British Costume Period Dramas (any recommendations)

LMLM Posts: 63,249
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Hello, i really like costume period drama television shows

I've seen The Village, Call the Midwife, The Mill, Downton Abbey, Lark Rise, The Paradise and the remake of Upstairs Downstairs. Currently watching The Crimson Field on Sunday as well.

I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for other shows along the lines of these.

Much appreciated. Thanks.
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  • ravensboroughravensborough Posts: 5,188
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    North and South is one of my favourites. It's based on Elizabeth Gaskell's Victorian novel about a middle-class girl from London who moves to the North with her father and falls in love with the brooding mill owner John Thornton. It's a powerful, moving, shocking and wonderfully compelling period drama I am sure you will love. If you can find it on DVD, make sure you buy it.
  • ServalanServalan Posts: 10,167
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    The best of them all - well, the first two series, at least - is Tenko:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tenko-Complete-BBC-Series-Box/dp/B0009M9FEQ

    There's also Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Twenty-Thousand-Streets-Under-Sky/dp/B000B6F8FA

    Really well done. :cool:
  • lundavralundavra Posts: 31,790
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    If you have an interest in the 'costume' part of 'costume drama' then watch out for some of the history series on BBC2 and BBC4. There is often something about what was worn in the different periods covered, lots about the Georgians at the moment. Lucy Worsley loves getting dressed up in period costume in her programmes. The story on one of the programmes about Versailles about Louis's impatience and his mistress's costume was hilarious!
  • duncannduncann Posts: 11,969
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    North and South is one of my favourites. It's based on Elizabeth Gaskell's Victorian novel about a middle-class girl from London who moves to the North with her father and falls in love with the brooding mill owner John Thornton. It's a powerful, moving, shocking and wonderfully compelling period drama I am sure you will love. If you can find it on DVD, make sure you buy it.

    Oh yes, that was a good one.

    Also based on Mrs Gaskell is Cranford with a stellar cast led by Judi Dench. I remember really loving Middlemarch, by George Eliot, which was made in the mid-90s with Juliet Aubrey and Rufus Sewell.

    The very best literary adaptations IMO were Price and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, made in the 90s, and Bleak House with Gillian Anderson heading the cast. These are not TV dramas though, they are all literary adaptations. But they were all really popular.

    I absolutely loved an ITV drama series called Lost in Austen which was about an ordinary modern day young woman in London who finds Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice in her bath and goes back into the novel with her. If you have seen the Colin Firth version, this drama is absolutely delightful, very funny and many of the characters are secretly the opposite of how they come across in the novel and TV version. It's inspired.

    The Crimson Petal and the White is a more 'adult', edgy period drama, it also included Gillian Anderson in the cast and was quite compelling.

    ITV did a series of one-off Jane Austen adaptations a few years ago starring popular actors like Billie Piper. Not everyone liked them.

    I'll think of some more later ...
  • LMLM Posts: 63,249
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    Thank you to you all

    I am watching Cranford and very much enjoying it. Two episodes in to it. Incredible cast.
  • lewiep93lewiep93 Posts: 5,880
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    You mention Upstairs Downstairs. I completely recommend the original series. I Dies from Love and Guest of Honour are the best episodes.
  • lindenlealindenlea Posts: 533
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    As well as the BBC Gaskell adaptations of North & South and Cranford, I'd highly recommend another from 1999; Wives & Daughters. Stars include Michael Gambon, Francesca Annis, Bill Paterson, Keeley Hawes, Justine Waddell, Anthony Howell, Tom Hollander and Iain Glen.

    A favourite Dickens adaptation of mine was Our Mutual Friend, also from the late 90s, with Anna Friel and Stephen Mackintosh, David Morrissey, Paul McGann, etc.

    If you like more of a romp, the Alex Kingston version of Moll Flanders is good fun - no prim and proper Victorians in this!
  • annielouannielou Posts: 10,246
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    North and South - all the cast are so good, obviously Richard Armitage but watch out for Jo Joyner as his selfish sister and Tim Piggot Smith too.

    Middlemarch was gooD, I don't think it'd ever been repeated?

    There was a drama on when I was a teenager called We'll Meet Again, about the Americans stationed here during WWII, which not exactly a costume drama, was good all the same.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 979
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    Earlier period Brother Cadfael..excellent in every way..combining detection and period. Been on BBC2 and Drama recently. My hope is someone soon adapts Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew and Thomas Chalenor stories.
  • MagicCoppeliaMagicCoppelia Posts: 20,758
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    Two BBC Dickens adaptations Little Dorrit from 2008 and Bleak House from 2005 which I enjoyed. Also Desperate Romantics another BBC production from 2009 about the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood artists.:)
  • greengrangreengran Posts: 4,129
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    BBC 2 are showing 'The Pallisers' from Monday afternoon, a costume drama which was a very good adaptation of an Anthony Trollope novel, originally made in the '70s. I remember watching it then and am recording it to see if it's still as good as I remember.n
  • daziechaindaziechain Posts: 12,124
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    I think you'd really like Wives and Daughters .. excellent story, excellent cast.

