Sharpe's Peril

Get set for daring deeds, vanquished villains and supreme swashbuckling! Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) returns for his 16th adventure in the award-winning Sharpe series. Filmed in stunning locations throughout India, Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe is back in action, taking up where Sharpe's Challenge left off. Sergeant Major Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley, Heroes and Villains) joins him to journey through bandit-plagued badlands where Sharpe takes over a ragtag unit of soldiers and leads them through enemy territory.

Synopsis

Sharpe's Peril, by Russell Lewis, takes up where Sharpe's Challenge left off. Sharpe and Harper are on their way to Madras, from where they are to sail to England, when they come upon an East India Company baggage train, also making its way to Madras. The party - which includes among its number a heavily pregnant woman and a headstrong French woman, Marie Angelique, who is joining her fiancé - travels warily through enemy territory. Its leaders fear Chitu, the legendary bandit leader who controls the area. When the attack happens, the Company officers in charge prove inadequate to its defence, Sharpe has to take over and lead the party 300 miles through enemy territory. He has to train up the ill assorted group into proper soldiers and finds himself defending helpless villagers against the corrupt and ruthless Colonel Dragomirov the local Company commander in the area.
Only one man can save them all
The award-winning series Sharpe, starring Sean Bean, returns for another action-packed adventure. It's India, 1818 and Lt Col Richard Sharpe and Sergeant Major Patrick Harper are travelling across India, escorting the beautiful Marie-Angelique Bonnet to meet her fiance. While in bandit-plagued badlands, they come across the very dregs of the Crown's troops; an ill disciplined, rag-tag unit led by boy soldier Beauclare. As Sharpe and company sit down to have dinner with their hosts, the camp comes under attack by the notorious bandit Chitu. As the dust settles, it becomes apparent there have been many casualties and Sharpe realises that he is the only person now capable of getting this wagon train to the safety of the next army garrison. Little does Sharpe know that the adventure has only just begun and that he has inadvertently stumbled across a massive opium trafficking ring...
Shot entirely on location in India, Sean Bean returns as Richard Sharpe in another action-packed adventure of this award-winning series.
The year is 1818. Lt. Col. Richard Sharpe and Sergeant Major Patrick Harper travel across India, escorting the beautiful Marie-Angelique Bonnet to meet her fiancé Major Joubert, towards the distant port of Calcutta, where Sharpe and Harper are due to take the ship to
England.
Travelling through the lawless, bandit-plagued badlands, they come upon a camp consisting of the very dregs of the Crown's troops in India: an ill disciplined, rag-tag unit led by boy soldier Beauclare, accompanying an Indian Maharani's cavalcade to a wedding whilst supervising the transfer of a suspected murderer to a court martial.
As Sharpe and company sit down to have dinner with their hosts, the camp comes under attack by the notorious bandit Chitu. As the dust settles, it becomes apparent there have been many casualties, with Beauclare suffering a broken leg from bravely fighting off their assailants. Sharpe realises that he is the only person now capable of getting this wagon train to the safety of the next army garrison.
But little does Sharpe know that the adventure has only just begun and that he has inadvertently stumbled across a massive opium trafficking ring run by the ruthless colonel Dragomirov - a traitorous officer from the East India Company.
Filmed in stunning locations throughout India including Orchha and Khajuraho, Sharpe's Peril takes advantage of the countryside and exotic palaces displaying the huge vibrancy of a breathtaking country. This is classic Sharpe for a modern television audience.

