The Times, September 25, 1978, by Stanley Reynolds
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Francesca Annis, as Lillie Langry in London Weekend 
Television's new 13-part Sunday night series, *Lillie*, has 
one of those rather unenviable roles in which the character 
goes from girlhood to being a woman. And this is not just 
any woman, it is a fabled beauty, the Jersey Lillie herself. 
One thought of poor Morag Hood, an excellent actress, having 
to play Natasha Rostova in the BBC's ill-fated *War and 
Peace*, but Miss Annis seemed to carry off the young girl 
part.

Still, when Lillie was cavorting about with her brothers, 
played by Adam Bareham and Simon Turner, the three of them 
did look rather simple minded. When grown-up actors are 
required to play children, for some reason or other they all 
seem to come out appearing dim witted. I suppose the fault 
is with the writers, in this case David Butler. Grown-ups 
have a romantic and sentimental notion about childhood, 
while real children are the least sentimental creatures in 
the world.

Anyway, with the first episode over, Lillie is now a mature 
and married woman, wedded to the unfortunate Edward Langtry 
and eager to get into the social whirl of London. Anton 
Rodgers, who plays Langtry, is always value for money, 
although I can never watch him without thinking of Ted 
Dexter. Mr. Rodgers bears a striking resemblance to the 
former England captain. Because Langtry was a sporting man I 
suppose looking like the cricketer is possibly a plus; but 
it could be death on Hamlet.

John Corrie, who is directing the series, made good use of 
the Channel Islands' beautiful coastline and the big yatch 
in which Langtry sailed away with Lillie. But the pace of 
this first episode was dreadfully slow. One reckons we were 
being told that life in the Jersey vicarage was slow, but 
putting us to sleep with a lack of action is rather an 
extreme way of getting that point across. Lillie Langtry, of 
course, had a most exciting and glamorous life and one 
trusts the pace of the series will grow to match it. It is 
hard to see its continuing week after week for a dozen more 
weeks in such a yawning fashion.



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