Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic

Episode 1

Dizzy

Sun, Jun 1, 1980

Having returned to England after a lengthy period abroad, Benjamin Disraeli goes about re-integrating himself with the upper crust of British society. He has had some success as an author but not surprisingly is penniless and clearly lives beyond his means. Known as Dizzy to his friends, he continues his affairs with married women and with the help of his father, manages to stay afloat financially. He soon sets his sight on being elected to Parliament and while his sympathies lie with the Radicals, he chooses to run as an independent, but without success. He enters into a quasi-permanent relationship with the married Henrietta but it comes to an end when he catches her with another man. He is finally elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament or, as he puts it, a progressive Conservative.