The Crème de La Crème of Period Dramas ? ? ?

Has anyone suggested North and South with the delicious Richard Armitage?

Also, the 1970’s War and Peace with Anthony Hopkins. We started rewatching it. The wobbly plywood sets are rather marvellous!

I liked North & South as well suedonim Cranford was excellent as was South Riding. I also enjoyed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

I really enjoyed North and South too, and Cranford (although not so much the second series). Also Persuasion (1995) with Ciaran Hinds and Pride and Prejudice (1995) with Colin Firth. I wasn't over excited by Vanity Fair, but lots of people liked it.

You might enjoy one of the War and Peace series too - my favourite is the 2007 version with the gorgeous Alessio Boni and Clemence Posey (from The Bridge), also Malcolm McDowell and Brenda Blethyn.

There’s a more recent version of War and Peace too which was very good. James Norton and Paul Dano were in it as well as a lot of other stars including Ade Edmondson.

eazybee

The original Forsyte Saga, if it is still available.

Wives and Daughters (Mrs. Gaskell)

Obviously, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.

The Jewel in the Crown

An Age of Kings (Shakespeare, Richard 11 to Richard 111, from 1960, brilliant)

I would recommend that you read 'Lark Rise to Candleford', because the TV adaptation is a travesty. (Sorry).

I loved cranford but couldn’t bear lark rise. Terrible acting by ?sawalha … head to one side quizzical was her only expression. Found it all too twee for words but then I’m the lone voice who can’t take Callnthe midwife so….

Nothing compares with Larkrise for me, adore Minnie

Ruby Bentall who played Minnie is the daughter of Janine Duvitski.
I was delighted to find this out.
Janine is such a fine comic actor

Clayhanger, Edward & Mrs Simpson, To Serve Them All My Days, Sam, A Family At War., The Onedin Line. To name a few I can remember enjoying, I don't know where you would find them though

A taster of the more recent War and Peace with James Norton. Here he is waltzing with the lovely Lily James (Natasha)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSsQmNRecQ

The original Forsyte Saga is intriguing to watch now, the characters indulge in long conversations with each and things move slowly with so many episodes, how did we all sit for so long. So many of the actors in these dramas are long gone but it can be like meeting old friends.
All the others mentioned are worth a look, loved Barchester Chronicles.

Lucca

eazybee

The original Forsyte Saga, if it is still available.

Wives and Daughters (Mrs. Gaskell)

Obviously, Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion.

The Jewel in the Crown

An Age of Kings (Shakespeare, Richard 11 to Richard 111, from 1960, brilliant)

I would recommend that you read 'Lark Rise to Candleford', because the TV adaptation is a travesty. (Sorry).

I loved cranford but couldn’t bear lark rise. Terrible acting by ?sawalha … head to one side quizzical was her only expression. Found it all too twee for words but then I’m the lone voice who can’t take Callnthe midwife so….

I don't think the real postmistress was like that at all!

She was the wife of one my Grandad's cousins.

Brideshead Revisited ((1981)
The Go-Between (1971)

for me.

I enjoyed Brideshead Revisited, and at the moment I’m watching Lark Rise to Candleford on DVD. So lovely to look at, if a bit idealistic about rural life, and some great characters. I love Claudie Blakley as Emma Timmins, and Matilda Ziegler as Ruby Pratt. I find Twister is irritating, though, and so is Miss Lane after a while. All the same, good comfort viewing.

FannyCornforth

Hello
When I was working, I watched very little TV, indeed hardly any at all.

Now that DH and I am extremely time rich, we have been catching up on the last 20+ years of TV.

We are currently on the final season of ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’, and I cannot believe how much I love it. I am utterly besotted!

(My favourite character is Pearl Pratt; DH’s is Minnie)

I’m feeling very spoiled by Lark Rise; and I’m struggling to think what could possibly be as enjoyable.

So what to watch next?
Any ideas?
What are your favourites?
Doesn’t matter how old, I won’t have seen it. (Unless it’s Downton Abbey or The Crown)

Thank you! x

Have you read the book? It’s one of my favourites. When my mum died I became obsessed with reading autobiographical books about how life was like ‘in the old days’ because I hadn’t asked mum about her childhood.

Jane43

As susie42 mentioned, Our Friends In The North was an excellent series, not period as such but the cast was excellent- Daniel Craig, Gina McKee, Christopher Eccleston and Mark Strong who all went on to great things. We enjoyed The Onedin Line as well. There were some wonderful Thomas Hardy series which always seemed to star Alan Bates - The Mayor Of Casterbridge and Jude The Obscure come to mind but my favourite Hardy was Tess Of The Durbervilles, I don’t think Alan Bates was in that.

I loved the Gemma Arterton Tess. I cry just thinking about the last episode and the music is wonderful.

In my student days, I had to read the idealised version of growing up in Lark Rise to Candleford in tandem with the gritty realism of a book called Kes. It was a compare and contrast type of exercise.

Middlemarch with (sigh) Rufus Sewell…Bleak House was wonderful because I didn’t know the story and it was cleverly done in half hour chunks. The Ann Marie Duff series of ElizabethI with (another sigh) Tom Hardy as Robbie. Again wonderful music by the Mediaevil Babes (better that the Helen Mirren one imo).

Love for Lydia with Mel Martin ( I think).

Many of those already mentioned I'd watch over again-also 'Jennie- Lady Randolph Churchill' broadcast around 1974 with Lee Remick in the starring role. I remember being totally glued to the TV when it was on, I'd be about 14 at the time, and even got the book of the TV series as a Christmas present that year.

easzybee I loved An Age Of Kings and it's still the bench mark for other Shakespeare productions for me. Our Mutual Friend with Jane Seymour was a lovely atmospheric production, 1970s or 80s? Mustn't forget I Claudius with so many outstanding performances, and more recently Wolf Hall which I thought was as near perfect as you could get.

'Sanditon' and 'Poldark'.

A lot of the old ones are available on YouTube. Not HD though!
To serve them all my days, Onedin line, Barchester chronicles etc etc

Ditto to Middlemarch! As a lover of the book I thought it very well done.