Eskimo Day

Eskimo Day is a 1996 BBC comedy drama, written by Jack Rosenthal and directed by Piers Haggard, about the trials and tribulations of three young would-be students as they arrive with their families at Queens' College, Cambridge, on interview day.^[1][2][3] There was a sequel, Cold Enough for Snow, in 1997.

This film was Alec Guinness' final acting performance before his death in 2000.^[4]

Cast

• Maureen Lipman as Shani Whittle
• David Ross as Bevis Whittle
• Benedict Sandiford as Neil Whittle
• Tom Wilkinson as Hugh Lloyd
• Laura Howard as Pippa 'Muffin' Lloyd
• Anna Carteret as Harriet Lloyd
• Alec Guinness as James
• James Fleet as Simon
• Pippa Hinchley as Bobbie the waitress
• Lila Kaye as Mother Polly

Crew

• Director: Piers Haggard
• Producer: Ann Scott
• Screenplay: Jack Rosenthal
• Photography: Michael Coulter
• Editor: Michael Parker

Reception

Writing for BFI, Fintan McDonagh said: "Writer Jack Rosenthal, with characteristic flair, puts into the mouth of his actress wife the feelings of parental redundancy that he suffered after just such a trip to Cambridge with their son Adam. Not for the first time, Rosenthal was able to transform an episode from his own life into a gem of comic observation and genuine pathos."^[4]