Blott on the Landscape is a novel written in 1975 by Tom Sharpe. It became a special 6-part television series, made by the BBC, in 1985. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Tom Sharpe (born March 30, 1928) is an English satirical author, born in London and educated at Lancing College and at Pembroke College, Cambridge. ... This article is about the year. ...

The plot

Lady Maud Lynchwood, of the Handyman family.

Sir Giles Lynchwood and Mr Dundridge (secretly) having lunch.

Mr Hoskins, the local town planner, in his office.

Blott in Hoskins' office, with Dundridge.

The story centres around the (attempted) construction of a motorway (the M101 in the book and the M399 in the film) through the Cleane Gorge in rural Worfordshire (a fictitious gorge in a fictitious English county). At the heart of the gorge is Handyman Hall (again, fictitious), the residence of Sir Giles Lynchwood and his wife Lady Maud Lynchwood. Sir Giles is secretly in favour of the motorway as it will mean he will get a large compensation from the demolition of the hall, which he hates. Things are further complicated by the on-going marital problems between Sir Giles and Lady Maud. Image File history File links Lady_Maud. ... Image File history File links Lady_Maud. ... Image File history File links Sir_Giles_and_Dundridge. ... Image File history File links Sir_Giles_and_Dundridge. ... Image File history File links Hoskins. ... Image File history File links Hoskins. ... Image File history File links Blott_and_Hoskins. ... Image File history File links Blott_and_Hoskins. ... Motorway mark in Europe. ... Rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. ... A gorge is a narrow passage between steep mountains or hills. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid... A marriage is a committed relationship between or among individuals, recognized by civil authority and/or bound by the religious beliefs of the participants. ...

Lady Maud's family has lived in the gorge for "over 500 years" (as she likes saying throughout) and she has no plans on leaving. She also wants children, something which Sir Giles hates the thought of. Her most trusted ally in the events that follow is her loyal gardener, Blott, a foreigner and former POW who crash landed naviagating an Axis bomber during World War II. He is strongly patriotic towards his new home nation and to his rural surroundings. With his military training, and some leftovers of the war found beneath the hall, he gets to work against the construction of the motorway. Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... Patriotism is a feeling of love and devotion to ones own homeland (patria, the land of ones fathers). ...

Other major characters are the civil servants and other government figures, various folk from the nearby town and the elderly planning inspector, who acts more like a judge when presiding over the inquiry meetings. The story involves a riot, a demolition rampage and an attack by the SAS on Blott's home. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... Riots occur when crowds of people have gathered and are committing crimes or acts of violence usually due to a perceived grievance or out of dissent. ... It has been suggested that SAS Troops be merged into this article or section. ...

1985 television edition

The 1985 film (which was broadcast as six episodes of 50 minutes each) was filmed mainly in South Shropshire. Handyman Hall was filmed at Stanage Park, near Knighton, Ludlow stood in for the fictitious town of Worford, and Deddington near Banbury, where several mock buildings were demolished in the market place for the film. The original broadcast was between 6 February 1985 and 13 March 1985. South Shropshire is a local government district in south west Shropshire, England. ... Knighton (Welsh: Tref-y-clawdd) is a town in Powys, traditional county of Radnorshire, mid Wales, lying on the River Teme. ... Map sources for Ludlow at grid reference SO5174 Feathers Hotel, Ludlow (Photo by Mick Knapton) Ludlow is a town in Shropshire, situated almost on the border between England and Wales. ... Deddington is a large village in North Oxfordshire, England. ... The modern Castle Quay Shopping Centre in Banbury is built alongside the Oxford Canal Map sources for Banbury at grid reference SP4540 Banbury is a market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, England. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... This article is about the year. ...

The film was scripted by Malcolm Bradbury and Sir Giles Lynchwood was played by George Cole, Lady Maud played by Geraldine James and Blott by David Suchet. Roger Bamford directed and the producer was Evgeny Gridneff. The music was composed by David McKay. The title music is notable for its accurate portrayal of a brass band, when in fact every instrument was performed by multivocalist Viv Fisher. Sir Malcolm Stanley Bradbury (September 7, 1932 – November 27, 2000) was a British author and academic. ... George Cole (born April 22, 1925) is a British actor born in Tooting, London, best known for his roles as Flash Harry in the St Trinians films and as Arthur Daley in the TV series Minder. ... Geraldine James is a British actress who lives in London. ... David Suchet as Hercule Poirot (foreground) with Hugh Fraser as Captain Arthur Hastings. ... David McKay plays McTaggart. ... Viv Fisher (1952 -) is an ex BBC sound engineer and multivocalist who performed all parts of the Brass band used in the title sequence of the BBCs 1985 TV series, Blott on the Landscape. ...

Other actors and actresses involved were Paul Brooke as Mr Hoskins, Clare Grogan as the receptionist at the Handyman Arms hotel, Julia McKenzie as Mrs Forthby and Simon Cadell as Mr Dundridge. Clare Grogan (born March 17, 1962) is a Scottish actress. ... Julia McKenzie (born 17 February 1941, Enfield, Middlesex, England) is a British actor and theatre director. ... Simon Cadell (19 July 1950-6 March 1996) was a British actor, born in London. ...

Thirty years after the original book was written, the 1985 televised version came out on DVD in the UK. DVD-R writing/reading side DVD (also known as Digital Versatile Disc, Digital Viewing Device, or Digital Video Disc) is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. ...

Trivia

• It could be that the actual story is based on the proposed construction of a motorway through the South Shropshire area, something that has been proposed various times (to link the West Midlands conurbation with the Welsh tourist resorts). So far no motorway has been constructed through the area (though not because of anything the book or film portrays).

• Ludlow bears more than a passing resemblance to the town of Worford mentioned in the book- except, of course, for the lack of a gorge. There is such a gorge a few miles west at Downton; and certain aspects of this do resemble the description of Handyman Hall- approached through a gap in the gorge- and in the nearby church and park. There is, of course, no safari park.

• A few miles south of Ludlow lies the village of Ashford Carbonel- again sounding and spelt very much like the village near demolished by workmen in the book.

The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England, the United Kingdom, formed in 1974. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Ashford Carbonel is a village and civil parish in the South Shropshire district of Shropshire, England, near the county border with Herefordshire. ...

External links

• Blott Cast and Summary
• another Blott Cast and Summary
• Blott on the Landscape title sequence