Watching BBC Miniseries (Soapy History at its Awesomest!)

Is everyone here watching Dowton Abbey?  If not, you should be – a British series that has already aired its first season in the US on PBS, it is a marvelous example of something the Brits do wonderfully well: the historical miniseries.  (We might call them mini, because where as American television seasons last anywhere from 13-24 episodes, a British TV season, which they call a series – it can get terribly confusing sometimes — is generally around 6 episodes.)

Maybe it's because they have all the history, all the literature.  Maybe it's because when Britain came up with their system of government subsidized television production they threw in a quality clause, so they have to create some shows that meet certain critical standards, not just ones that earn ratings.  But whatever the reason, they do soapy, history-packed, literature-based shows better than anybody.  And thanks to Netflix, I've been able to discover a BUNCH of them.

Now, I'm not going to talk about your Pride and Prejudice/North and South/Cranford, all of which have been so lauded of late. (But I could. Oh, I could.)  Instead here are some lesser known, but ultimately awesome finds –made all the more awesome by the then-young-now-hot actor spotting one can do…


 

Lilies (2007)

Set in post-World War I Liverpool, three sisters face the usual coming-of-age struggles in a world that offers few choices to women of no financial means.  But the Moss sisters make ends meet, and go through life and one even meets and marries a guy that had something so bad happen to him in the war OH MY GOD I CAN'T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT!!!  Ahem.  Lilies also has the benefit of featuring a pre-Sookie Stephen Moyer as an aristocrat that takes an interest in his new parlor maid, who happens to be one of the sisters…


 


 

Berkley Square (1998)

Set in 1903, this is a decidedly downstairs look at the posh British way of life, the story centering on the nannies of three aristocratic families who live around the exceptionally posh London enclave of Berkley Square.  None of these young women are Mary Poppins, but each has their own past, and are trying to do the best they can for these children of privilege, some of whom don't see their parents above once a day – or even once a week.  There's the country one, who comes to terms with being in a big city, the one with a hidden scandalous past… and the one who falls in love with a remarkably young Jason O'Mara (pre-Life on Mars, the American version) who plays the footman who gets into the occasional street brawl.


 


 


 


 

He Knew He Was Right (2004)

Based on the Victorian-era Anthony Trollope novel of the same name (and Trollope is not known for being happy) this one is about a young aristocratic marriage that is broken up by the husband's jealousy over his wife's friendship with a notorious flirt.  Never mind that the flirt is her godfather, the husband spends the whole time sending his wife off to the country and becoming more and more paranoid until he cracks up and dies because, gosh darn it, HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.  This one will make you rethink every single fight you've ever had with your significant other, because jeez, if he – or she – could have just given in a little, it would have all amounted to nothing.  Added benefit: DAVID TENNANT ALERT!  Just one year after this production, Mr. Tennant would morph into Dr. Who, but here he plays a very confused and unfortunately priggish vicar, stuck between two sisters who both want to marry him.


 


 

The Buccaneers (1995)

Hey! An American wrote this one!  Edith Wharton's – also not known for happiness – tale of four "new-money" American girls who have trouble making good marriages in New York Knickerbocker society, go to London in an attempt to get some polish and meet potential husbands.  And they do.  Because nothing is more appealing to impoverished Aristocrats than American money, new or old.  But finding happiness in these unions is harder than finding the husbands, as all four girls learn pretty quickly.  Mira Sorvino and Carla Gugino are two of the female leads and James Frain – pre Where the Heart is and pre-crazy True Blood vampire – shows up as Carla's husband… who takes a little too much interest in the stable boys, if you catch my meaning.


 


 


 


 

The Way We Live Now (2001)

Did you ever look at pyramid schemers like Bernie Madoff and wonder where they got the idea that they could get away with it? It's possibly because people had been getting away with it ever since Trollope's day, when he wrote The Way We Live Now.  When a financier with an unknown past moves with his wife and impetuous daughter to London, and starts up a railroad company that is meant to lay train tracks in America, he swindles and smarms his way into the pockets of the aristocracy around him.  His promise of huge returns on investments but not actually able to prove it sound alarmingly familiar to those of us who've read the New York Times financial pages any time in the past couple years.  Bonus points for spotting Cillian Murphy, Matthew McFayden and Miranda Otto (doing a decent American accent) in supporting roles.


 


 

Wives and Daughters (1999)

Far more cheerful than any of the preceding, I first discovered Wives and Daughters (based on the Elizabeth Gaskell novel) when I was doing a semester abroad in London (and considering that was 1999, I just dated myself horribly).  Set in the 1830s or so, the story begins when long widowed Dr. Gibson remarries, giving his daughter Molly a new stepmother as well as a new stepsister, Cynthia.  Cynthia is sweet, but shallow, and as the prettier of the two, catches the eye of studious Roger Hamley, who is the object of Molly's silent affection.  It's a timeless plot, and this is easily the mini series that truly kicked off my appreciation for the BBC (Pride and Prejudice aside, of course).


 


 

Think of any I've missed?  Tell me in the comments below!

That's all for me this week – I have a ridiculous amount of writing to do to get myself back on schedule (what can I say, The Summer of You Guest Blogging Extravaganza really took it out of me – but thank you so much to everyone who made it possible! It was so much fun!) but I will be at fellow historical author Ashley March's March Madness Blog Party on March 20th, with fun stuff and giveaways, so keep an eye out!

Until then, happy reading!