Charles Sturridge

Jeremy Irons’s Charles Ryder keeps his feelings under control in Brideshead Revisited (1981), and the directors give us time to notice the effort. Charles Sturridge and Michael Lindsay-Hogg let reserve and embarrassment shape a scene without insisting that every change be pointed out. We were moved by Irons’s restraint because the small cruelties around Ryder make his self-command feel costly. This is the Sturridge we rate: patient with actors, attentive to what people would rather not say.

His early directing work included Coronation Street and Strangers, before Brideshead Revisited brought him recognition. He then moved between features and television, directing and writing another Waugh adaptation, A Handful of Dust (1988). The later miniseries Longitude (2000), about clockmaker John Harrison, and Shackleton (2002) gave him historical subjects. The television work continued alongside the features, rather than serving simply as a route into them.

Sturridge’s emphasis on giving detail even to characters who appear only once is a useful clue to his priorities. A faithful adaptation still needs people worth spending time with, and his interest in minor parts suggests he knows it. Brideshead Revisited rewards that attention through its acting and its sensitivity to small cruelties, although its shared direction means the credit is not his alone. The series gives us room to notice embarrassment without needing it explained at every turn.

The reservation is equally clear: Brideshead Revisited sometimes lingers when it should move on, and eleven parts give that habit plenty of room. Some scenes would benefit from less elegance and a quicker exit. That does not cancel the pleasure of watching actors trusted to do such quiet work, but it does make the commitment harder than it needs to be. Our recommendation is to begin there, with time for several sittings and no obligation to admire every pause.