Daniel Deronda

Andrew Davies’ sumptuous adaptation of George Eliot’s last, most ambitious novel, charts a love story set in Victorian high society.

Daniel Deronda (Hugh Dancy) becomes enchanted by the beautiful Gwendolen Harleth (Romola Garai) as she gambles recklessly at the roulette table. Her family have recently fallen on hard times and pinned their hopes upon the proud, but charming Gwendolen attracting a rich husband.

Daniel’s also been troubled. Illegitimate and haunted by doubts about his own identity. He is frustrated that his uncle and lifetime guardian, Sir Hugo Mallinger (Edward Fox), will tell him nothing about his real parents. Later, he saves a young Jewish singer Mirah Lapidoth (Jodhi May) from drowning herself in the Thames.

Eventually, Gwendolen’ marries Grandcourt, but soon realises she’s is trapped in a marriage that is doomed before it has begun.

Meanwhile, Daniel embarks on a journey to find his true identity and Mirah’s family. It takes him into London’s Jewish community and Genoa, where he meets The Contessa (Barbara Hershey), a celebrated opera diva who holds the key to his past. It is not until he has returned home to London that the idealistic, young hero’s journey of self-fulfillment reaches a powerful and dramatic conclusion.