Season 1 • Episode 5
LatestAs preparations for the Remembrance Day parade begin, Capt Gulliver plans to hand in his resignation to make a fresh start with his wife. But when Sgt Butcher invites Audrey to go to Australia with him, she is forced to choose between her newly invigorated husband and her lover. Drama, starring Patrick Baladi and Michael Nardone.
Privates is a 2013 BBC One drama television series set in 1960 which follows the stories of eight privates who are part of the last intake of National Service, and their relationships with their officers and non-commissioned officers, civilian staff and families. The series was written by Damian Wayling, directed by Bryn Higgins and produced by Nick Pitt. The setting is the fictional North Yorkshire Regiment, although for dramatic effect the characters are from a variety of backgrounds including London, Liverpool, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Filmed in Northern Ireland, extras were provided by soldiers, wives and families of 2nd Battalion, The Rifles. Locations were Ballykinler Army Base, Tyrella Beach, South Promenade Newcastle.
Acting
Regional accents that don't make you cringe — miracle of British casting.
Production
Real soldiers as extras, real barracks, real miserable weather.
Ross Anderson
Private Lomax
Matthew Aubrey
Private Davies
Patrick Baladi
Captain Gulliver
Jack Fox
Private White-Bowne
Sasha Frost
Norah Preston
David Kirkbride
Private Hoy
Conor MacNeill
Private McIlvenny
Phil McKee
Corporal Barrowman
Michael Nardone
Sergeant Butcher
Billy Seymour
Private Wratten
Emma Stansfield
Audrey Gulliver
Sara Vickers
Connie Charles
Alexander Vlahos
Private Keenan
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 2nd Battalion, The Rifles provided actual serving soldiers as extras — several reportedly found the 1960s kit uncomfortably familiar.
National Service ended in 1960, the same year this is set. These boys are literally the last ones, carrying the weight of a dying institution they never chose.
GB
