Troubles drama returns after 33 years' absence

One of the most critically acclaimed British TV drama serials about the Troubles is to see the light of day again '“ more than three decades after it was first shown on TV.
The Price is being released on DVDThe Price is being released on DVD
The Price is being released on DVD

The Price, which revolves around an IRA kidnap plot, was a six-part series which originally aired on Channel 4 in 1985, but has never been transmitted again in the UK since.

It is now due to be released on DVD for the first time later this month.

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The series starred veteran character actor Peter Barkworth as wealthy English computer entrepreneur Geoffrey Carr, whose much younger wife Frances (Harriet Walter) is kidnapped by an IRA gang to raise money for arms when the couple pay a visit to her childhood home in Co Wicklow.

The series, directed by Peter Smith, received widespread acclaim from critics for its realistic depiction of the Northern Ireland Troubles, and for the performances of a cast, many of whom went on to bigger things.

The series provided early breakout roles for the Northern Irish actors Adrian Dunbar and Derek Thompson, who played the leader of the IRA gang.

In a 2013 interview, Belfast-born Thompson - best known for playing nurse Charlie Fairhead in BBC One’s Casualty - revealed that his portrayals of IRA gunmen in The Price and the 1982 mini-series Harry’s Game were so convincing with some viewers that he received abuse on the streets from members of the public.

The serial also marked the screen debut of breakfast TV presenter Susanna Reid, who played the Carrs’ young daughter Clare.

• The Price is released to buy on DVD from April 16 (Cert 12).