Capital City (TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:For-multi Template:Use British English Template:More footnotes needed Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox television

Capital City is a television series which focused on the professional and personal lives of a group of investment bankers working in the dealing room at Shane Longman, a fictional international bank based in the City of London. The 23-episode series was produced by Euston Films, a wholly owned subsidiary of Thames Television, for the ITV network and that aired from 26 September 1989 to 20 December 1990.

Thames Television spent an estimated £500,000 to run newspaper and billboard advertisements to promote the series' launch which at the time was believed to be the largest advertising spend for a programme in the history of ITV. Full-page advertisements were taken in six national newspapers including The Financial Times, The Times and The Independent. The ads promoted the Shane Longman "brand", rather than "Capital City", and featured images of cast members in character.<ref name="HER" />

Thames Television stated that the press and poster ads were considered necessary to raise the profile of the series amongst members of the public who had a specialised or more professional interest, however a number of City bankers described the series as "fairly inaccurate", "confusing for the ordinary viewer", and lacking solid research.<ref name="HER">Cochrane, Hugh. 'A great gamble as the full-page ads run on', in "The Glasgow Herald", Glasgow: 4 October 1989</ref> One television critic stated: "All of this would have been quite novel and exciting three years ago, but the world has turned, the market has crashed and we have all seen enough of other people's Porsches to last a lifetime... City hustlers do not look very heroic any more, just extravagantly paid."<ref name="NYT" />

Still, it could be argued that most of the characters in "Capital City" – perhaps with the exception of the reckless and predatory Jimmy Destry, power-hungry Lee Wolf and the duplicitous Sylvia Roux Teng – portray City bankers in a generally positive manner. The primary characters come across as likeable and – in contrast to the Gordon Gekko "greed is good" stereotype often associated with their industry – as possessing a moral and/or social conscience; in one episode, the entire dealing room threatens to go on strike in protest against handling a bond issue on behalf of a company which dumps toxic waste in poor African countries and demand that Shane Longman introduce policies which enable them to avoid dealing with clients whom they regard as unethical.<ref name="EP18">'Ethical Investments', Director: Clive Fleury; Writer: Tom Greenwood. "Capital City", Euston Films, 'episode 18, series 2. Original air date: 15 November 1990</ref>

Capital City is very much a product of the late 1980s, on the cusp of the digital revolution. The dealing room computers use what appeared to be a MS-DOS; mobile phones are the size of bricks; the primary methods of long-distance "instant" communication are still the land line telephone, fax and telex; and smoking – banned in England, within most public buildings, in 2007 – is still allowed in the workplace as well as inside restaurants, bars and other public places. At the same time, the series dealt with several mature storylines including alcoholism, depression, mental illness, sexual assault, drug use, homosexuality, physical assault, gambling addiction, prostitution, promiscuity, shoplifting, fraud, bribery, corruption and abortion.

Cast

The main cast (in alphabetical order as shown in the series credits) included:

Recurring support and guest cast included Mark Burns as Peter Longman, grandson of the bank's founder, the eponymous Shane Longman, and 30 per cent shareholder; Louise Lombard who appeared as Louise, a 17-year-old runaway who is befriended by Chas<ref name="EP01" /> and is later assaulted by Jimmy;<ref name="EP04" /> Faith Brook as Katherine Talbot, Hudson's mother; Charlotte Cornwell as Petra Allunson; Julia Ormond as Allison; Ben Daniels as Colin de Selincourt; and Pia Henderson, as Yolande, with whom Sirkka has a brief relationship.

