Alan Plater

I was sorry to see that Alan Plater has died. His version of The Barchester Chronicles was one of the great TV adaptations. The casting was superb - Donald Pleasence as Septimus Harding, Nigel Hawthorne as Archdeacon Grantley, Geraldine McEwan as Mrs Proudie and Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope were all unforgettable - and the script was sharp, warm and funny, catching the essence of the books perfectly. It was broadcast in 1982, but I still remember it fondly - and I can't say that of very many TV series.