There is nothing better than a period drama to transport you back to another time. Over the past few years, we have been truly blessed with the release of many different period dramas set in various times. As an avid fan of period dramas, there are many I would recommend. From the world-renowned to the more underrated.
Starting off with the late 18th to early 19th century, we have the slightly less well-known 2015-2019 series ‘Poldark, ’ starring Aidan Turner as our titular hero. Most of the world might have only discovered Aidan in his role as Declan O’Hara in the newer, more modern period piece, ‘Rivals, ’ but this is where I first saw him ten years ago. Captain Ross Poldark returns from the American Revolutionary War to his home in Cornwall. Ross meets and marries Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson). In the background of it all, you have George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), a rival of Ross who married Elizabeth, Ross’s former fiancée with whom he had a child. This is a period drama of love, death, tragedy and people you will love to hate (George *cough*).
Continuing with the early 19th century, we have ‘Bridgerton’. With a record-breaking initial release on Christmas Day 2020, this series has no doubt been rewatched multiple times by everyone. Each season, we follow the world of the 1800s marriage mart as the widowed dowager Viscountess Violet Bridgerton attempts to marry off one of her children. Of course, some obstacle always gets in the way in the form of a different typical literary trope (which we eat up every time). Of course, in the background is the Ton’s own Gossip Girl, Lady Whistledown, who keeps everyone in the know of the latest gossip. With plenty of steamy scenes, it’s one to watch on your own and not beside your parents (been there).
How can we discuss period dramas without mentioning ‘Pride and Prejudice’? What’s better than women written by women? (Besides men written by women). The story, no matter which adaptation you think of, the 1995 series or the 2005 film, both follow the five Bennet sisters as they navigate 19th-century society, focused on the second-eldest daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie, strong and independent, has no real interest in marriage, unlike her sisters Jane or Lydia, who have their heads turned by Mr Bingley and Mr Wickham, respectively. That is, until Lizzie meets Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Initially adversaries to one another, the two eventually fall in love and end up together. A timeless classic with multiple adaptations, whether you’re a Firth or MacFadyen fan as Mr Darcy, the story is still beloved. As well as ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, a modern adaptation of the story, with Colin Firth again assuming the role of Mr Mark (Fitzwilliam) Darcy.
Another underrated period drama is the Netflix adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, ‘Anne with an E’. The series stars Donegal native Amybeth McNulty as the plucky young orphan who is adopted by siblings, the serious and Marilla and the kinder, softer Matthew Cuthbert, who were expecting to get a male orphan but got Anne instead. The series follows the three as they try and fit into each other’s lives. Difficult at first, as the siblings are tasked with dealing with Anne’s outlandish and slightly dramatic personality, but the three get used to each other and become a family. Sadly, the series was cancelled after three seasons.
More recently, the television adaptation of the Jilly Cooper novel, ‘Rivals’, was released in November and had everyone obsessed (including me). Again, we follow Aidan Turner, this time as Irishman Declan O’Hara, formally a BBC presenter living in London with his wife Maud, son Patrick and two daughters Agatha ‘Taggie’ and Caitlin. The O’Hara family move out to the Cotswolds for Declan to work for another production company, Corinium, run by Lord Tony Baddingham, played by the legendary David Tennant. We watch as the O’Hara’s fit in with the upper echelons of society, including Lords, Ladies and politicians, like the rakish Tory MP, Rupert-Campbell Black. Big hair, shoulder pads and lots of hairspray transport us to the mid-1980s. Not to mention Aidan Turner’s very 80s moustache; Tom Selleck, eat your heart out.