Hornblower must deliver a French nobleman to a secret rendezvous near Brest, all while coping with enemy agents in his own ranks.
Acting
Gruffudd's simmering restraint vs. Cranitch's sweaty villainy.
Production
They built actual ships. The creaking is ASMR for history nerds.
Director
Andrew Grieve
Ioan Gruffudd
Horatio Hornblower
Robert Lindsay
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew
Paul McGann
Lieutenant Bush
Lorcan Cranitch
Wolfe
Tony Haygarth
Master Prowse
Julia Sawalha
Maria Mason
Paul Copley
Matthews
Sean Gilder
Styles
Greg Wise
Major Côtard
Ian McElhinney
Captain Hammond
Christian Coulson
Midshipman John 'Jack' Hammond
Ron Cook
Steward James Doughty
Jonathan Forbes
Midshipman Charles Orrock
Jim McManus
Pawnbroker
Barbara Flynn
Mrs. Mason
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Paul McGann joined as Bush because the producers loved his audition for a different role he didn't get. He stayed for four films.
This was ITV's most expensive drama ever at £10 million—part of Britain's late-90s naval nostalgia wave that included 'Sharpe' and resurrected the entire genre.
US
GB
