downing Street address through any means ? fair or (mostly) foul. If this means interfering with or destroying members of the monarchy, then sobeit; and

? The Final Cut ? examines Francis?s inevitable fall from grace, despite all manner of devious tactics to survive by Francis and his closest allies ? even to the point of starting a war! Cracks are beginning to appear in Francis?s previous defences; and dark memories/crimes from his past are severely denting his own self-confidence. This series and the previous contain a more political tone than the first series, and appear to be a strong and bitter indictment of the party political system in Britain.

Francis?s strategies to reach the top, and maintain that position, are a combination of amazing political nous, strongarm tactics, animal cunning, and psychological manipulation ? a heady mix indeed that no one is able to withstand (I?d love to draw parallels with the recent ?lying? scandal in local politics, but I?d better not!). He has such charisma that, despite his age, he has the ability to charm (and bed) any female he wishes ? all with his wife?s agreement!

One of the cleverest (and challenging) tricks used in this series are the occasional verbal and non-verbal asides directed by Francis straight through the camera lens to the viewer (the ?soliloquies? similar in style to Machiavellian and Shakespearean writings). This difficult-to-succeed tactic in TV is used sparingly, yet effectively, to add to the viewer?s involvement in Urquhart?s immediate actions.

You will not believe how much information I am leaving out of this review (it probably deserves a thesis-length dissertation of 5-10,000 words to do it justice), but I will try to briefly cover other issues when I discuss some of the prominent characters later.

Whilst the first series can be watched in isolation (IF you can stop at one!); it is highly recommended that the subsequent series be viewed in their correct order as the contents are strongly interwoven.

Essentially there only two actors that played major roles throughout the entire series ? those portraying Francis and Elizabeth Urquhart. There are a host of other prominent characters and performers in the trilogy, but most come and go within one series as a result of Francis?s methods of ?disposal?.

This series introduced me to the remarkable talents of the charismatic Ian Richardson, a great Scottish actor who has been involved in television and the screen since 1968. His role as Francis gave him justified international prominence, having been fairly prolific up to 1992 ? including featuring in a few major period dramas on television. More recently he starred as Doctor Bell ? the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?s Sherlock Holmes ? in the fabulous Murder Rooms in 2000.

Not that his performance is the only outstanding one. Diane Fletcher plays his wife, with the author and the screenwriter having sculpted a character that is shrewd, devious and subtly evil ? a great role and a great performance. Many critics have likened her character to Lady MacBeth ? enough said!

A host of other compelling performances come from a group of performers, some well known on the small screen. To do this, I will break up the series into its three components and deal with the major performers within each:

Series one: David Lyon plays the original Prime Minister Henry Collingridge, who unwittingly snubs Francis, and is doomed as a result. An astonishing performance comes from Susannah Harker who plays a budding journalist (Mattie Storin) who falls under the Francis Urquhart spell and is used as a pawn in Francis?s ultimate game of cards - to her eventual disappointment (and early demise!). A lingering disappointment to me is the whereabouts of this outstanding talent since this series (sure, she did have parts in Pride and Prejudice (1995), the adult film Intimacy (2001) and a couple of TV series; but nothing since 2001, nor with the same impact)!

Series two: Amongst the standout performers ? apart from the principals ? are Colin Jeavons who plays Francis?s old friend and new Chief Whip Tim Stamper in a scene-stealing performance; Sarah Harding as pollster and new bedfellow Kitty Aldridge. To me, however, the intriguing role comes from Michael Kitchen, who plays the newly crowned British king with views that differ considerably from Francis Urquhart. Kitchen?s mannerisms and speech bear an incredibly strong resemblance to a certain senior male member of the Royal Family ? and it isn?t Phillip?! How they ?got away? with this characterisation is astonishing in itself!

Series three: More solid performers appear in this series, along with some reprises from earlier characters. Amongst newcomers in this series are Paul Freeman as Francis?s new political rival, Tom Makepeace; a small yet wonderful role by Nikolas Grace as Geoffrey ?Booza? Pitt; Ilsa Blair as Urquhart?s savvy principal private secretary Claire Carlsen; and Nick Brimble as the PM?s senior protector and resident ?heavy?, Commander Corder.

Subtle ironies abound throughout the series ? two of the more obvious ones that come to mind are the name of Francis?s new Whip in the second series ? Tony Stamper ? and the initials of Francis himself that sum up his whole attitude ? F.U?.!

If I had to find a gripe with the storyline; it would be that some of the tactics used by Francis in series three might be considered to be stretching credibility a touch. In fact, the endings of the first and third series vary greatly from the original novels, but there is an interesting reason for the alteration to the latter ? Ian Richardson only signed up for the third series on the condition that FU would get his deserved comeuppance ? see it for yourself, I?m not giving anything away!

THE EXTRAS

There are no extra features included in this package, but who needs them after one is intellectually exhausted (yet exhilarated) after all this?

CONCLUSION

I have struggled to find the words to sum up this series ? I was planning to be as clever as the series in the overall review ? but I would be silly to even attempt it!

This is clearly the best political drama series I have ever seen, and almost certainly the best TV drama ever created! It is a highly successful screen adaptation of a 3-volume series of novels by Michael Dobbs that combines sensational scripting and casting with taut direction (strange that there are two directors!). The dialogue is oh-so-sharp and incisive; the cast members all seem to have been born for their roles; and the musical opening to each episode of the series never fails to raise the hairs on my neck.

What more can I say to convince you to watch The House of Cards trilogy? I have never found anyone who was let down by the series as a whole, finding that its effect was very much the same as a compelling book ? once you?ve started, you can?t put it down! I am told, incidentally, that the printed trilogy is not to be missed either ? and maybe they?re even better?

How can I rate thee? Let me count the ways? On the scale used in our reviews (up to five stars), I rate The House of Cards Trilogy a 6+.

For Goodness sake, do yourselves a favour!