The Nearly Man

Season 1

The Nearly Man is a UK TV play and series from the mid-1970s about a middle-class Labour MP. Both play and series were written by Arthur Hopcraft; actors in the cast of both include Tony Britton in the title role, Wilfred Pickles, Ann Firbank and Michael Elphick.

Where to Watch Season 1

8 Episodes

S1.E0 ∙ The Nearly Man
E1
S1.E0 ∙ The Nearly ManTelevision play, later developed into a series, about a Labour member of parliament who never quite makes it to the top.
S1.E1 ∙ Opportunity: March 1975
E2
S1.E1 ∙ Opportunity: March 1975Christopher Collinson entered Parliament in 1958 as a talented, ambitious young man. Now, frustrated and cynical after seventeen years on the back benches, he still wants - and even expects - power; a personal tragedy reveals that the opportunity has not entirely disappeared.
S1.E2 ∙ Power Base: April 1975
E3
S1.E2 ∙ Power Base: April 1975Collinson seeks out the political limelight, but Alice finds his renewed political ambition difficult to come to terms with. Meanwhile, in the constituency there is a growing feeling that a clash is inevitable.
S1.E3 ∙ Millie: May 1975
E4
S1.E3 ∙ Millie: May 1975As Collinson concentrates on the intensifying Common Market campaign, he is almost taken unawares by events in his constituency. Then, at a routine political meeting, he meets a young university teacher. Her name is Millie Dutton...
S1.E4 ∙ Reshuffle: June 1975
E5
S1.E4 ∙ Reshuffle: June 1975While Collinson awaits the outcome of a cabinet reshuffle that will decide his political future, Alice, living apart from him in the Shropshire countryside, is expecting a visit from her friend, novelist Brian Griffin.
S1.E5 ∙ Confrontation: July 1975
E6
S1.E5 ∙ Confrontation: July 1975It's more than two months since Chris and Alice Collinson have seen each other ; a long standing engagement now brings them into contact. It is not the only confrontation in store for Collinson, as the antagonism between himself and Ron Hibbert takes a new and unexpected turn.
S1.E6 ∙ Casualties: August 1975
E7
S1.E6 ∙ Casualties: August 1975Bernard King, local party chairman, attempts to heal the growing rift between Collinson and his opposition. Criticism of his conduct as an MP reaches a peak, and the confrontation between himself and Ron Hibbert comes to a climax.
S1.E7 ∙ Options
E8
S1.E7 ∙ Options"My error has been my scepticism. I've not actually believed in politics as a way of life" An admission that recently led Chistopher Collinson into a battle in his constituency - a battle that he thought he had won. But has he? Meanwhile, on the eve of the party conference, there is an uneasy alliance between Collinson and his wife.