Favorite British TV Period Dramas (owned by NYPL)
Annotation:A well-crafted tale of an aristocratic Edwardian family and the people that serve them. It is well acted, beautifully written and lovingly filmed on location at Highclere Castle - which will blow your mind at it's beauty! Maggie Smith is divine as Lady Violet and all the others are great too! Plenty of familiar faces including American actress Elizabeth McGovern.
Annotation:A beautifully filmed adaption on the Evelyn Waugh novel that was filmed on location at Castle Howard in Yorkshire. The place is even more breathtaking in person. Stars a young Jeremy Irons.
Annotation:A sweet love story about a village school teacher and the men that vy for her attention. Stars Keeley Hawes (from MI5) and a fave British actor of mine, James Murray.
Annotation:Jemma Redgrave (daughter of Corin Redgrave) portrays a young woman who becomes a doctor and opens a clinic in Victorian London. I love that she is a revolutionary and also a bit of a prude.
Annotation:When this series about a smuggling family in Cornwall aired on Masterpiece in the 70's it was considered very racy. I was not allowed to watch it.
Annotation:The doomed love story of Cathy and Heathcliff was been remade a dozen times and shall be remade a dozen more. This one is notable for swoonworthy casting of actor Tom Hardy (Inception) as Heathcliff.
Annotation:There is no such thing as the definitive Jane Eyre but this one will do very nicely. A mini-series is better than a film as it can keep so much more of the book in it. Ruth Wilson makes a nicely plain albeit very pretty Jane and Toby Stephens (son of Maggie Smith) does very well as Rochester.
Annotation:Based on a little known George Eliot novel, Daniel as played by Hugh Dancy is an orphan with means. It has a sweeping scope and enjoyable cast including Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) and Romola Garai (Emma, The Hour) who I adore.
Annotation:A Dickens novel adapted by Andrew Davies (Pride & Prejudice, Bleak House) you know that it will be quality and it is. The darkness of London is palpable and you can smell the workhouse from here. Stars Matthew MacFayden.
Annotation:Based on my least favorite Jane Austin novel, it still manages to be enjoyable. Mainly due to it's young stars, the up-and-coming Felicity Jones and the charming JJ Field. Adapted by Andrew Davies. (P.S. If you watch a lot of these series you will be seeing that name often!).
Annotation:Another book that is constantly adapted, this version stands out through the quiet and devastating performance and sheer beauty of Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe, Quatum of Solace).
Annotation:Based on a little known novel by Anne Bronte it stars Toby Stephens, Tara Fitzgerald and Rupert Graves. A woman flees her horrible husband to raise in child in anonymity and finds love. If you aren't in love with Toby Stephen's farmer character at the end of this you have a hard heart.
Annotation:Sean Bean may have starred in Lord of the Rings but he will always be Richard Sharpe to me! Based on a book series about the British Army in Spain during the Napoleonic War, Richard Sharpe rises in the ranks and above his class because he is braver and smarter than all those aristocratic officer yahoos. Brilliant!
Annotation:Andrew Davies does it again as he adapts George Eliot's novel about life in a provincial English town. Beautifully acted and directed. Stars Rufus Sewell.
Annotation:I could rewatch this adaption over and over again. It is perfectly put together. Rupert Penry-Jones (MI5) is brooding, handsome and dashing as Capt. Wentworth and Sally Hawkins is excellent as the overburdened Anne. Controversial because of the end scene but it makes me want to squeal with joy!
Annotation:Another new adaption of Jane Austen's classic novel. I like this one as the actors are age appropriate and the seaside cottage setting is breathtakingly gorgeous. Stars Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) David Morrisey (State of Play) and Dominic Cooper.
Annotation:Made in 1995, this series jumpstarted a love of all things Jane Austen in this country even though it's most memorable scene never appeared in the book. Colin Firth is the definitive Mr. Darcy. Although, tiny confession here, I kinda like the film version with Keira Knightly better -- I know sacrilige!
Annotation:This is probably my all time favorite period drama EVER! Pride and Prejudice - Victorian Era. Based on an Elizabeth Gaskell novel, it is a sweeping love story that is also gorgeously filmed and acted. Stars the amazing Richard Armitage. The last scene will have you swooning and hitting the rewind button.
Annotation:The charm of a small town is evident here in this adaption of Elizabeth Gaskell's work. A charming story of all the older women in town, it makes you wonder what happened to the men. Not as strong or resilient as the women folk I'd guess. Contains a who's who of British acting royalty - Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton... and the list goes on...
Annotation:With these kinds of stars involved, you can't have just one installment. Just as good as the first series!
Annotation:Justine Waddell is great in this adaption of the Elizabeth Gaskell novel. Justine is Molly Gibson, the daughter of a widower, whose life is turned upside down when her father decides to remarry. Also stars, Anna Francesca, Keeley Hawes, Iain Glen and Michael Gambon.
Annotation:This is my favorite adaption of Great Expectations. When I read the book years ago I thought all of the characters so unlikable but the here they are rendered very sympathetic. Ioan Gruffyd (Horatio Hornblower series) is great as Pip and Justine Waddell makes a very good Estella. Miss Havisham will always be crazy but Charlotte Rampling does a good job of humanizing her.
Annotation:I love this series about a large upper-middle-class Victorian family. For it's sprawling storytelling, forbidden love affairs, family secrets and jealousies but mainly because actor Damian Lewis in the lead role as Soames Forsyte. Who is cold, hard, unforgiving and yet easy to pity and feel sympathy for. Also stars Corin Redgrave and Ioan Gruffyd.
Annotation:In Part 2, Soames must deal with his daughter falling in love with the son of his ex-wife. Oooh, so so good!
Annotation:First airing on A&E in the 90's, it is a hidden gem. It is the story of 2 enterprising sisters as the turn their dressmaking business into a London based fashion house and get caught up in all the social upheaval of 1920s Britain. One of my all time favorites!
Annotation:A fun series that almost broke me when I found out that a second series had not been made! It is the story of 3 young nannies and the London familes they work for at the dawn of the Edwardian era. Well acted, well written...it's the perfect anecdote for a bad day.
Annotation:A classic British series, that not only turned Masterpiece Theater into must watch TV in the mid-70s but also ignited a love of all things British in the U.S. A small series at first (the first episodes are in b&w) it was created by actresses Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins. It is the story of the Bellamy family and the staff of their London townhouse from 1903 to 1930. It is exquisite, thoughtful, funny, soapy...Be prepared to devote lots of time to your new obsession.
Annotation:In this sequel, it may be more than 30 years since the last Upstairs, Downstairs aired but in TV time it's only been 6 years. The story picks up in 1936 with new owners Sir Hallam and Lady Agnes taking up residence. The original Rose (she played a house maid) played by Jean Marsh makes a return and Eileen Atkins comes aboard as Hallam's mother. While not as sure and as engaging as the original it is still charming and worth watching. A new series will be airing in 2012.
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Description
Ever since I was a child I have been a rabid Anglophile. I blame my mother who read Frances Hodgins Burnett books (The Secret Garden and The Little Princess) to me at bedtime and then would wax poetic about the Yorkshire moors. She also had me watch Masterpiece Theater with her every Sunday night. A tradition I continue to this day. Many of my all-time favorites are currently not out on DVD or they are not owned by NYPL -- I am looking at you "Flambards"! -- but this list is still pretty comprehensive.
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