8 Great BBC Costume Dramas
There are choices here to fit your every mood – comedy, drama, romance. These period pieces include several literary adaptations, some are simply good fun. To find the VHS versions or DVDs, try your local library first. There’s a good chance you can check out most of them at no charge. If that doesn’t work, go to the Netflix or Blockbuster online rental programs.
All you need now is a plate of cookies, flannel pajamas and your favorite fuzzy slippers.
The Duchess of Duke Street: Born into the servant class, Louisa Trotter vows to become the finest cook in London. She rises from the scullery to become chef to the rich and famous (and, briefly, mistress of the Prince of Wales). After persevering through a turbulent marriage and financial hardship, Louisa becomes owner of The Bentinck, London’s most elegant hotel. Full of romance, intrigue and interesting characters, the series stars Genna Jones as Louisa and Christopher Cazenove as Charlie, the love of her life.
History is on parade in this based-on-a-true-life story that takes place during the first 20 years of the 20th century. Especially fascinating are details of food and cooking of the era. 13 hours.
The Irish RM: Peter Bowels stars as Major Sinclair Yates in this charming series about an ex-army officer who settles down with the woman he loves in a small Irish town. Although the Major expects a much quieter existence after the turbulence of battle, he discovers that daily life in this village is just as unsettling. The straight-laced resident magistrate, beset by a perpetual series of absurd situations, always intends to lay down the law among the peculiar townsfolk, but instead finds himself constantly bending the rules.
At times, the country folks’ thick Irish brogue makes it nearly impossible to understand what they are saying, but the situations are funny enough that even if you miss words (or sentences) here and there you’ll still laugh. Some viewers have complained that the Irish are depicted as scallywags and brawlers, so if you’re sensitive about such things, be forewarned. 5 hours, 15 minutes.
The House of Eliott: The sheltered Eliott sisters, Beatrice and Evangeline (Stella Gonnett, Louise Lombard), suddenly are left penniless when their profligate father dies. To support themselves, Bea and Evie launch an ambitious dressmaking business in the heart of 1920s London. The Jazz Age drama follows the plucky pair as they navigate the city’s swirling social scene. Aden Gillet co-stars as charming photographer Jack Maddox.
Naturally for a drama centered in a fashion house, the costumes are fabulous. The vintage automobiles and trucks are also a kick. The bad news is that only the first two seasons have been released (it ran for 3 years). The second season ends well enough, but leaves some romantic threads hanging. Even with that, this is a don’t-miss series. 10 hours 23 minutes.
The Pallisers: Get caught up in this drama based on the books of Victorian author Anthony Trollope, combining the social and political commentary of his Victorian England with the entertaining social weaving of a varied cast of characters and situations. Meet Plantagenet Palliser (Phillip Latham) and Lady Glencora (Emmy Award-winner Susan Hampshire), British aristocrats who marry in a match that has more to do with power than love. The plot follows English politics (Plantagenet is a member of Parliament and, late, Chancellor of the Exchequer) as well as various intrigues among the Palliser family and friends. The sub plots involving Phineas Finn and Madame Max are especially engaging. 6 hours 40 minutes
The Forsyte Saga, Series 1: The Forsyte Saga is a grand epic that tells the story of the foibles of a nouveau riche Victorian family and their rarified circle of friends. The story – one of wealth, love, betrayal, passionate affairs and passionless marriages – follows the fortunes of wealthy Soames Forsyte and his beautiful, distant wife, Irene, who married out of need, not love. 7 hours, 6 minutes
Series 2: The adaptation of John Galsworthy’s fabled Forsyte family continues with the next generation this time centering on the daughter of Soames and the son of Irene, who first met as youngsters. Ten years later, they reunite and fall completely, disastrously in love, amid the turmoil of the 1920s.
It’s interesting to see where each of the family members ends up, but be warned that this series is not as satisfying as the previous one. It doesn’t have the scope or the drama of the first. That said, it’s well worth your time. 4 hours, 40 minutes
Elizabeth R: This Emmy Award-winning miniseries from the BBC depicts – with deft attention to historical detail and style – the extraordinary life of the first Queen Elizabeth. Also known as the Virgin Queen, she challenged the status quo (most notably in her refusal to marry), and survived plots to overthrow her, local politics and family turmoil to build the British Empire into the most powerful military force in the 1600s. Glenda Jackson stars. 9 hours.
I, Claudius: Roman history comes alive in this 13-part series. Tracing the lives of the first of the Roman emperors, I, Claudius is a soap opera epic of ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue set in one of history’s most fascinating eras.
It may take you a while to keep all the characters straight, but hang in there. Nothing surrounding today’s politics is near as fascinating as what went on a couple thousand years ago. Stars Derek Jacobi. 12 hours, 20 minutes
Upstairs, Downstairs: This beloved British TV series chronicles the lives and loves of the aristocratic “upstairs” Bellamy family and their loyal “downstairs” servants. Mystery, marriage, ill-fated romance and family drama thread through the series. If you saw it as a kid, it will delight you all over again. 11 hours, 5 minutes.
