---
product_id: 50245697
title: "Mr. Palfrey of Westminster [DVD] [1984]"
brand: "alec mccowencaroline blakiston"
price: "$71"
currency: NZD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/50245697-mr-palfrey-of-westminster-dvd-1984
store_origin: NZ
region: New Zealand
---

# Mr. Palfrey of Westminster [DVD] [1984]

**Brand:** alec mccowencaroline blakiston
**Price:** $71
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Mr. Palfrey of Westminster [DVD] [1984] by alec mccowencaroline blakiston
- **How much does it cost?** $71 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/50245697-mr-palfrey-of-westminster-dvd-1984)

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## Description

Mr. Palfrey of Westminster [DVD] [1984]

## Images

![Mr. Palfrey of Westminster [DVD] [1984] - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71kU-K4iaKL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Subtle!
  

*by Q***Q on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 July 2014*

I disagree with those who say this series is unconvincing, or is just second-rate Smiley. Comparisons with Smiley are inevitable but why do we need another Le Carre? The writing, here, is very good and the acting is first-class, especially that of Alec McCowen and Caroline Blakiston. There are, indeed, no guns, gadgets or car-chases, nor any 'action', as such, at all, because that's not what this is all about. The subtle interplay between characters, especially Palfrey and 'Gloriana' (a.k.a. the Co-ordinator) is a joy to watch and listen to. I would suggest that 'subtle' is, in fact, the key word, here. This is TV Civil Servants  at their best - lighter than Smiley but none the worse for that. There are only 3 discs - 2 series - and once I reached the last disc, I deliberately slowed down, putting off the moment when I would have no further episodes to watch.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Whitehall realism
  

*by D***T on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 October 2015*

There can be few contemporary fictions, in whatever media, that present the serious option of a cold-blooded simultaneous murder of a spy and disposal of the body as coldly as “Return to Sender”, an episode in Thames Television’s counter-espionage series, “Mr. Palfrey of Westminster” (1983-85).  The shock may be something to do with the lack of on-screen violence; the buttoned-up dialogue or dialogue that uses clichés to get through an emotionally difficult scene; the stark sets, even when a room may be quite luxurious; and, apart from the haunting theme tune, the complete absence of mood music set against realistic or clunky sound-effects (it is difficult to decide which it is).  But “Mr Palfrey of Westminster” is a cold world with little that passes for friendship, however polite and restrained the relations between people are in all of the episodes.Alec McCowen plays the polite, precise, carefully dressed but very determined Mr Palfrey who knows his way round Whitehall and conducts most of his interrogations by calling on suspects.  A traitor in the intelligence services refers to Mr Palfrey as “a mild little man”, before correcting himself: he’s “the grand inquisitor”.  The plots are variations upon the restricted scenarios of Cold War espionage: defection; a mole in the service; double agents; bureaucracy in its muted but still sinister aspects; the threat of public exposure; establishment cover-ups, and so on.  These are portrayed in a downbeat almost domestic style.  Even melodramatic figures – for example, Leslie Phillips as Styles, some amalgam of Burgess and MacLean, plus other attributes of the Cambridge Spies – are pursued in sitting rooms and showdowns are anti-climactic.  Blair (Clive Wood) is at the sharper end of the counter-espionage practised by Mr Palfrey but even Blair is downbeat and dowdy.  There is affluence, verging on excess in the person and office of the Coordinator (Caroline Blakiston as Palfrey’s Thatcher-like boss), and there are occasional scenes in Palfrey’s club but the overall tone of the episodes keeps them far removed from the James Bond films.  For some viewers, now, the presentation or mise-en-scene may seem amateurish and penny-pinching: mostly interior scenes or close-up scenes outside, often on park-benches in central London.  But after watching a few episodes, there is a realism to the series. It is in colour but seems like black-and-white.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Thumbs up for this one!
  

*by B***N on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2010*

The five stars for the series itself, audio is what it is.What an example this series is how it works like magic when you choose the right actor to play the leading role!You can really witness the long theatre background in every word McGowen lets out of his mouth as he plays the role to perfection.Actually the acting is pretty strong throughout the line, no weak links there.Few of the scripts are pretty basic spy-stuff, but still twisted enough to keep you on the grip.I felt that the female boss came a bit too early to the show,a few more episodes without her presence would have made the trick for me...anyway, great espionage-entertainment and if you liked The Sandbaggers,you`ll probably like this one too.

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*Product available on Desertcart New Zealand*
*Store origin: NZ*
*Last updated: 2026-01-26*