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"You may think that; I couldn't possibly comment"

By jlynch on February 9, 2007.
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I have fond memories of watching PBS's Mystery Masterpiece Theatre in the mid to late 90's ... i.e. when the shows they broadcast were actually interesting. Some of the best shows were those that formed the three miniseries, "House of Cards", "To Play the King" and "The Final Cut" all featuring Ian Richardson as the truly evil Sir Francis Urquhart (whose trademark riposte to any slur against others forms the title of this post). It is thus sad to note that Richardson died today at the age of 72.

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I believe they must have been on Masterpiece Theatre because I never missed Mystery! back in the 80's and 90's and used to miss so many good Masterpiece Theatre mysteries. I'll have to get a hold of this trilogy to watch.

I thought Ian Richardson was great as Dr. Bell in "Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes" a more recent Mystery! series.

You are indeed correct, sir. My error.

By John Lynch (not verified) on 09 Feb 2007 #permalink

Not long thereafter, I tuned into a PBS documentary about the Italian Renaissance. When Ian Richardson came on as the host, I just about jumped out of my chair: Oh, God, it's him again!!

Yes, he played "F.U." most excellently in that memorable series. A truly evil bastard. I think he was originally a shakespearian actor.

House of Cards introduced me to Ian Richardson and I remember how delightful I found it all. As Urquhart, Richardson was so suave and chummy as he broke the fourth wall and privately confided to the audience his assessments of the various contenders for prime minister. I was charmed. And himself? Oh, no no no! He was merely the whip. His job was merely "put a bit of stick about" to keep the troops in line. Respected, perhaps, but unloved, he could never aspire to be prime minister. Oh, never never.

I loved every minute of it.

My Dad introduced me to "House of Cards" on Masterpiece Theatre and I was hooked immediately. When I found out there were other series with "F.U." I couldn't wait to see them. Last time I saw Masterpiece Theatre not too long ago, the opening credits still featured a photo of Ian Richardson as "F.U."