ITV1 · Ended

The Charmer

Drama, Crime, Thriller · 1987

Last aired: S1 E6, Gorse at the End · 1987-11-22

Nigel Havers is the suave and deadly Ralph Ernest Gorse, a.k.a. The Charmer - minor public schoolboy, social climber, seducer of women and eternal seeker after the main chance; his stalking grounds are the roadhouses, boarding rooms and grand seaside hotels of the 1930's, the haunts of vulnerable widows and ambitious swindlers. Gorse is no English hero in the traditional sense of the word. He is a psychopath with the plausible charm of every mother's son, a Lothario whose conquests are merely a means to obtaining what he really craves - money and power.

Cast

Nigel Havers Ralph Ernest Gorse

Bernard Hepton Donald Stimpson

Rosemary Leach Joan Plumleigh-Bruce

Fiona Fullerton Clarice Mannors

Grace Kinirons Mary

Season 1

E1 Gorse, the Tempter 1987-10-18 · 50 min Unscrupulous ladies' man Ralph Gorse works his charm on a wealthy widow, tempting her to invest in a business venture. In a bid to discredit his 'love rival' by arranging a visit to a house of ill repute he risks really losing his heart to the beautiful Clarice Manners.

E2 Gorse, the Investor 1987-10-25 · 50 min Ralph pursues Mrs Plumleigh-Bruce with a vengeance but she lets it be known his financial embarrassment could be an impediment to romance. He reassures her the investment is in safe hands, but Stimpson begins to have doubts about the young scoundrel.

E3 Gorse, the Deceiver 1987-11-01 · 50 min Gorse soon spends Joan Plumleigh-Bruce's cash and takes a job selling cars in Brighton - but it is not long before the implacable Donald Stimpson tracks him down and demands recompense from his employer

E4 Gorse in the Middle 1987-11-08 · 50 min Now married to car dealer Harold Bennet's daughter Pamela, Gorse begins drinking heavily to alleviate the sheer tedium of domestic life - and devises an audacious insurance fraud to boost his finances. Unfortunately, the plan ends in tragedy.

E5 Gorse, the Imposter 1987-11-15 · 50 min Gorse deserts from the Army during World War Two and accidentally causes the death of an RAF officer - whose identity he then steals in a bid to escape detection. Finding that women are impressed by the glamour of a pilot's uniform, he sets his sight on fleecing another wealthy widow.

E6 Gorse at the End 1987-11-22 · 50 min Clarice promises to help Gorse flee the country, but an increasingly suspicious Alison Warren corners him before he can leave - and in his desperation to escape, he finally goes too far. As the net finally closes around him, a vengeful Donald Stimpson is on hand to see justice done.

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