Characters

  • Max Lubin (William Armstrong), the bank's unconventional and somewhat eccentric, pony tail-wearing Head of Swaps
  • Sylvia Roux Teng (Emily Bolton), replaces Wendy Foley as the bank's Chief Trader in episode 13;<ref name="EP13">'Hard Drugs and Snails', Director: Paul Seed; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 13, series 2. Original air date: 19 December 1989</ref> Sylvia's duplicitous nature is revealed when she mentions to City headhunter and personal friend, Petra Allunson, that the core members of the dealing room team – Declan McConnochie, Michelle Hauptmann, Sirkka Nieminen, Chas Ewell and their assistants – are unhappy and potentially "on the market"<ref name="EP19">'Headhunting', Director: Diarmuid Lawrence; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 19, series 2. Original air date: 22 November 1990</ref>
  • Leonard Ansen (John Bowe), the Director of Banking Activities, who constantly clashes with the power-hungry Lee Wolf who regards the bank's dealers as reckless risk-takers; becomes romantically involved with Hannah Burgess after her marriage breaks down
  • James Farrell (Denys Hawthorne), the bank's Chief Executive Officer
  • Jimmy Destry (Dorian Healy), a maverick junior trader, nicknamed 'Squirt' by Declan McConnochie, who is sacked for malpractice in episode 13;<ref name="EP13" /> Destry shares a flat with Chas Ewell but the two fall out after Destry molests Louise, a 17-year-old runaway who Chas befriends at a railway station, in episode 4<ref name="EP04">'Max in Trouble', Director: Mike Vardy; Writer: Matthew Bardsley. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 4, series 1. Original air date: 17 October 1989</ref>
  • Declan McConnachie (Douglas Hodge), a senior trader on the secondary desk; becomes romantically involved with Michelle Hauptmann, who he marries in the final episode<ref name="EP23">'The Wedding', Director: Mike Vardy; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, 'episode 23, series 2. Original air date: 20 December 1990</ref>
  • Chas Ewell (Jason Isaacs), a junior trader on the primary desk, who questions his role in the city during a personal crisis in series one
  • Sirkka Nieminen (Joanna Kanska), a senior trader in the secondary desk; the character is originally from Finland (though the actress is Polish) and experiences numerous personal crises during the series including a battle with alcoholism, an abortion and a lesbian affair;<ref name="EP21">'Strange Fruits', Director: Clive Fleury; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, 'episode 21, series 2. Original air date: 6 December 1990</ref> she is a serial risk-taker and thrill-seeker who, during episode 11, represents herself as a high-class prostitute on at least two occasions;<ref name="EP11">'Twelve Degrees Capricorn', Director: Sarah Hellings; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 11, series 1. Original air date: 5 December 1989</ref> during the series it is revealed that Sirkka and Declan McConnochie were romantically involved at one stage in the past
  • Lee Wolf (Richard LeParmentier), the Director of Corporate Finance, who constantly clashes with Leonard Ansen over the role of the banks dealers, who Wolf regards as reckless risk-takers
  • Michelle Hauptmann (Trevyn McDowell), a 24-year-old senior trader on the primary desk; she is originally from Germany and becomes romantically involved with Declan McConnachie during series one; the two marry in the final episode at the end of series two<ref name="EP23" />
  • Hannah Burgess (Anna Nygh), responsible for overseeing the dealing room IT and computer systems; Australian-born; she becomes romantically involved with Leonard Ansen after she and her husband Ryan divorce
  • Wendy Foley (Joanna Phillips-Lane), initially the Chief Trader, Wendy is promoted to become the new Head of Derivatives in episode 13<ref name="EP13" /> and is replaced on the dealing room floor by Sylvia Roux Teng;<ref name="EP13" /> she resigns from the bank in episode 14 to work with major shareholder Peter Longman<ref name="EP14">'Toxic Waste Syndrome', Director: Mike Vardy; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 14, series 2. Original air date: 18 October 1990</ref>
  • Hudson J. Talbot III (Rolf Saxon), a US-born attorney and the bank's capital markets originator whose mentally unwell wife Alex leaves him and their infant son in episode 1<ref name="EP01">'Second Quarter Figures', Director: Paul Seed; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 1, series 1. Original air date: 26 September 1989</ref>
  • Hilary Rollinger (Saira Todd), a 22-year-old graduate who excelled in economics and philosophy; joins Shane Longman in episode 15 to assist Michelle Hauptmann on the primary desk;<ref name="EP15">'Swami's in Town', Director: Clive Fleury; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 15, series 2. Original air date: 25 October 1990</ref> during the office party celebrating the impending nuptials of Michelle and Declan, a very tipsy Hilary manages to tell Declan what a sweet and sexy guy he is, much to everyone's amusement as they look on from the table<ref name=EP22 />

Episodes

Series 1 (1989)

Template:Episode table

Series 2 (1990)

Template:Episode table

Production credits

  • Creator: Andrew Maclear
  • Writers: Andrew Maclear, Matthew Bardsley, Charles Jennings, Tom Greenwood, Richard O'Keefe
  • Directors: Mike Vardy, Sarah Hellings, Paul Seed, Robert Walker, Clive Fleury, Diarmuid Lawrence
  • Associate Producer: Ron Purdie
  • Executive Producers: Andrew Brown, John Hambley
  • Producer: Irving Teitelbaum
  • Music: Colin Towns

