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Click here to listen to the introductory music of The December Rose (Zipped Wav file 400Kb)
The December Rose
The December Rose was a BBC television production in association with Friday Productions Ltd. It was filmed in six episodes and shown on BBC1 in 1986. According to my Radio Times the dates for transmission were:
Episode One - Wednesday 12th March 1986 shown at 17:05
Episode Two - Wednesday 19th March 1986 shown at 17:05
Episode Three - Wednesday 26th March 1986 shown at 17:05
Episode Four - Wednesday 2nd April 1986 shown at 17:05
Episode Five - Wednesday 9th April 1986 shown at 17:05
Episode Six - Wednesday 16 April 1986 shown at 17:05
This childrens drama really does sit up there with the best to come out of the BBC. It was fascinating form start to finish and was finely acted by all. The plot line was very well hidden right up until the very end of the series. It never once started to fall into an Oliver Twist type story which it could have done at anytime. Brilliant from start to finish, the story can be found on the second page. I have also included the starting music from the series as a Wav file. If you do take this file and put it on your own site then please acknowledge Little Gems (to my knowledge it has not been heard for about 20 years). Some of the filming of the December Rose took place on a cold day in Leeds (thanks to Michael Mitchell who played the little pie thief).
The story is set in the shadowy world of the Victorian Docklands. A small boat is floating in the water close to the London docks. Two people are evident in the boat, however one is dead (or about to be dead), the other is cloaked in black. Inside the dead man's hand is a small locket. The locket is prized out of the dead hand before the body is tossed overboard into the water. Attached to the body is a stone weight which quickly descends to the bottom of the water.
Characters
 Barnacle |
 Tom Gosling |
 Dennis Arthur Roberts |
 Inspector Creaker |
 Hastymite |
 Lord Hobart |
 Lady Hobart |
 Mrs. McDipper |
 Miranda McDipper |
 Brodsky |
 Lord Stirling |
 House Keeper |
 Madame Vassilova |
 Whistling Youth |
 Joseph |
 Dr. Norris |
 Captain O'Shea |
 Landlord |
 River Policeman |
 Sweep's Boy |
 Pieman |
 Pie Thief |
 The Locket |
 The Lady |
Click below image to read and see the story unfold
| The December Rose |  |
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| Main Page | The Story |
Credits
| The December Rose | By Leon Garfield |
| Barnacle | Courtney Roper-Knight |
| Tom Gosling | Tony Haygarth |
| Roberts | Bill Wallis |
| Inspector Creaker | Ian Hogg |
| Hastymite | Patrick Malahide |
| Lord Hobart | John Quarmby |
| Lady Hobart | Shirley Dixon |
| Mrs. McDipper | Judy Cornwell |
| Miranda McDipper | Cathy Murphy |
| Annie | Elayne Sharling |
| Lord Stirling | Michael Aldridge |
| Housekeeper | June Ellis |
| Brodsky | Michael Poole |
| Pie thief | Michael Mitchell |
| Whistling Youth | Graham Fletcher-Cook |
| Joe | Robert Putt |
| Dr. Norris | John Cater |
| Captain O'Shea | Shay Gorman |
| Landlord | James Berwick |
| Customer | Michael Balfour |
| Mr Kemp | Michael Egan |
| Bath Attendant | Marjorie Sudell |
| Ryecraft | Jonathan Stephens |
| Meadowbank | Geoffrey Larder |
| Policeman | Norman Mills |
| Madame Vassilova | Tracey Eddon |
| Sweeps Boy | Andrew Ballm |
| Pieman | Paul Hedges |
| Cabby | Alister Williamson |
| River Policeman | John Lyons |
| A BBC TV Production in association with Friday Productions Ltd. |
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| Based on an idea by | James Cellan Jones |
| Associate Producer for Friday Productions Ltd. | Georgina Abrahams |
| Incidental music by | Roger Limb BBC Radiophonic Workshop |
| Assistant Producer | Tony Guyan |
| Production Manager | Gillian Harris |
| Production Assistant | Marian Fowles |
| Assistant Floor Manager | Dee Dragisic Stephen Moore |
| Properties Buyer | Barbara Horne |
| Graphic Designer | Iain Greenway |
| Costume Designer | Christine Rawlins |
| Make-Up Designer | Heather Squire |
| Visual Effects Designer | Chris Lawson |
| Lighting | Des O'Brien |
| Sound | Chris King Ken Haines Patrick Quirke |
| Film Editors | Roy Sharman Catherine Arend |
| Photography | REMI |
| Designer | Graeme Story |
| Video Presentation | Margot Eavis |
| Producer | Paul Stone |
| Directed by | Renny Rye |
