My Critique of The Price
The Price remains a starkly compelling thriller, anchored by Peter Barkworth’s taut portrayal of a businessman stripped of privilege. Its unflinching realism, particularly in depicting the raw Irish settings and the kidnappers’ mercenary motives, delivers a palpable sense of menace that distinguishes it from more romanticised contemporaries.
However, the narrative’s relentless tension occasionally overwhelms character nuance, leaving emotional development secondary to plot mechanics. For modern viewers, this miniseries matters as a time capsule of 1980s political anxiety, offering a sophisticated, high-stakes alternative to the genre’s current obsession with procedural minutiae.
Principal Characters & Performances
Geoffrey Carr
Peter Barkworth, who also co-created the series, brings a meticulous intensity to Geoffrey Carr. He is a self-made English computer millionaire, a man of logic and control whose world is violently upended.
The kidnapping of his family forces him into a brutal negotiation where money and morality clash. Barkworth’s performance is a masterclass in contained desperation.
He portrays a man used to solving problems with wealth and influence, now rendered powerless by ideological fanatics. His internal conflict—whether to pay the ransom and potentially fund more violence—forms the series’ ethical spine.
Barkworth ensures Geoffrey is neither a simple hero nor a coward, but a deeply flawed human facing an impossible choice, making his journey compelling and agonising to watch.
Frances Carr
Harriet Walter plays Frances Carr, Geoffrey’s younger wife. The role is pivotal, as she and her daughter are the kidnap victims, but Walter invests Frances with far more agency than a mere plot device.
Frances is connected to Ireland through her childhood home, a key location in the story. Walter conveys a complex mix of terror, maternal ferocity, and a simmering tension with her husband.
Her performance explores the psychological torment of captivity and the strain on her relationship with Geoffrey, who holds the power to secure her release.
Walter, early in her now-distinguished career, delivers a grounded, resilient performance that ensures the human cost of the crime is always felt.
Notable Support and Guest Stars
The Price features several actors in early roles who would become major figures. Adrian Dunbar appears as a member of the kidnapping IRA gang, showcasing the intense charisma he would later hone in countless crime dramas.
Derek Thompson, already known for Troubles-related roles, plays the gang’s leader. His convincing portrayal was so potent it reportedly led to public confrontations.
In her screen debut, a young Susanna Reid plays Clare, the daughter of Geoffrey and Frances, adding a layer of innocent vulnerability to the hostage situation.
The cast is bolstered by strong Irish actors like Áine Ní Mhuirí, lending authenticity to the setting. This ensemble creates a believable, high-stakes world where every performance feels dangerously real.
Key Episodes & Defining Stories
Episode 1
The opening episode establishes the fragile world of the Carr family as they arrive at Frances’s childhood home in County Wicklow. The serene Irish countryside quickly masks a lurking threat.
We are introduced to the rogue IRA cell, led by Derek Thompson’s character, who are planning their operation not from Northern Ireland but from the Republic. The kidnapping itself is executed with a chilling, procedural realism.
This episode matters because it sets the uncompromising tone. There is no glamour here, just a sudden, brutal act of violence that shatters a family.
Fans remember the stark contrast between the Carrs’ privileged life and the ruthless efficiency of their captors, hooking them immediately into the tense, six-hour dilemma.
Episode 3
By the third episode, the initial crisis has settled into a grinding stalemate. Geoffrey Carr is in England, wrestling with the ransom demand and the moral implications of paying it.
Meanwhile, the tension within the isolated safe house escalates. The dynamics between the kidnappers, particularly between Derek Thompson’s leader and Adrian Dunbar’s volatile subordinate, begin to fray.
This chapter is crucial for deepening the character drama on both sides of the conflict. It moves beyond the initial shock to explore the psychological wear on everyone involved.
It’s remembered for its claustrophobic atmosphere and for showing that the kidnappers are not a unified front, introducing dangerous unpredictability into the plot.
Episode 6
The finale brings the protracted negotiation and captivity to its inevitable, tense conclusion. All the simmering conflicts—between Geoffrey and the authorities, among the kidnappers, and within the Carr family itself—reach a boiling point.
The resolution is handled with the series’ characteristic commitment to realism, avoiding simplistic heroics. The consequences of Geoffrey’s choices, and the toll of the entire ordeal, are fully realised.
This episode matters because it delivers on the series’ promise of a thoughtful, character-driven thriller. Fans remember it for its satisfying yet morally ambiguous resolution, one that stays true to the complex world the series built, leaving a lasting impression rather than a neatly tied bow.
The World of The Price
The world of The Price is one of stark contrasts and palpable danger. It moves between the sleek, comfortable England of Geoffrey Carr’s business life and the rugged, isolated landscapes of County Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland.
The central setting is a remote Irish country house, which should be a place of nostalgia for Frances but becomes a gilded prison. This environment heightens the sense of entrapment and vulnerability.
The backdrop is the Northern Ireland Troubles, but the action is pointedly set across the border, reflecting the cross-border nature of the conflict at the time. The series uses these locations not just as scenery but as active elements that shape the story’s mood and the characters’ fates, creating a deeply immersive and unsettling atmosphere.
Origin Story
The Price was an Anglo-Irish co-production, created by Channel 4, RTÉ, Astramead, and Telepictures. It first aired on Channel 4 in January 1985.
The concept was co-created by Peter Barkworth, who also starred and wrote for the series alongside screenwriter Peter Ransley.
Directed by Peter Smith, the six-part thriller was filmed on location in Ireland. It was conceived as a serious, realistic drama exploring the impact of political violence through the lens of a family kidnapping, marking a significant entry in 1980s television dealing with the Troubles.
Narrative Style & Tone
The Price adopts a naturalistic, suspenseful tone. It is a character-driven thriller that builds tension methodically across its six episodes.
The direction and writing aim for a gritty realism, avoiding stylisation or melodrama.
The focus is on moral and emotional dilemmas, particularly Geoffrey Carr’s impossible choice. The performances are grounded, and the plot escalates through psychological pressure and internal conflict as much as through action.
The style is sober and relentless, making the stakes feel authentically high.
How is The Price remembered?
The Price is remembered as a critically acclaimed, sophisticated thriller from Channel 4’s early years. At its broadcast, it was praised for its realistic and unflinching take on the Troubles and for the strength of its performances.
Its long absence from rebroadcast cultivated a cult reputation among fans of British drama. The 2018 DVD release was noted as the return of a lost gem.
Retrospectively, it is also celebrated for featuring early roles by actors like Adrian Dunbar, Derek Thompson, and Susanna Reid.
With a high fan rating on platforms like IMDb, it is regarded as an excellent, underrated miniseries that delivers sustained suspense and complex characters, holding its power decades later.
In Closing
The Price stands as a tense, intelligent thriller from a defining era of British television. Its powerful performances, ethical complexity, and atmospheric execution make it a rewarding discovery for any fan of substantive drama.