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The Glittering Prizes
Overview
The Glittering Prizes is a six-part British television drama written by Frederic Raphael, broadcast on BBC Two in 1976. From the 1950s to 1970s, a group of Cambridge University students explore their changing lives and the 'glittering prizes' of success, academia and personal fulfillment in a shifting Britain.
Status
Ended
Created By
Frederic Raphael
Network
BBC Two
Seasons & Episodes
Miniseries
From the 1950s to 1970s, a group of Cambridge University students explore their changing lives and the 'glittering prizes' of success, academia and personal fulfillment in a shifting Britain.
Episodes
An Early Life
1953: Adam Morris wins a scholarship to Cambridge, a stepping stone for those with ambition to build lives and careers. In his first year, he makes several new friends and a few enemies. He sets out to antagonise his upper-class roommate but soon finds himself in deeper water than he'd anticipated.
A Love Life
1955: in their final year, Adam's friends prepare for life on the outside, some by laying the foundation stones of their careers, many pairing off in the marriage stakes, a few by doing both.
A Past Life
1960: Adam publishes his first novel, starts to write for film, and decides to confront a formidable adversary — the brilliant but dangerous Stephen Taylor, a prominent supporter of 1930s British fascism.
A Country Life
1964: Alan Parks, now a notorious television interviewer, decides to visit the country with his wife Barbara. They descend on old friends Joyce and Dan Bradley, disrupting their quiet lives.
An Academic Life
1970: Bill Bourne returns from America to work at a new university where several of his old college friends are now teaching. They find themselves taunted by a new generation of students for their outdated 'Cambridge' approach to life.
A Double Life
1976: Adam, now a rich and successful writer, has more than his share of the 'glittering prizes'. He's happily married, with two children. Despite all this, Adam is still dissatisfied, and he attempts to come to terms with his material success by leading a double life.
