The Forsyte Saga — Season 1, Episode 21: Action for Libel
Drama • 50 min • 1 season, 26 episodes • ★ 8.5/10
Episode synopsis
Marjorie Ferrar’s threats of libel action against Fleur are meant to extract money and a public apology, but Soames contrives to turn the tables and prove Marjorie guilty of immorality. American Francis Wilmot is torn between loyalty to Fleur and infatuation with Marjorie, who strings him along while secretly engaged to Sir Alexander McGowan, a hotheaded member of Parliament. Sir Alex heckles Michael’s maiden speech to the House introducing Fogartism, and a bathroom brawl follows. While Francis suffers with pneumonia, Fleur and Marjorie refuse to settle their differences.
About The Forsyte Saga
The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy's series of The Forsyte Saga novels, and its sequel trilogy A Modern Comedy. The series follows the fortunes of the upper middle class Forsyte family, and stars Eric Porter as Soames, Kenneth More as Young Jolyon and Nyree Dawn Porter as Irene. It was adapted for television and produced by Donald Wilson and was originally shown in twenty-six episodes on Saturday evenings between 7 January and 1 July 1967 on BBC2, at a time when only a small proportion of the population had television sets able to receive this channel. It was therefore the repeat on Sunday evenings on BBC1 starting on 8 September 1968 that secured the programme's success with 18 million tuning in for the final episode in 1969. It was shown in the United States on public television and broadcast all over the world, and became the first BBC television series to be sold to the Soviet Union.