Character Relationship Map: The Duke

Characters

• Kempton Bunton (played by Jim Broadbent) — protagonist

  Sixty-year-old working-class protagonist who campaigns against pensioners paying TV license fees. After being jailed briefly for this cause, his son steals a Goya painting to support him. Kempton send...

• Jeremy Hutchinson (played by Matthew Goode) — supporting

  The barrister representing Kempton at the Old Bailey trial. He successfully defends Kempton by arguing that the defendant had no intent to permanently deprive the National Gallery of the painting, cla...

• Pammy (played by Charlotte Spencer) — supporting

  Kenny's married-but-separated lover who visits the Bunton family. She discovers the stolen Goya painting in their wardrobe and reveals it to Kempton, hoping to claim half of the £5,000 government rewa...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kempton Bunton → Jeremy Hutchinson (Professional Barrister And Client) — Jeremy provides Kempton's legal defense during the theft trial.

  Jeremy Hutchinson serves as Kempton Bunton's barrister at the Old Bailey and argues that Kempton did not intend to permanently deprive the National Ga...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Kempton Bunton → Pammy (Conflict Reward-Based Adversary) — Pammy's financial motive places her interests against Kempton's effort to conceal the theft.

  After discovering the painting in the wardrobe, Pammy reveals the discovery to Kempton in hopes of receiving half of the five-thousand-pound reward.

Story Analysis

A working-class campaigner turns an art theft into a public argument about fairness, family loyalty, and social change.

Plot Progression

1. A Campaign Against the Licence — Kempton Bunton campaigns against television licence fees for pensioners while pursuing writing and public attention. His refusal to pay leads to imprisonment and unemployment.
2. The Painting in the Wardrobe — A Goya portrait is stolen from the National Gallery and hidden in Newcastle. Kempton uses ransom notes to connect the theft with his campaign.
3. The Reward and the Confession — Pammy discovers the painting and hopes to share the reward. Under increasing pressure, Kempton abandons an exhibition plan and returns the painting.
4. The Borrowing Defense — At trial, Jeremy Hutchinson argues that Kempton borrowed the portrait rather than intending to keep it. Kempton's testimony strengthens that unusual defense.
5. A Partial Verdict and Aftermath — Kempton is acquitted of stealing the painting but convicted over its missing frame. After his sentence, reconciliation and a later admission bring the story to a quiet close.