the original ending (Might be spoilers)
out of curiosity, what was the *Book* ending?
shareWarning - contains spoilers.
Urquhart realises that all is lost and decides that he can turn things around by making a martyr of himself and ensuring his immortality. He is the one who sends the Cyprus papers to Pasolides.
Tom Makepeace has organised a huge rally in Trafalgar Square and Urquhart gatecrashes it - walking bravely through the hostile crowd to reach it. He asks Makepeace for the chance to address the crowd and apologise and his speech starts to turn the crowd. Pasolides shoots him and as he is falling he throws himself in front of Elizabeth to protect her. His death is seen as a noble one.
Warning - spoilers
So the only differance really from the tv version is that someone else martyrs him?
What I like about the book ending is that Makepeace is defeated for the leadership by Maxwell Stanbrook who also wins a majority in parliment on the sympathy vote after FU's death which strikes me as slightly ridiculous given the Conservative party has been in power for 20 years at that point but alas still feels more fitting and also dosen't have the element of Corder and Elizabeth betraying Francis
shareI also thought that the book ending was quite moving, whereas the TV one didn't quite make sense. I don't think you're left with the sense that Corder and Elizabeth were betraying Francis in the TV version. They were doing what they thought was best for him - perhaps linked to the scene at the very start of the 3rd series where Urquhart shoots his dog. And again, it echoes FU's words from the first series 'It was an act of mercy - truly'.
shareThe adapter did not think much of the novel and apparently boasted he did not even read much of it and went his own way for the tv version. Its one of the reasons why Dobbs had his name removed from the tv series.
Its that man again!!