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3 unusual facts about Francis Urquhart


Francis Urquhart

The ending of the novel and TV series differ significantly (indeed, only the ending and popularity of the TV series prompted the author Michael Dobbs to write the sequels).

He was educated at Eton where, although not noted for brilliance, was recognized for his diligence and industriousness.

Michael Dobbs stated that the inspiration behind Urquhart came during a drinking session at a swimming pool after a tense encounter with Margaret Thatcher, deliberately creating a character moulded around the initials "FU".


Diane Fletcher

In the BBC adaptation of House of Cards and its sequelsTo Play the King and The Final Cut, Fletcher played Elizabeth Urquhart, wife of the murderous Chief Whip of the Conservative Party and later Prime Minister Francis Urquhart (played by Ian Richardson).

Paul Seed

He is perhaps best known for directing the BBC's smash-hit 1990 mini-series House of Cards and its sequel To Play the King, adapted by Andrew Davies from Michael Dobbs' novels and famously starring Ian Richardson as Francis Urquhart.


see also