Episode 1
India, 1818. Following the events of Sharpe's Challenge, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sharpe (Sean Bean) and Sergeant Major Patrick Harper (Daragh O'Malley) travel across India, escorting the beautiful yet headstrong Marie-Angelique Bonnet (Beatrice Rosen) to meet her fiancée Major Joubert (Pascal Langdale), towards the distant port of Calcutta, where Sharpe and Harper are due to take the ship for England.
Travelling through the lawless, bandit-plagued badlands, they come upon a camp consisting of the very dregs of the Crown's troops in India; an ill disciplined, rag-tag unit led by boy soldier Beauclare (Luke Ward Wilkinson), who are accompanying an Indian Maharani's cavalcade whilst supervising the transfer of a suspected murderer (whom we later learn to be Barabbas Hakeswell, son of Sharpe's sworn enemy) to a court martial. Amongst others in the convoy are the Reverend Lovelace Watkin (Jonathan Moore), come to the sub-continent intent on bringing enlightenment to the heathens, armed with no more than a harmonium and a case of scriptures, and Lt. Robert Treddinick (David Robb), an engineer come to India to build roads and bridges with his assistant, Lance Naik Singh (Raza Jaffrey). As Sharpe and company sit down to have dinner with their hosts, the camp comes under attack by the notorious bandit Chitu. As the dust settles, it becomes apparent there have been many casualties, with Beauclare suffering a broken leg from bravely fighting off their assailants. Sharpe realises that he is the only person now capable of getting this wagon train to the safety of the next army garrison.
Little does Sharpe know that the adventure has only just begun and that he has inadvertently stumbled across an opium trafficking ring which is being run by the ruthless Colonel Dragomirov (Velibor Topic), a traitorous officer from the East India Company.
As his journey unfolds, Sharpe marches his new charges into the wild country, protecting them as best he can until they reach the nearest East India Company fort at Kalimgong. As Harper is questioned by the men about Sharpe's history, Sharpe's distrust of Barabbas (Amit Behl) seems proven when he learns he is the bastard son of his sworn enemy Obabiah Hakeswill, the murderer of Sharpe's beloved wife Teresa.
As the wagon train approaches the hill fort at Kalimgong, Sharpe is alerted that all is not well and they find the fort ransacked, with all the inhabitants dead, save for one. Under the burning Indian sun, his old adversary Sir Henry Simmerson (Michael Cochrane) is staked out to the ground, sun-baked half to death and raving mad. As he tries to get some sense from Simmerson, Sharpe realises, that without food or water, they can't stay safely at the fort. Sharpe decides to press on for Calcutta. At the same time, the lowlife troops hatch a murderous plot to betray him after a particularly harsh reprimand when he finds them drunk on duty. As the caravan moves on, they find a razed village, and again suspect Chitu's involvement. Simmerson, having recovered his wits, promptly returns to his antagonistic self, asserting that Joubert is in league with Dragomirov's opium ring, a crime that Marie-Angelique denies.
On their guard as they make their way from the fort, the caravan approaches a river only to find themselves pursued by both Dragomirov and Joubert. As the bridge has been washed away, the party start to cross the river on foot. Simmerson is proved right, when Marie-Angelique is confronted by her fiancé as Sharpe is confronted by Dragomirov. As Treddinick and Marie-Angelique guide the injured Beauclare along, they come under a hail of fire from Dragomirov's men on the bank, with the Maharani's maid killed and Sharpe struck in the shoulder thanks to a shot from Wormwood (Steve Speirs) meant to end his life. As Marie-Angelique returns to help Sharpe, a gang of Dragomirov's henchman attempt to drag them both from the river. Harper manages to pick off the soldiers grappling with the injured Sharpe, who makes it across the river only to see Marie-Angelique on the far bank, dragged away trussed and on horseback with Joubert.
Episode 2
Unable to leave Marie-Angelique (Beatrice Rosen) to her fate at the hands of Joubert (Pascal Langdale), Sharpe (Sean Bean) decides to go after her, leaving Harper (Daragh O'Malley) with the main group and making his way on horseback after Joubert. Finding them resting in a clearing, he dispatches the guards, and finds Joubert molesting Marie-Angelique as she washes herself by a riverside. The two men set about each other, the wounded Sharpe close to being bested by Joubert before Marie-Angelique takes up her traitorous fiancé's pistol and shoots him dead.
After Marie-Angelique patches up his wounds, they are captured by Dragomirov (Velibor Topic), who attempts to recruit Sharpe as a cohort in his scheme to replace Joubert. Refusing, he is shackled and escapes in the dead of night, taking Marie-Angelique with him and making their way back to Harper's group, with Dragomirov now hard on their tails. As the group reunite, they flee to the refuge of Banutola village, which now proves to be the location for their last stand against Dragomirov.
Sharpe, remaining suspicious of Barabbas (Amit Behl), agrees he can be unshackled and armed in order to fight in the next day's battle after Dragomirov's scouts are found at the outskirts of the village. Overnight, the vengeful Wormwood (Steve Speirs) persuades Barabbas that Sharpe intends to kill him the following day, and the two men turn loose all the village's horses and flee. Sharpe realises that his fighting force is two men down, and that they can both betray the weaknesses of the village defences. As Sharpe and his troops start to barricade themselves inside the small village, they are faced with Dragomirov's army marching on them, along with his cavalry and artillery, to finish Sharpe off for once and for all. Reverend Watkin (Jonathan Moore) attempts to solve the dispute, walking forth across the battlefield with arms and Bible raising, but Dragomirov guns him down in cold blood and charges on the village.
Assembled on the front line to face their last stand, cannon blasts and rifle fire fail to see off the marauding hoards, and Sharpe's men fall to hand-to-hand combat with Dragomirov's men. Overwhelmed, it looks as though the day is lost, until Barabbas comes to the rescue with a large native horse battalion in tow, fighting on the side of the King's men. Losses, however, are great. Beauclare (Luke Ward Wilkinson) takes a pistol shot to the stomach, defending Mrs Treddinick (Caroline Carver) as she gives birth in the middle of a gun battle. Deever (Chucky Venn) dies protecting the village's children, and Quilter (Ryan Pope) is brought down from his sniper position when a cannon ball takes out his church tower perch. Wormwood brutally dispatches Croop (Jonathan Coyne), only to be taken on by Harper and given the coward's death he deserves. Sharpe fights his way through melee after melee, finding Barabbas close to being beaten by Dragomirov. Sharpe saves Barabbas's life and takes on Dragomirov himself, plunging his sword through flesh and bone to end his opponent under the hot Indian sun.
With the battle over, Sharpe finds Marie-Angelique has delivered Mrs Treddinick's baby safely, but Beauclare lies close to death. He slips away clasping Sharpe's hand. With his charges safe in the village and battle over, Sharpe bids a farewell to Marie-Angelique and with Harper, he heads for home, over the hills and far away.

