To Play the King (TV Mini Series)

Chapter Eight (1993)

Ian Richardson: Francis Urquhart

Quotes 

• [last lines - Francis Urquhart has just listened to a news report of the two car bombings; he turns to the camera and breaks the fourth wall] 

  Francis Urquhart : Well. What would you have? Britain must be governed, and you know who will do it best. If you will the end, you must will the means. These things happen all over the world. Believe me. It's all for the best. What's the matter? You *do* trust me, don't you? Of course you do.

• Francis Urquhart : I cannot and will not tolerate a monarch who is bitterly opposed to me. You must abdicate, Sir. It is the only honourable course - you must see that.

  King : Oh, I don't think you are in any position to speak of honourable courses. I'll continue to oppose you openly and publicly while I remain on the throne. And if I am forced to relinquish the throne, then I shall continue to fight you as a commoner. I shall welcome the opportunity and I shall take very keen pleasure in defeating you in the polls.

  Francis Urquhart : I wouldn't bet on it, Sir. I'm afraid you won't be of much interest as a commoner. I doubt if anyone will be particularly interested in what you have to say. You have no constituency, you see. No power base. You represent nothing but one talentless and discredited family. And very soon you won't even represent that. You will represent... nothing. You will mean nothing. You will be nothing.

  King : [smiling]  Well, we'll see. I spent my whole life preparing to be king.

  Francis Urquhart : I feel no compunction, Sir. You tried to destroy me.

  King : [dismissively]  No, I didn't want to destroy you, man. You wanted to destroy the monarchy.

  Francis Urquhart : Not at all, Sir. Don't you understand what I'm telling you? I have no wish to. It is *you* I want to destroy. Not the monarchy. My family came south with James I. We were defenders of the English throne before your family was ever heard of. It is to preserve the ideal of a constitutional monarchy that I now demand your abdication.

  King : You're a monster, Urquhart.

  Francis Urquhart : You might very well think that, Sir. But your opinion doesn't count for very much now, does it? Good day, Sir.

  [Urquhart holds out his hand but the King does not shake it. He bows respectfully to the king and leaves the room] 

• Elizabeth Urquhart : I think you should do something.

  Francis Urquhart : I think so too. Corder?

  Corder : Accident of some sort? Riot, explosion. Small bomb. Minor injuries, IRA code word, all the usual Provo hallmarks. We could lay that on at 90 minutes notice.

  Francis Urquhart : No, not this time.

• Francis Urquhart : The great beauty of conscription is that we'll be able to use 18 to 23 year olds to subdue their younger brothers in the inner cities and on those ghastly estates. And then we can think about exporting them. Use the British fighting man to redress the balance of trade.

  Sarah Harding : You really mean that, don't you?

  Francis Urquhart : Why not? After all nobody wants these young people. Not even their own parents! They have no skills, they have no education, they have no self discipline, they are utterly useless. Well we are going to make them useful. Like factory farming.