The First Churchills poster

The First Churchills (1969)

Biography · Drama · History

The First Churchills is a 1969 twelve-part BBC television serial starring John Neville as John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and Susan Hampshire as his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Written and produced by Donald Wilson, and directed by David Giles, the series is notable as being the first programme shown on PBS's long-running Masterpiece series in the United States.

IMDb rating
8.1 (301 votes)
Seasons
1
Language
EN
Type
Mini-series

Ratings refreshed Jul 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1969)

7.73 avg 12 episodes 7.3 → 7.7 47 min avg

Ep 1: 7.3 · 30 votesEp 2: 7.9 · 26 votesEp 3: 7.7 · 26 votesEp 4: 7.6 · 25 votesEp 5: 7.7 · 24 votesEp 6: 7.7 · 23 votesEp 7: 7.8 · 22 votesEp 8: 7.9 · 22 votesEp 9: 7.8 · 21 votesEp 10: 8.0 · 23 votesEp 11: 7.7 · 21 votesEp 12: 7.7 · 23 votes
Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#TitleRatingVotes
1The Chaste Nymph7.330
2Bridals7.926
3Plot, Counter-Plot7.726
4The Lion and the Unicorn7.625
5Rebellion7.724
6The Protestant Wind7.723
7Trial of Strength7.822
8The Queen Commands7.922
9Reconciliation7.821
10A Famous Victory8.023
11Breaking the Circle7.721
12Not Without Honour7.723