Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews won critical acclaim for their performances in the TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited.

It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life of Charles Ryder, and his friendship with the Flytes, a family of wealthy English Catholics who live in a palatial mansion called Brideshead Castle.

Some of the action takes place in Oxford and scenes for the 1981 Granada Television series were filmed in the city.

Pictures from our archive show the two actors on set at the Botanic Garden and the photos are from 1979.

Oxford Mail:

Film makers returned to Oxford for a movie of the book, which came out in 2008, starring Ben Wishaw, Matthew Goode and Emma Thompson.

Kevin Loader, the film's co-producer, said in 2008: "Oxford is a beautiful place to work. It has its own challenges, one being that it is full of tourists.

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"During the shoot in Oxford, the film makers needed to quickly establish key points in the story. We had to really establish the sense of wonder of Charles's first experiences of the architecture and the hustle and bustle of Oxford and then the difference between Sebastian's world and the one that Charles has come from, which is reflected a little in the difference between their two colleges.

Oxford Mail:

Jeremy Irons filming Bridehead Revisited

"Sebastian's college, Christ Church, is one of the grandest and richest, with the largest quadrangle, where as Charles's at Lincoln is much more intimate and domestic."

For many years movie star Mr Irons has shared a home in Watlington with wife Sinead Cusack and over the years they have both devoted time to various projects in the local community.

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Last month he treated fans to storytelling while perched in a tree near his home.

The fun was part of the town’s postponed Oxfordshire Artweeks celebrations and saw the town transformed into an open air gallery for the day.

Oxford Mail:

Sinead Cusack with Jeremy Irons

The Outdoor Hidden Art Trail celebrated the community’s support during the pandemic and explored how local artists responded to lockdown with pieces installed around the town.

An exhibit called Back to Our Roots saw more than 40 local artists producing miniatures of the work and setting them in a secret location in a large beech tree.

The work was than videoed, incorporating a fairy tale called the Little Girl with No Voice read by the the Oscar-winning actor. An accompanying piece of poetry was also recited by his wife Sinead Cusack.

Oxford Mail:

Jeremy Irons with Diana Quick in Brideshead Revisited

Mr Irons said at the time: “What a wonderful unravelling surprise to experience the exhibition nestled in the woods on the outskirts of Watlington. The unexpectedness of it all was truly uplifting.”

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Jeremy Irons's son Max Irons followed in his father's footsteps when he starred in Oxford-based movie Posh, about an Oxford undergraduate joining a club like the Bullingdon Club, where students are dared to cause trouble

Oxford Mail:

Max Irons on set of Posh the Oxford movie which came out in 2014

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It is understood that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was once a club member.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.