For readers too young to remember, Francis Urquhart was the star of a trilogy of political dramas that appeared on BBC Television ten or so years ago. Urquhart was a fictional Tory politician who murdered, bribed and schemed his way to three General Election victories. He was played brilliantly by the late Ian Richardson. It is perhaps not surprising that the BBC dramatised this captivating drama (which I recommend as good telly) but more surprising that a Conservative should have written the books behind the series. Author Michael Dobbs was once Chief of Staff at Conservative Central Office and observed enough to make the Urquhart character a very real caricature of too many right-wingers. It would have been more appropriate if Urquhart had been created by a Lefty. Few fictional characters have done more to reinforce the idea of Conservatives as flint-faced, sexually promiscuous and all round nasty.
Three typical Urquhart scenes are posted below...