Series trivia

  • The series was created by Andrew Maclear, who also wrote the 1989 movie Dealers;<ref name="NYT" /> the film's dealing room set, which reportedly cost £1,000,000 to construct, was retained for use in "Capital City". The dealing room equipment was provided by Reuters Limited.<ref name="EP01" />
  • Exterior scenes were shot throughout London and landmarks such as Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Tower Bridge, River Thames and St Paul's Cathedral appeared as backdrops. Coincidentally, stylised forms of these icons were also featured in the on-air idents for Euston Films' parent company, Thames Television, that were shown at the end of each episode.
  • It is estimated that Euston Films spent more than US$10 million to produce the first 13 episodes (series one)<ref name="NYT">Stead, Deborah. 'To start with...; On the Telly, a tale of swaps', in "The New York Times", New York: 3 December 1989</ref>
  • The music for the series was composed by Colin Towns<ref name="EP01" /> and enjoyed some success in its own right.
  • The bank's address is shown in an Attachment of Earnings Order (Judgment Debt) served on Lee Wolf as 8 Gracewell Street, London EC2; Wolf's address is shown in the same document as 56 Chalfont Court, 238 Baker Street, London NW1.<ref name="EP22">'A Wolf in Wolf's Clothing', Director: Diarmuid Lawrence; Writer: Andrew Maclear. "Capital City", Euston Films, episode 22, series 2. Original air date: 13 December 1990</ref> Neither address actually exists.
  • Shane Longman's headquarters are located near the Bank of England; in one episode Michelle Hauptmann loses her driver's licence for one year after being caught speeding in her Porsche and is shown exiting the London Underground at Bank station after catching the Tube to work.
  • In the final episode, Michelle and Declan are married and, in the closing scenes, are shown travelling by water taxi to the airport en route to their honeymoon in Venice; their marriage is taken to have occurred 1 September 1990 as this is the date shown on their travel documents.<ref name="EP23" />

Series quotes

  • Sylvia Roux Teng to Hilary Rollinger: "Your job involves more than being a smile and dial girl."<ref name="EP23" />
  • James Farrell to (the newly married) Declan and Michelle McConnochie: "In 30 years of banking, this is the happiest merger I've ever seen", to which Declan replies: "James, this isn't a merger. This is a takeover."<ref name="EP23" />

Broadcast information

Capital City was originally broadcast on Thames Television between 26 September 1989 and 20 December 1990; many other ITV regions also carried the programme, though participation and broadcast dates have varied. Despite its short run in the UK, the series was rebroadcast on UKTV Gold.

The series was also transmitted in Australia by ABC Television, in the United States on selected public television stations, and in Canada on CBC Television, as well as on networks in Switzerland, Germany and Poland.Template:Citation needed

Availability

The complete series of 23 episodes have been released on DVD.

See also

  • Traders, a Canadian drama also involving investment bankers

References

Template:Reflist 

 | title/{{#if: {{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0098760|2=^tt}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | tt0098760/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345|from=}}
   | title/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D&s=tt
   }}
 }}{{#ifeq: {{#invoke:If any equal|main|Q618779|Q67325957|Q33999|value=Template:Wikidata}} | yes 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata 
       | Q618779 
       | Q67325957  = awards Awards for
       | Q33999  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       }}
   | {{#if: Template:Wikidata 
     | {{#switch: Template:Wikidata
       | Q63032896 
       | Q66763446  = fullcredits Full cast and crew of
       | Q107974527 
       | Q482994  = soundtrack Soundtrack of
       }}
     }}
   }} Template:Trim] at {{#if: | IMDb | IMDb }}Template:EditAtWikidata{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb title with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | 3 | description | id | link_hide | qid | quotes | title }}{{#switch: {{#invoke:String2|matchAny|^tt.........|^tt.......|tt|.........|source=0098760|plain=false}}| 1 | 3 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning| 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning}}{{#if: 0098760 {{#property:P345}} || Template:Preview warningTemplate:Main other }}{{#switch: Template:Wikidata

| Q21191270 | Q21664088 | Q50062923 | Q50914552 | Q99079902 | Q123186929 | Q55422400 | Q61220733 = Template:Preview warning | Q3464665 = Template:Preview warning }}{{#ifeq: Template:Wikidata | Q21191270 | Template:Preview warning }}{{#if: 0098760 | Template:WikidataCheck }}

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Capital_City_(TV_series)&oldid=148854"