Who liked Peter Egan's version of Oscar Wilde

I loved Peter Egan as Oscar Wilde, he plays him perfectly. I am afraid though I haven't yet seen Stephen Fry's interpretation but plan to soon.





"Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage"- Madeleine Kahn(CLUE, 1985)

Imo their portrayals are very similar. It's the scripts that are so different.

Except for one episode, most of the scenes with Wilde in Lillie depict a carefree, lighthearted side of Wilde's life.

Whereas the biopic Wilde depicted a lot of different emotions and situations, including mundane domestic life, anguish and desperation over his faltering love affairs, and guilt about hurting his wife.

There was nothing wrong with Peter Egan's acting but the way the part of Wilde was written was close to caricature it seemed to me. So much fopping about, unfunny arch witticisms, and endless proclaiming about Lillie's beauty and divinity. No wonder Lillie took advantage of her first opportunity to be rid of the bore, for a few years at least.


"It is life Jim, but not as we know it"

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Yes---Yes---YES!!!

Loved him as Oscar; all other portrayals pale in comparison...

Excellent! He and this series don't get enough credit. I want to rewatch this series. It was well done.


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I was in high school when this aired, and it was Peter Egan's portrayal that prompted me to look up Oscar Wilde in the school library. I have since then built a collection of biographies. I think both he and Stephen Fry were very good, but Fry's Wilde was more realistic (and he's an expert on Wilde as well).

Excellent portrayal !