    Also brilliant we're Pride and Prejudice (1995), Sense and Sensibility (Emma Thompson), Little Dorrit, Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend, Martin Chuzzlewit ... and Poldark.
  • ilovewallanderilovewallander Posts: 41,273
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    I loved the BBC adaptation of Samuel Richardson's Clarissa starring Sean Bean and Saskia Wickham. It was quite dark but totally gripping, Sean Bean was brilliant as the calculating but sexy cad Lovelace. In fact the whole cast was outstanding, the costumes, music and cinematography were first class. I recommend it :)

    I also used to love The House of Elliot. ITV3 recently repeated it, but I think it's finished now though.
  • moonlilymoonlily Posts: 7,862
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    The Darling Buds of May could be classed as a period drama I guess, and the first series are worth watching.

    I am almost totally alone I think, in loving the recent BBC adaption of Jamaica Inn, but I would recommend giving it a try if you haven't seen it.
  • VerenceVerence Posts: 104,535
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    Lizaj wrote: »
    Earlier period Brother Cadfael..excellent in every way..combining detection and period. Been on BBC2 and Drama recently. My hope is someone soon adapts Susanna Gregory's Matthew Bartholomew and Thomas Chalenor stories.

    Cadfael was on ITV not BBC :)

    There are plenty of historical detective books that could be made into tv show

    The Falco series by Lindsey Davis
    Roger the Chapman by Kate Sedley
    Sister Fidelma by Peter Tremayne
    Brother Althelstan by Paul Doherty
    Crowner John by Bernard Knight

    Those are just the ones that spring to mind
  • AidanLunnAidanLunn Posts: 5,320
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    The grand-daddy of them all is the original The Forsyte Saga (BBC2, 1967, B&W)

    Others I would recommend are:
    The Caesars (Granada, 1968, B&W)
    I, Claudius (BBC, 1976, colour)
    Poldark (BBC, 1975-77, colour)
    Brideshead Revisited (Granada, 1981, colour)
    The Jewel in the Crown (Granada, 1984, colour)
    Sherlock Holmes adaptations, including the 1968 BBC colour series starring Peter Cushing
    The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (Thames, 1971-72, colour)
    Upstairs, Downstairs (LWT, 1971-76, B&W & colour)
    The House of Eliott (BBC, 1991-94, colour, stereo)
    Secret Army (BBC, 1977-1979, colour)
    Colditz (BBC, 1972-74, colour)
    Manhunt (LWT, 1970, colour)
  • clara28clara28 Posts: 1,520
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    The BBC's 1995 adaptation of Persuasion is amazing. My ultimate comfort watch.
  • LMLM Posts: 63,249
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    Thanks everyone. Watching the original Upstairs Downstairs. Adore it. The remake wasn't that good now i have seen the original.
  • AlbacomAlbacom Posts: 34,578
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    moonlily wrote: »
    The Darling Buds of May could be classed as a period drama I guess, and the first series are worth watching.

    I am almost totally alone I think, in loving the recent BBC adaption of Jamaica Inn, but I would recommend giving it a try if you haven't seen it.

    Jamaica Inn was atmospheric and brilliantly acted. Shame about the sound issues. Hopefully they'll rectify it and repeat it once improved.

    But, the person who suggested Tenko upthread. I second that. No other drama series has been as liberal and as hard hitting since. I make that statement comparitively considering it was 30 years ago. If Tenko doesn't get you "there" then nothing will.
  • Friday's childFriday's child Posts: 100
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    So many great series out there.

    Some of my personal favourites which haven't already been mentioned:
    Silas Marner (BBC, Ben Kingsley)
    Our Mutual Friend (1976 version from the BBC, Leo McKern)
    The Barchester Chronicles (BBC, Nigel Hawthorne, Geraldine McEwan and a truly splendiferous performance from Alan Rickman as Obadiah Slope)
    To Serve Them All My Days (BBC, John Duttine)

    And if by any chance you can get hold of it, the 1974 version of David Copperfield simply has to be seen for the tour de force that is Mr Nice Guy Martin Jarvis as an utterly loathsome Uriah Heep.
  • annielouannielou Posts: 10,246
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    Jewel in the Crown is proper class. I'd love to see it repeated.
  • ChrissieAOChrissieAO Posts: 5,140
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    greengran wrote: »
    BBC 2 are showing 'The Pallisers' from Monday afternoon, a costume drama which was a very good adaptation of an Anthony Trollope novel, originally made in the '70s. I remember watching it then and am recording it to see if it's still as good as I remember.n

    Thanks for that info...I would have missed it completely. I have now put it on to record and look forward to seeing it again...
  • duckyluckyduckylucky Posts: 13,815
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    Tenko . An outstanding drama series . But the costumes were not exactly spectacular !!!

    The Onedin Line
  • Ben_Fisher1Ben_Fisher1 Posts: 2,973
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    Don't know if it's out on DVD but I strongly recommend 'Clarissa' starring Sean Bean from BBC 1991.
    Fantastically dark tale set in the 18th Century, of sexual obsession and avarice, very different from most costume dramas, and a world away from Jane Austen adaptations.
  • OndineOndine Posts: 3,762
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    Don't know if it's out on DVD but I strongly recommend 'Clarissa' starring Sean Bean from BBC 1991.
    Fantastically dark tale set in the 18th Century, of sexual obsession and avarice, very different from most costume dramas, and a world away from Jane Austen adaptations.

    Couldn't agree more. It was brilliant.
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