Have Your Cake and Eat It

This article is about the British TV series. For the similar idiomatic expression, see You can't have your cake and eat it.

Have Your Cake and Eat It is a British romantic drama mini-series which was broadcast every Saturday and Sunday on BBC1 from 15 to 23 March 1997. The four-episode series was directed by Paul Seed and co-produced by Dave Edwards and Eileen Quinn. The show starred Miles Anderson as Sam Dawson, a middle-aged executive in the roller coaster industry. The plot follows Sam Dawson's affair with a younger woman, Allie Grey (Holly Aird), and the impact on his marriage with Charlotte Dawson (Sinéad Cusack). The series simultaneously followed the affair and Sam’s professional pursuit of building a roller coaster called "Dragon Khan."^[1] The series co-starred Paul Brooke, David de Keyser, Ian McNeice, and James Purefoy.^[2] It was conceived by actor and television writer Rob Heyland, writer of Between the Lines and Wycliffe.^[3]

Have Your Cake and Eat It
Genre	Romantic drama
Created by	Rob Heyland
Written by	Rob Heyland
Directed by	Paul Seed
Starring	Sinéad Cusack Miles Anderson Holly Aird Paul Brooke David de Keyser Ian McNeice James Purefoy Guy Faulkner Honeysuckle Weeks Max Dawson Jay Barrymore Holly Oppe Imogen Oppe Sally Dexter James Bolam Rebecca Front Kate Blackham
Composer	Jeremy Sams
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	4 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Michael Wearing
Producers	Dave Edwards Eileen Quinn
Production locations	Chertsey, Surrey, England, UK Vila-seca, Catalonia, Spain
Cinematography	Graham Frake
Running time	50 minutes
Production companies	Initial Film and Television
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	15 March (1997-03-15) – 23 March 1997 (1997-03-23)

Cast

• Sinéad Cusack – Charlotte Dawson
• Miles Anderson – Sam Dawson
• Holly Aird – Allie Gray
• Paul Brooke – Stimpson
• David de Keyser – Michael
• Ian McNeice – Zief
• James Purefoy – Ben
• Guy Faulkner – Stephen Dawson
• Honeysuckle Weeks – Sophie Dawson
• Jay Barrymore – Max Dawson
• Holly Oppe – Polly Dawson
• Imogen Oppe – Molly Dawson
• Sally Dexter – Diane
• James Bolam – Nat Oliver
• Rebecca Front – Claire Gray
• Kate Blackham – Doreen
• Philip Glenister – Joe Martin
• Paul Mateu – Carlos
• Wolf Kahler – Gunther
• Toby Harper – Jose Maria

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
1	"Episode 1"	Rob Heyland	Paul Seed	15 March 1997 (1997-03-15)
Sam Dawson has an affair while on a business trip, but his wife is closer than he realises.[4]
2	"Episode 2"	Rob Heyland	Paul Seed	16 March 1997 (1997-03-16)
As construction begins in Spain on Sam's dream rollercoaster, Allie decides she cannot continue their affair. At home, Sam's wife Charlotte cannot understand his black mood but soon learns the truth.[5]
3	"Episode 3"	Rob Heyland	Paul Seed	22 March 1997 (1997-03-22)
Charlotte and Sam struggle to save their marriage, but when they eventually separate, Sam returns to Allie.[6]
4	"Episode 4"	Rob Heyland	Paul Seed	23 March 1997 (1997-03-23)
The Dragon Khan roller coaster nears completion just as Allie's baby makes an early appearance. Sam is now "having his cake", shared by Charlotte and Allie, but can this situation last?[7]

Awards

Sinead Cusack won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Actress in 1998, while Miranda Richardson also received a nomination in the same category.^[8]

References

1. "Have Your Cake and Eat it (Serial TV 1997- )". Filmweb. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
2. "Have Your Cake and Eat It Part One (1997)". BFI. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
3. "The Week on Television: Making a drama out of male crisis". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
4. "Have Your Cake and Eat It: Part 1". 15 March 1997. p. 66 – via BBC Genome.
5. "Have Your Cake and Eat It: Part 2". 16 March 1997. p. 74 – via BBC Genome.
6. "Have Your Cake and Eat It: Part 3". 22 March 1997. p. 70 – via BBC Genome.
7. "Have Your Cake and Eat It: Part 4". 23 March 1997. p. 76 – via BBC Genome.
8. RTS Awards Archive^{[permanent dead link‍]} (March), p. 19 (accessed 3 November 2018).

External links

• Have Your Cake and Eat It at IMDb