Lillie

Lillie

Dominique (11 episodes, 1978)

Mrs. Le Breton

Edward Langtry

Prince of Wales (Bertie)

Oscar Wilde

Patsy Cornwallis-West

Frank Miles

Dean Le Breton

Francis Knollys

Princess Alexandra

More than 1,000 performers appear in the mini series, with 150 of them as principal characters.

Francesca Annis (Lillie Langtry) plays the mother of Joanna David (Jeanne Marie Malcolm) in the series even though she is only a year and a half her senior in real life.

Francesca Annis (Lillie Langtry) and Adam Bareham (Clement Le Breton) are the only actors to appear in both the first and last episodes of the series.

Oscar Wilde: "the love that dare not speak its name", in this century, is such a great affection of an elder for a younger man, as there was between David and Jonathan, such as Plato made the very basis of his philosophy. It is that deep affection that is as pure as it is perfect. It dictates and pervades great works of art, like those of Shakespeare and Michaelangelo, and those two letters of mine, such as they are. It is in this century misunderstood, and on account of it am I placed where I am now. It is beautiful. It is fine. It is the noblest form of affection. There is nothing unnatural about it. It is intellectual and it repeatedly exists between an elder and a younger man when the elder has intellect and the younger man all the joy, hope, and glamour of life before him. That it should be so the world does not understand. The world mocks at it and puts one in the pillory for it.

Oscar Wilde: The truth is that I really do love you, yet it is the curse of my nature that I can desire but not possess beauty. It must always be just out of reach. I've wept for you and for myself.

Lord Rosslyn: When you two talk together, do you always talk about nothing but art?