‘Simply mesmerising’ BBC period drama ‘is far better than Pride and Prejudice’

A hidden gem BBC period drama is being hailed as the broadcaster’s “best ever series” with viewers saying it comes out on top over Pride and Prejudice.

Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage in North and South
The little-known period drama has viewers completely entralled (Image: BBC)

A relatively unknown period drama is captivating audiences, with many viewers drawing parallels to the BBC’s legendary 1995 television adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

The underappreciated costume drama has been brought to life from author Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1855 Victorian novel, which was set during the era surrounding the Great Exhibition of 1851 – and it’s available to watch without charge on UKTV.

BBC’s North and South is being lauded as the broadcaster’s ‘best ever’ production, and audiences simply cannot get their fill of the ‘outstanding’ series. The BBC programme was written and adapted for television by Sandy Welch and directed by Brian Percival.

The programme was initially transmitted across four episodes on BBC One throughout November and December 2004 with minimal publicity, largely escaping the attention of critics.

Nevertheless, audiences appear to have instantly recognised the programme’s excellence, with the series securing the ‘Best Drama’ accolade in BBC’s annual website poll that very year, and three of its sequences claiming the ‘Favourite Moments’ honour, with one taking the premier position, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage in North and South
The show’s lead pair have been praised for their chemistry (Image: BBC)

Featuring a superb Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage in the principal roles, the duo are accompanied by Tim Pigott-Smith, Lesley Manville, Sinéad Cusack, Brendan Coyle, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Rupert Evans to complete an impressive supporting ensemble.

In Gaskell’s novel, the fictional town of Milton, Darkshire, was loosely inspired by Manchester, yet the show’s producers opted to shoot the majority of the town sequences in Edinburgh, Scotland, in an effort to preserve the industrial Victorian-era atmosphere of the book and bring authenticity to the programme’s architectural and visual character. Other notable filming locations included Keighley in West Yorkshire and Burnley in Lancashire.

The series’ official plot states: “North and South is a four-part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s love story of Margaret Hale, a middle-class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton. The spunky and passionate story brings a Southern belle into the growing industrial society of the North.”

Still from North and South

Viewers are calling it the BBC’s best period drama of all time (Image: BBC)

There is no shortage of glowing praise for this period drama, with one viewer describing it as “a diamond in the rough” and writing on IMDB: “It’s been a while since the BBC has given an outstanding period drama. I’ve just finished watching it (for the hundredth time) and is still stands the test of time. North and South is proof that you don’t need state of the art special effects, million dollar budgets and overpaid actors with star power or sex scenes. A simple story can touch a thousand souls.”

Another IMDB reviewer said: “The Best Drama the BBC has ever Produced. Sandy Welch’s dramatisation of Elizabeth Gaskells’ North and South was one of sheer brilliance.”

While one viewer even drew comparisons to Pride and Prejudice, writing: “Fantastic. Absolutely gorgeous period drama! As a huge fan of BBC’s Pride and Prejudice this has quickly become my favourite! Accurate casting, fantastic costumes, authentic settings and the soundtrack really adds to the quality of the series. It has all the passion that Pride and Prejudice (Bless it!) lacks.”

More glowing praise came from another impressed viewer, who said: “Excellent cast and marvellous production…this one is one of the best BBC adaptations.”

While an enthusiastic fan of the series said: “Stellar performances and story. This is one of the best, if not the best period mini-series to come out of Britain in recent years. Being an avid Pride and Prejudice (and Colin Firth fan), this is better. Seeing the previews, I initially thought it was stuffy and just another period piece…..boy, was I wrong. It is simply mesmerizing.”

CRE: https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/2208043/simply-mesmerising-bbc-period-drama-far-better-than-pride-prejudice