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Series · 1976

The Glittering Prizes

Created by Frederic Raphael
The Glittering Prizes poster
21 Jan 1976First aired
1Season

The series

The Glittering Prizes is a six-part British television drama written by Frederic Raphael, broadcast on BBC Two in 1976. From the 1950s to 1970s, a group of Cambridge University students explore their changing lives and the 'glittering prizes' of success, academia and personal fulfillment in a shifting Britain.

Episodes

Season 1 · 6 episodes · 1976

  1. Episode 121 Jan 19761h 15m

    An Early Life

    1953: Adam Morris wins a scholarship to Cambridge, a stepping stone for those with ambition to build lives and careers. In his first year, he makes several new friends and a few enemies. He sets out to antagonise his upper-class roommate b…

  2. Episode 228 Jan 19761h 15m

    A Love Life

    1955: in their final year, Adam's friends prepare for life on the outside, some by laying the foundation stones of their careers, many pairing off in the marriage stakes, a few by doing both.

  3. Episode 34 Feb 19761h 15m

    A Past Life

    1960: Adam publishes his first novel, starts to write for film, and decides to confront a formidable adversary — the brilliant but dangerous Stephen Taylor, a prominent supporter of 1930s British fascism.

  4. Episode 411 Feb 19761h 15m

    A Country Life

    1964: Alan Parks, now a notorious television interviewer, decides to visit the country with his wife Barbara. They descend on old friends Joyce and Dan Bradley, disrupting their quiet lives.

  5. Episode 518 Feb 19761h 15m

    An Academic Life

    1970: Bill Bourne returns from America to work at a new university where several of his old college friends are now teaching. They find themselves taunted by a new generation of students for their outdated 'Cambridge' approach to life.

  6. Episode 625 Feb 19761h 15m

    A Double Life

    1976: Adam, now a rich and successful writer, has more than his share of the 'glittering prizes'. He's happily married, with two children. Despite all this, Adam is still dissatisfied, and he attempts to come to terms with his material suc…

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