Edward and Mrs Simpson

Edward and Mrs Simpson

1978 - United Kingdom

Edward VIII was King of England, not yet crowned, and Wallis Warfield Simpson was a twice divorced American whom he fell in love with. Although he was told he could never have both his Crown and the woman he loved, he believed that his enormous popularity with the people would allow him to do it. 

This seven part, £1 million drama series from Thames Television faithfully reconstructed the events of the affair between Edward and Mrs Simpson that, in 1936, caused a constitutional crisis and Edward VIII's eventual abdication. The series covered the period of 1928 (two years before the couple met) and the King's emotional farewell broadcast to the nation in December 1936. Edward and Mrs Simpson, filmed on location in Britain, Kenya and France, depicted a Britain torn apart by class distinction where the poor were subjected to Means Testing and the rich lived a life of luxury. Edward portrayed a public image of deep concern for the poverty stricken and often undertook visits to distressed areas of the country. However, when in 1936 he visited South Wales and said passionately: "Something must be done" - he was just three weeks away from abdication. 

Edward Fox in Edward and Mrs Simpson

Edward's reign as King lasted just 325 days, after which he left Portsmouth on a Naval destroyer bound for France. There, some six months later he married Mrs Simpson, and although they were recognised as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, royal status was denied Wallis Simpson, who died in 1986, fourteen years after her husband. Scripted by Simon Raven and based very much on Frances Donaldson's account of what actually happened, Wallis Simpson was portrayed as a scheming glory seeker, a depiction that distressed the real Duchess of Windsor so much that she succeeded in getting the drama banned in her country of residence, France. 

Edward and Mrs Simpson

The drama was also notable for stirring and accurate performances from both Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris, both of whom won critical acclaim. Producer Andrew Brown described the series as a 'political thriller' and said, "...by the end you will be able to decide whether you should admire the man for giving up everything for the woman he loved, or whether what he did was an abject dereliction of duty."

Edward and Mrs Simpson TV Times cover
TV Times dedicated its cover to Edward and Mrs Simpson in 1978

Published on December 10th, 2018. Written by Laurence Marcus for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

The First Churchills

Lavish 17th century costume drama full of political intrigue, manipulating women and sexual promiscuity.

Also tagged Historical Drama

The Barchester Chronicles

Scandal taints the town of Barchester after the local church becomes the object of a scathing investigative report about the use of church funds.

Also tagged Historical Drama

The Cleopatras

Lavish historical drama from BBC Television which was much derided by critics and viewers alike.

Also tagged Historical Drama

Battlestar Galactica

A band of humans who, fleeing the destruction of their twelve homeworlds by the implacable cybernetic alien race the Cylons, strike out in their rag-tag fleet protected by the last surviving Battlestar, the Galactica, in search of their mythical lost colony.

Also released in 1978-2004

Colditz

War drama about the infamous German POW camp and the prisoner's attempts to escape it.

Also tagged Historical Drama

Battle of the Planets

Animated sci-fi series in which a team of youngsters are tasked with a mission to save the Earth.

Also released in 1978

The Caesars

Historical period drama detailing the murder, sex and madness that will forever have a place in the annals of ancient history.

Also tagged Historical Drama

Diff'rent Strokes

Diff’rent Strokes was a sitcom created around the talents of its young star, Gary Coleman, and it was a perfect fit–and a much-needed success for a ratings-starved NBC in the late 1970's. But after the show went off the air, its three non-adult stars found life difficult...

Also released in 1978

Armchair Thriller

By the time the final story of the first series was broadcast, Armchair Thriller had built up quite a following, resulting in the first episode of 'The Limbo Connection', which starred James Bolam as a man in search of his missing wife, achieving an audience in excess of 17 million viewers.

Also released in 1978