The Diary of Samuel Pepys is a British historical television series which was originally broadcast on the BBC in 1958.[1] Based on the diaries of the naval administrator Samuel Pepys, it portrays life at the court of Charles II during the 1660s.
| The Diary of Samuel Pepys | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Historical |
| Written by | A.R. Rawlinson |
| Starring | Peter Sallis Douglas Wilmer |
| Composer | Christopher Whelen |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Chloe Gibson |
| Production company | BBC |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC 1 |
| Release | 7 March (1958-03-07) – 13 June 1958 (1958-06-13) |
This series was Peter Sallis's first appearance as a principal character on television. A reason for this was that he bore a resemblance when compared to contemporary picture portraits of Samuel Pepys. The series was dramatised by A R Rawlinson for Chloe Gibson. Incidentally, Chloe Gibson was one of the first female producers for BBC television.[2]
Using the diaries as a template, Sallis captured the wit, verve and cheeky humour of Pepys and was rightly lauded for his performance.[3]