Francis Urquhart

Francis Urquhart
House of Cards character
First appearance	House of Cards
Last appearance	The Final Cut
Created by	Michael Dobbs
Portrayed by	Ian Richardson
In-universe information
Alias	Francis Ewan Urquhart
Occupation	Chief Whip Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Series 1) Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Series 2 - Series 3)
Family	Alaister Urquhart (brother; deceased) William Urquhart (brother)
Spouse	Elizabeth Urquhart
Significant other	Mattie Storin Sarah Harding
Nationality	British
Political affiliation	Conservative

Francis Ewan Urquhart is a fictional character, the villainous anti-hero protagonist of the 1990s British television series Michael Dobbs's House of Cards trilogy as adapted from the novel by Dobbs. In the BBC television series — appositely appearing on the screens, just as Margaret Thatcher was forced to resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1990 — he is portrayed by Ian Richardson, and is a member of the Conservative Party, Urquhart is known to be a ruthless Machiavellian politician who rises from Chief Whip of the Conservative Party to Prime Minister through much treachery, deception and murder. He is married to Elizabeth Urquhart, who often persuades him to use a given situation to his advantage.

Urquhart's family has roots in the Scottish aristocracy. He served in the British Army in Cyprus for three years. After resigning his commission, Urquhart studies at the University of Oxford. Turning to politics later, Urquhart joined the Conservative Party and became the MP for the constituency of New Forest in 1974.^{[citation needed]} He served in several ministerial positions before becoming Chief Whip in 1987. Some of Urquhart's dialogue throughout the series is presented in a direct address to the audience, a narrative technique that breaks the fourth wall. These narrative asides are an invention of the television adaptation, as the book used third-person narration throughout.

Urquhart has been described as conniving, Machiavellian, sociopathic, and a symbol of political corruption. Throughout the series, he manipulates and destroys several people, including those he calls friends, for his own ends. He is depicted as being willing to go to any lengths, even murder, to see that his intricate schemes paid off. During the first series, he is the Chief Whip, before achieving his ambitious goal, becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the season finale. The follow-up series To Play the King (1993) and The Final Cut (1995) focus on Urquhart's premiership, as he refuses to relinquish his position until he has beaten Thatcher's record as longest serving post-war prime minister.^[1]

Urquhart is characterised by his usage of the catchphrase, "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment", or a variation thereon, as a plausibly deniable way of agreeing with people and/or leaking information. The catchphrase has been referenced in the House of Commons on many occasions, having entered the national political parlance.^[2]

Urquhart's character was adapted by Beau Willimon and Dobbs into the character of Frank Underwood, portrayed by Kevin Spacey, the villainous protagonist of the US adaptation of House of Cards.