New Period Dramas Coming Soon!

I am sure it will not surprise you to discover that I am a serious period drama junkie! I have enjoyed watching adaptations of novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility as well as period dramas written specifically for TV and the big screen such as Gosford Park, The Remains of the Day and of course Downton Abbey. If you read one of my previous blog posts on films that inspired my love of country houses then you may have had an inkling of this!

For as long as I can remember there have been period programmes and films released and they seem to be just as popular today as they ever were. I have just recently discovered Poldark - a lovely drama telling the stories of people who lived on the Cornish coast in the 17th century. It has sweeping views of the coast as well as love stories, jealousy, tragedy and treachery. It is a perfect Sunday afternoon watch.

I have now watched to the end of season two and whilst I anticipate season three, I thought I would look for some other period dramas which are coming to our televisions and cinemas in the next few months . . .

Poldark Season 3

Photo Source: DigitalSpy

This cornish period drama returns to BBC One on Sunday evenings in June, so we don't have that long to wait. Whilst the second season was aired in the Autumn last year, the third season has surprised fans by being brought forward to the Summer. Whilst programme creators deny this is to avoid a clash with season two of Victoria - ITV's current period offering starring Jenna Coleman, it is likely that this is a major reason for the change so that both programmes are not competing for viewers. Either way, I'm not complaining as I get to watch my favourite red-haired character sticking it to the men sooner than expected!

We don't know much about what to expect in season three, although we know there will be a new vicar, Osborne Whitworth, who will be causing havoc in the small Cornish town. I do hope the writers don't go down the usual 'witch hunting' path though! There will also be some appearances from Demelza's brothers, who up to now have not featured in the series.

Jamestown

When I first drafted this blog, Jamestown had not started but due to a delay in my posting ability, this new period drama has recently started on Sky One. It is an 8-part series from the producers of Downton Abbey and written by Bill Gallagher who wrote 'Lark Rise to Candleford' and 'The Paradise' which is another one of my favourite shows. I was initially disappointed to hear Julian Fellowes was not writing it, but then again I would also like to see him work on a film again, like Gosford Park, rather than tie himself into another tv series.

Photo Source: Good Housekeeping

So we are three episodes in to this season which charts the early days of Jamestown, the first English settlement in Virginia in the early 1600's. At the moment I have to say I sit on the fence with this programme. I really enjoyed the first episode which saw a shipment full of women bought and brought over from England to marry the camp of men who had been in the colony for 12 years establishing the tiny town and who were now ready to marry and reproduce. I think this is a fascinating historical fact which I didn't realise happened until the programme started. Whilst these women got adventure and the promise of a new life, they were also pre-assigned husbands and as we see in episode one, they aren't necessarily kind to the women. Inequality of the sexes is one of the main facets of the programme, which I think is great that they show, but I have to say some of the female characters they have written I really don't like. Also everyone in the show appears to be from Yorkshire or Lancashire . . . I'm going to have to research that to see if that is a historical accuracy or not!

Catch up on the episodes on NowTV and let me know what you think!

Dunkirk

Photo Source: TheYoungFolks

Arriving in cinemas in the UK and US on 21 July this year, this period drama starring Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Brannagh, three of my favourite male actors, promises much as it tells the harrowing and true story of the evacuation of allied soldiers from the war-torn beaches of Dunkirk.

Whilst I usually prefer period dramas based around country houses or a romantic theme, I am also captivated by war movies. I will admit that I don't know much about Dunkirk other than what you learn in history lessons at school and what I learned through the movie Atonement, another amazing period movie. I am very excited to watch this movie, written and directed by Christopher Nolan who brought us amazing films such the Batman Dark Knight movies, Inception (still one of my favourite films) and Interstellar. He's an intelligent writer and an amazing director, so I have high hopes for this movie.

Outlander Season 3

This has far and away been my favourite period drama of the last couple of years. The soundtrack is phenomenal, written by Bear McCreary, who also wrote The Walking Dead theme tune, but the story is everything you want from a highland drama. There are beautiful women, handsome rugged kilted men, and stunning sweeping views of the highlands of Scotland. I love the strong female characters in this series, especially Jennie, Jamie's sister!

