God Rot Tunbridge Wells!
1985 television film
God Rot Tunbridge Wells! is a 1985 British musical television film directed by Tony Palmer, written by John Osborne and starring Trevor Howard, Christopher Bramwell and Dave Griffiths. It was aired on Channel 4 in 1985 and was made to mark the 300th anniversary of Handel's birth.
Plot
In his old age in London, the German composer George Frideric Handel reflects over his life and musical career.
Cast
Trevor Howard – Elderly Handel
Christopher Bramwell – Young Handel
Dave Griffiths – Handel in middle age
Isabella Connell – Princess of Wales
Anne Downie – Vittoria Tarquini
Beth Robens – Handel's Mother
Simon Donald – Prince Ruspoli
Music
Musical excerpts used are:
Messiah (I know that my redeemer liveth) - Elizabeth Harwood, (But who may abide) - Emma Kirkby
Xerxes (Ombra mai fu) - James Bowman
Acis and Galatea (Oh happy we) Valerie Masterson, Anthony Rolfe-Johnson
Judas Maccabæus (See the conquering hero) Judith Howarth, Lynn Anderson
Ode for the birthday of Queen Anne (Let envy the conceal her head) - John Shirley-Quirk
Concerto for organ opus 7 No.5 - Simon Preston
Suite for keyboard no. 7, HWV 432 (Passacaglia) - Andrei Gavrilov
Excerpts from the Music for the Royal Fireworks, Water Music, and The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba played by the English Chamber Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Locations
The film was shot for free at the Earl of Oxford and Asquith's house (for Brook Street, London), Chatsworth House for a banquet scene, Drumlanrig Castle for a grand house visited by the boy Handel, as well as other homes of English aristocracy. Palmer commented that "I had a million dollars worth of locations, and all for 3/6d".
References
External links
God Rot Tunbridge Wells!
“God Rot Tunbridge Wells!” enters the record as 1985 television film. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Tunbridge, Wells and television can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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“God Rot Tunbridge Wells!” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Tunbridge, Wells and television provides the most credible route into that argument.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5575948. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1985.
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