
Part One S01E01
Michael Henchard, in a drunken rage, auctions his wife Susan and infant child to a passing seaman. Realising his folly, Henchard makes an oath to avoid alcohol for twenty-one years, prospering as a grain-trader and Mayor of Casterbridge. After eighteen years, newly widowed Susan and her grown daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, seek out an apparently changed Henchard. Partly from guilt, Henchard agrees to remarry Susan, on condition she stay silent on his past. Henchard hires a business manager, Farfrae, who quickly gains popularity, while Henchard’s dark nature resurfaces.
Series Cast

Ciarán Hinds
Michael Henchard

Juliet Aubrey
Susan

Jodhi May
Elizabeth-Jane

James Purefoy
Donald Farfrae

Alex Kelly
Maid

Polly Walker
Lucetta Templeman

Ben Crompton
Abel Whittle

David Bradley
Councillor Vatt

Trevor Peacock
Christopher Coney

Richard Moore
Councillor Chalkfield

Clive Russell
Newson

Henry Goodman
Joshua Jopp

James Walker
Priest