"It is a little acknowledged truth that when times are dire, the nights are cold and grey and the economy is collapsing around us, there is no better place to find comfort than in a two-part swashbuckler complete with daring deeds, villains vanquished and maidens in danger of imminent despoiling. And no one is better at swashing that buckle than Sean Bean, aka Lieutenant Colonel Richard Sharpe ... the most curmudgeonly hero ever to stride tight-panted across our screens ... His own age and increasingly grizzled features add an interesting level of world-weariness to Sharpe's character."
Sarah Hughes, Observer

"...everything you expect from a Sharpe adaptation - drunken soldiers, idealistic boy commanders, much flashy swordplay, some stampeding horses, a haughty Indian princess, a practical yet sexy engineer's wife, a considerable quantity of bosom heaving from Ms Bonnet, a pair of dastardly (and foreign) villains and the return of an old enemy or two. It's entertaining stuff..."
Sarah Hughes, Observer

"The return of Lt Col Richard Sharpe to ITV1 in Sharpe's Peril has been well worth the wait."
Daily Mirror (Reader's Letter)

"Sharpe ... was in good form ... Sean Bean's soldier is still the perfect Mills and Boon hero."
Andrew Billen, The Times

"Most costume dramas today venerate historical accuracy: it is a simple pleasure to see such uncomplicated Boy's Own fun and the kind of fighting talk you'd expect from a ‘He's not worth it' brawl outside a Sheffield pub." Victoria Segal, Sunday Times

"...entertaining tale of derring-do ... the settings are glorious, the ladies sumptuous, the heroes handsome and the action relentless." Gerard O'Donovan, Daily Telegraph

"Sean Beans spectacularly grumpy soldier is pretty much an identikit romantic hero, all gruff no-nonsense macho with a drop your panties if you must air about him that distressed damsels apparently cant resist. It was business as usual in Sharpe's Peril, which found Bean surrounded by the usual coterie of serviceable villains, buxom heroines and scheming Johnny Foreigners all gagging to be put to his variety of swords. Daft escapism it may be but with India supplying spectacular backdrops, it made for a diverting Boy's Own adventure." Keith Watson, London Metro

"I love buckle with my swash." Richard Arnold, People

"Enjoyable nonsense." Daily Mail

"Sharpe can hear a woman in danger from half a league away, appearing on a strategically important ridge or behind a tree to save her just in time (and just after her boobs have fallen out or her nipples have poked through her wet dress)." Juliet Bowbrick, Time Out

"There's more rip-roaring heroism as grumpy old Lt Col Sharpe (Sean Bean] swashes his buckle with panache in the closing half of this stirring Indian adventure. Five stars." Mail On Sunday (Episode 2)

"The action picks up as he comes face to face with evil nemesis colonel Dragomirov in a conclusion crammed with snake pits, swordfights and sexual tension." Davis Stubbs, Guardian (Episode 2)

The Sharpe films have been a hotbed for emerging Hollywood actors. The cast alumni includes actors Daniel Craig, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Hurley, Pete Postlethwaite, Toby Stephens and Alice Krige.

Directed by Tom Clegg
Written by Bernard Cornwell, Russell Lewis
Produced by Malcolm Craddock, Muir Sutherland < br> Executive Produced by Stuart Sutherland
Original Music by Dominic Muldowney, John Tams
Cinematography by James Aspinall
Film Editing by Chris Ridsdale
Costume Design by Jacky Levy, Sujata Sharma