9 Forgotten PBS Masterpiece TV Series & Movies

Dan Clarendon
14 Comments
Maggie Smith in 'Memento Mori,' Emma Thompson in 'The Blue Boy,' and Anthony Hopkins in 'Selected Exits'
PBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection, Everett Collection, BBC Wales/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Even if you don’t often tune your TV dial to PBS, you’re surely aware of some of the most widely-known Masterpiece productions — the Downton Abbeys, the Sherlocks, the Wolf Halls.

But even if you have followed Masterpiece since the drama anthology’s 1971 launch, we’re guessing you’ve forgotten these deep cuts. Keep reading to uncover lesser-known Masterpieces, including many with familiar faces.

Jack Blumenau, Jenny Agutter, Richard Attenborough, Clare Thomas, and Jemima Rooper in 'The Railway Children'
Carlton Television/Courtesy: Everett Collection

The Railway Children

Jenny Agutter has now starred in four projects based on Edith Nesbit’s The Railway Children, including this 2000 television film. She played a mother of three forced to move her family from the city to the country, where the family befriends an aristocrat played by Richard Attenborough.

Emma Thompson as Marie Bonnar in 'The Blue Boy'
Everett Collection

The Blue Boy

A pregnant woman in a flailing marriage goes with her husband to a Scottish hotel, the same hotel to which he brought his mistress. Worse yet, Emma Thompson’s protagonist is visited by the titular ghost — that of a young boy who drowned in the nearby loch — in this 1994 TV movie.

Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh, Juliet Aubrey, David Ryall, James Wilby, and Hannah Wiltshire in 'Bertie and Elizabeth'
Everett Collection

Bertie and Elizabeth

Before they were King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the late British royals were Prince Albert and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, whose relationship was the basis for this 2002 TV film. Fun fact: Eileen Atkins plays Queen Mary, just as she would years later in The Crown.

Annabeth Gish as Mary Follet and Austin Wolff as Rufus Follet in 'A Death in the Family'
CPBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection

A Death in the Family

An autobiographic novel that earned James Agee a posthumous Pulitzer Prize inspired this 2002 TV film. Annabeth Gish plays a young widow in a family trying to move past and reconcile their faith with tragedy in 1910s Tennessee.

John Gielgud as Haverford Downs in 'Summer's Lease'
BBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Summer's Lease

English thespian John Gielgud got the E of his EGOT when he won an Emmy for this 1989 production. Based on a John Mortimer novel and adapted by the author himself, the miniseries follows a London family that rents a Tuscan villa amid the mysterious disappearance of its owner.

Anthony Hopkins as Gwyn Thomas in 'Selected Exits'
BBC Wales/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Selected Exits

Excerpted from the British documentary series Bookmark, this 1993 TV special stars Anthony Hopkins as the Welch writer Gwyn Thomas, who believed “the beauty is in the walking.” And Thomas’ walk through life eventually included his work as a teacher, raconteur, playwright, novelist, and TV personality.

Keith Michell as Henry VIII in 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII'
BBC/Courtesy: Everett Collection

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Keith Michell played Henry VIII of England several times on screen, but it was this 1970 TV show that earned him an Emmy and a BAFTA Award. The success of the series inspired the 1972 film Henry VIII and His Six Wives, with Mitchell again playing the oft-married monarch.

Alex Kingston as Boudica in 'Boudica'
PBS Network/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Boudica

Near the end of her ER run, Alex Kingston led the cast of this 2003 television film about the real-life warrior queen who led her British Iceni tribe against the Roman Empire and the mad Nero. A young Emily Blunt played a supporting role.

Maggie Smith as Mabel Pettigrew in 'Memento Mori'
PBS/Courtesy: Everett Collection

Memento Mori

Long before starring in Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith graced this 1992 TV movie. An adaptation of a Muriel Spark novel, Memento Mori tracks a group of elderly Londoners shaken by mysterious phone calls reminding them of their mortality.

A Death in the FamilyBertie and ElizabethBoudicaHenry VIII and His Six WivesMasterpieceMemento Mori (1992)The Blue BoyThe Railway Children



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  1. P

    PurpleSubmarine

    It would be great to see these again - particularly as the pickings have been slim.

  2. O

    OrangeAirBalloon

    How about The Dutchess of Duke Street with Gemma Jones?

  3. C

    CyanBasketball

    Saw Henry the VIII in junior high. Seemed fantastical at the time that history could be like this—absolutely crazy. Would not have missed a minute of it—not the least bit boring!

    Brideshead Revisited deserves a mention. Jeremy Irons, Anthony Andrew’s, Laurence Olivier and Clair Bloom (especially good). Hasn’t been on in a long time. ☹️

    1. B

      BlueSailboat

      Totally agree. And I would add the first, Robin Ellis led Poldark.

  4. R

    RedCarrot

    Where is The Fortunes of War with Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh?

  5. O

    OrangePopcorn

    Elizabeth R with Glenda Jackson was a standout; also the original Pride and Prejudice - Tessa Peake-Jones, who played Mary is now Mrs. C in Grantchester

  6. R

    RedFlask

    Two other forgotten gems from Masterpiece Theater:

    Love for Lydia

    The Brett’s

    1. G

      GreenApple

      Also forgotten, To Serve Them All My Days was great!!

      1. R

        RedCloud

        Superb!

  7. G

    GoldRing

    Obviously I was doing other things when these were on, as most of them don't sound the least bit familiar to me.

    But this is a good reminder that PBS has always produced quality programs-- some might call it a national treasure. 😉

  8. G

    GoldAnchor

    I Claudius...Little Women

  9. O

    OrangeWeights

    Danger UXB

  10. R

    RedCloud

    I loved Private Schultz, but I can't find it anywhere

  11. G

    GoldGlasses

    Sadly funds to PBS could be taken away by folks in DC