What Was The Sequel To “House Of Cards”?

In 1993 the second Francis Urquhart drama was screened by the BBC. Again starring Ian Carmichael, "To Play the King" revolves around the struggles between the evil F.U., now Prime Minister, and the new king (Michael Kitchen.) Kitchen gives the monarch some of Prince Charles's mannerisms, and his estranged wife bears a strong resemblance to Princess Diana, but they are definite fictional characters in their own right. In this drama, Urquhart plots with the Queen, who wishes her son to inherit the throne, if necessary by forcing to abdicate. F.U. himself is anxious to discredit the King because the liberally-minded monarch has tended to interfere with his own plans for the government of Britain. To this end he spies on him and his entourage, hoping to find some scandal that will aid his cause. Both "To Play the King" and its predecessor "House of Cards" seem remarkably prescient now, in view of the scandals that rocked both the Major government and the Royal family around that time.

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