Deputy, The (BBC-1 2003, Warren Clarke, Dervla Kirwan)

The Deputy centres on the fictional life of Deputy Prime Minister, Bob Galway, played by Warren Clarke.

Surrounded by inefficient, highly-sexed private secretaries, a beleaguered Galway strives to protect his reputation, his career, and his conscience as he tries to outsmart his adversaries, especially the cunning and calculating Steven Sharples (Jack Dee) in the cut-throat world of Westminster.

The drama also sees Galway juggling his life and work in the House of Commons and in his constituency, from the nightmare of shuffling constituency business to parliamentary affairs and ministerial responsibilities.

The Deputy was the brainchild of producer Annie Tricklebank and writer Richard Stoneman, who served as David Mellor’s assistant private secretary between 1984 and 1986.

Mal Young, Executive Producer, said: “Politics, and politicians particularly, are very much back in the public eye. We all want to know what makes these people tick. The time feels right to look at what goes on behind the closed doors and corridors of power.”

Bob Galway is a man in need of sympathy. He has a steady stream of people constantly making life hard for him, including Steven Sharples, the self-seeking career politician; Terri Leonard, the Prime Minister’s astute and sharp-witted director of communications, played by Dervla Kirwan; and the Prime Minister herself who is away and seems to be returning everyone’s calls but Bob’s.

Behind the scenes, his all-knowing, all-seeing principal private secretary keeps him out of trouble whilst back at home his constituency agent and his radical thinking school-teacher wife help to keep his feet on the ground.

production details
UK / BBC One / 1×60 minute episode / Broadcast 23 February 2004

Writer: Richard Stoneman / Music: Mark Thomas, Paul Weller / Executive Producer: Mal Young / Producer: Ann Tricklebank / Director: Patrick Lau

cast
Warren Clarke as Bob Galway
Jack Dee as Stephen Sharples
Dervla Kirwan as Terri Leonard
Jaye Griffiths as Angela Platt
David Tennant as Christopher Williams
Ahsen Bhatti as Nickhall Gangwani
Georgina Rylance as Ella Grappy
Jeff Rawle as Graham Hammond
Philip McGinley as Karl Galway
Diane Keen as Hilary Galway
Lydia Baksh as Katey Wells
Sinead Jordan as Clare Wells
Lucia Pitsillides as Lola Wells
Aneirin Hughes as Alan Newberry