Performance is a UK television anthology series produced by Simon Curtis for the BBC. Twenty-six episodes aired on BBC2 between 5 October 1991 and 21 March 1998, almost all of which were productions of classic and contemporary plays, including Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello, King Lear by William Shakespeare, and The Deep Blue Sea by Terence Rattigan.
Among its directors were Karel Reisz, Anthony Page, Richard Eyre, Simon Curtis, and Harold Pinter.
Its high-profile cast included Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth McGovern, Jeremy Irons, Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, Alec Guinness, Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Ian Holm, Bill Nighy, John Gielgud, Geraldine Somerville and Juliet Stevenson.
List of episodes The main sources for compiling this list was the BFI Film and TV Database and the website of the BBC Genome Project.
Legend: Se = Season; Ep = Episode Se Ep Title Author Producer/Director Performers UKTransmissiondate11Rodney AcklandAnthony Page (d),Simon Curtis (p)Judi Dench,Bill Nighy,Ronald Pickup,Charles Gray,Anthony Calf5 October 1991Repeated 19 December 1992.12Anton ChekhovGregory Mosher (d),Simon Curtis (p)David Warner,Ian Holm,Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,Ian Bannen,Roger Hammond12 October 199113Roberto Cossa (play),Michael Hastings (adaptation)Simon Curtis (d/p)Les Dawson,Liz Smith,Jim Broadbent,Timothy Spall,Jane Horrocks,Maurice Denham19 October 1991Repeated 20 November 1993.14Harold PinterSimon Curtis (d/p)John Malkovich,Kate Nelligan,Miranda Richardson26 October 199115Caryl ChurchillMax Stafford-Clark (d),Simon Curtis (p)Deborah Findlay,Beth Goddard,Lesley Manville2 November 199116Geoffrey RobertsonJohn MortimerSheree Folkson (d),Simon Curtis (p)Hugh Grant,Peter O'Brien,Kevin AllenLeslie Phillips,Nigel Hawthorne,Simon Callow,David Troughton,Alfred Molina,Nicholas Farrell,Nigel Planer,Lee Cornes9 November 199121Christopher HamptonHoward Davies (d),Simon Curtis (p)Jeremy Irons,Alec Guinness,Elizabeth McGovern,Sinéad CusackIan Thompson,George Raistrick,Jack Shepherd,Lynn Farleigh,Mike McShane,Iain Rattray19 October 1992 (U.S.)14 November 1992 (UK)22Henrik IbsenDavid Thacker,Simon CurtisJuliet Stevenson,Trevor Eve,Geraldine James,Patrick Malahide,David Calder,Helen Blatch21 November 1992Repeated 10 December 1994.23Arnold WeskerSimon Curtis (d/p)Jane Horrocks,Pam Ferris,Imelda Staunton,Christopher Eccleston,Timothy Spall28 November 199224Terence RattiganStuart Burge (d),Simon Curtis (p)Anton Rodgers,Gemma Jones,Imogen Stubbs,John Bird,Geoffrey Beevers5 December 199225Luigi PirandelloBill Bryden (d),Simon Curtis (p)Brian Cox,John Hurt,Tara Fitzgerald,Susan Fleetwood,Brian Glover,Steven Mackintosh12 December 199231Robert MacKenzieLindsay Posner (d),Simon Curtis (p)Eileen Atkins,Jennifer Ehle,Bill Nighy,Edward Fox,Samuel West13 November 199332Henrik IbsenDeborah Warner (d),Simon Curtis (p)Fiona Shaw,Nicholas Woodeson,Stephen Rea27 November 199333John OsborneNicholas Renton (d),Simon Curtis (p)Michael Gambon,Helen McCrory,Bill Owen,Billie Whitelaw4 December 199334Thomas Middleton and William RowleyMichael Hastings (adaptation)Simon Curtis (p)Bob Hoskins,Elizabeth McGovern,Hugh Grant,Leslie Phillips,Sean Pertwee11 December 199341Dennis PotterDavid Jones (d),Simon Curtis (p)John Neville,Eric Porter,Ronald Pickup,Sophie Thompson,Abigail Cruttenden,Annette Crosbie,Tony Haygarth,Patrick Godfrey,Nicholas Selby,Stephen Moore29 October 199442William ShakespeareDavid Thacker (d)Tom Wilkinson,Corin Redgrave,Juliet Aubrey,Ian Bannen,David Bradley,Geoffrey Beevers,Rob Edwards,Sue Johnston5 November 199443Terence RattiganKarel Reisz (d)Simon Curtis (p)Penelope Wilton,Ian Holm,Colin Firth,Stephen Tompkinson,Geraldine Somerville,Edward Tudor-Pole12 November 199444Paddy ChayefskySimon Curtis (d/p)Anne Bancroft,Katherine Borowitz,Joan Cusack19 November 199445J. B. PriestleyChristopher Morahan (d),Simon Curtis (p)John Gielgud,Terence Rigby,Rosemary Harris,Mike McShaneVincent Wong26 November 199451Sean O'CaseyNye HeronKenneth Branagh,Stephen Rea,James Ellis7 October 199552D. H. LawrenceKatie Mitchell (d)Zoë Wanamaker,Stephen Dillane,Colin Firth,Brenda Bruce14 October 19955 3aHarold PinterHarold Pinter (d),Simon Curtis (p)Ian Holm,Penelope Wilton21 October 199553bJim CartwrightSteve Shill (d),Kevin LoaderRenée Asherson,Robin Bailey,June Brown,Maurice Denham,Richard E. Grant,Lionel Jeffries21 October 199554 (Pt 1 & Pt 2)William Shakespeare (plays),John Caird (adaptation)John Caird (d),Annie Castledine (p)Ronald Pickup,John Woodvine,Peter Jeffrey,Joseph O'Conor,David Calder,Geoffrey Hutchings,Jane Horrocks,Elizabeth Spriggs,Peter-Hugo Daly,Paul Eddington,Clive Kneller,Toby Jones28 October 199555Patrick Marber,August StrindbergPatrick Marber (d),Fiona FinlayGeraldine Somerville,Phil Daniels,Kathy Burke4 November 199561Stephen SondheimSam Mendes (d),Simon Curtis (ex p)Adrian Lester,Sheila Gish,Sophie Thompson1 March 199762Kevin ElyotRoger Michell (d),Kevin Loader (p)David Bamber,John Sessions,Anthony Calf,Kenneth MacDonald15 March 199763William ShakespeareDeborah Warner (d),John Wyver (p)Fiona Shaw (as Richard II),Graham Crowden,Richard Bremmer,Julian Rhind-Tutt,Donald Sinden22 March 199764Arthur MillerDavid Thacker (d),Fiona Finlay (p)Henry Goodman,Margot Leicester,Mandy Patinkin,Elizabeth McGovern,Ed Bishop29 March 199765William Shakespeare,Penny Woolcock (adaptation)Penny Woolcock (d),Alison Gilby (p)James Frain,Susan Vidler,Ray Winstone5 April 199771William ShakespeareRichard Eyre (d),Sue Birtwistle, Joy Spink (p)Ian HolmTimothy West,Amanda Redman,Michael Bryant21 March 1998
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