Photo Source: iTechPost

Season three is the first season run by US TV company Starz, the first two seasons created by Amazon themselves, and this makes me a little wary. Programmes from Starz are not usually my favourite as they struggle with authenticity in terms of their costume, set design and general historical accuracy. They seem to choose to sexualise their female characters and sacrifice history for colour and rich settings.

Hopefully this will not be the case with season 3 of Outlander, and it will continue to be just as good as the previous seasons. This season we see Claire and Jamie continue their trans-century relationship, struggling initially to come to terms with being separated and then eventually meeting up again. Whilst the release date has not been confirmed, we do know the show will air in September, getting us ready for an Autumn of period drama.

So there you go, here are some of the top picks in period drama coming to our screens this Summer. I will be back later in the season to tell you more about what to expect in the Autumn and running up to Christmas - usually prime period drama time!

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See you soon!

The Women Featured in my Upcoming Book

Dunham Massey in Cheshire

If you have read some of my previous blog posts you may know that I am currently writing a non-fiction book about women in the English Country House. I thought I would introduce the historical female characters who I am writing about in my book. These women were incredible characters, their strength in the face of tragedy and their desire to make an impact on the world around them, provide stories which are begging to be told.

My book is focused on the 19th century as a whole, with my oldest woman born in 1780 and my youngest dying in 1905 although there will be some historical context from the 18th and 20th centuries as we trace the world they were born into and the world they left behind.

So, with no further ado, lets meet my four incredible women, who, as I get to know them more, feel like friends . . .

Lady Mary Isham
b.1787 - d.1878

Mary was born at Elm Park in Co. Armagh in Ireland to Deborah de Robillard Champagne and Samuel Close. She met Col. Justinian Isham of Lamport Hall in Northamptonshire who was stationed in Ireland at the time as captain of the militia. They were married in 1812 and in 1818 they moved to Lamport Hall when Justinian inherited the estate and his baronetcy. Throughout their time at Lamport, Justinian was known as 'the silent baronet' due to the fact he was more interested in his library and Mary was more interested in developing the Hall. She was a strong woman, confident in her beliefs and opinions, but she was also an incredibly generous woman, giving thousands of pounds to local charities and acting as patron to charities and societies. During her time at Lamport Hall she managed the rebuild of the Hall, estate and parkland, she ensured their tenants were well looked after and she also raised a family. We will follow Mary's entire life, looking at her achievements and the incredible tragedy she suffered.

Lady Mary Isham of Lamport Hall, Northamptonshire 

(reproduced with permission of Lamport Hall Preservation Trust)

Harriet Leveson-Gower, Countess Granville
b.1785 - d.1862

Harriet is probably one of the most well-known women in my book, or rather her mother was. Born in 1785 at Devonshire House in London to Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire and William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, she was the second daughter and was supposed to have been a boy. She was raised in the curious household of the Devonshire's, observing the odd relationship between her mother, father and Lady Elizabeth Foster, her father's mistress. She married in 1809, aged 24 to Granville Leveson Gower who had been a friend of the family for many years and who for almost a decade had been the lover of Harriet's Aunt, Lady Bessborough. This seems like an unusual set up, but considering the upbringing Harriet had, it's unlikely that she would have thought too much about it. She even welcomed her Aunt and husbands two illegitimate children into her home. I am exploring the nature of Harriet's upbringing and her unusual marriage, looking at how this influenced her later life and her position as a wife and mother.

Katherine Grey, Countess of Stamford and Warrington
b.1826 - d.1905

Katherine is my youngest woman and one of the least known, but her story is remarkable. She was born into a circus family in London and grew to become one of the most famous circus performers in London by the 1850's. She performed as a bare-back horse rider with her sister at Astley's Circus and she was spotted by the eligible George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford and Warrington who, captivated by her incredible beauty, whisked her out of her circus life, married her, and took her away to Dunham Massey, his principal estate in Cheshire. However, not everyone thought that the marriage was appropriate and the young couple found themselves having to defend their marriage, although, as a young Earl with no immediate family to control him, George Harry was used to doing whatever he wanted. They were snubbed by the gentry and even Queen Victoria before deciding they would move to Enville Hall in Staffordshire, another of the Earl's properties, where they lived happily for twenty years. In my book we look at George Harry's upbringing, his marriage to Katherine and the early years of their marriage at Dunham Massey.

Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland of Belvoir Castle

(reproduced with permission of Her Grace, Duchess of Rutland)

Elizabeth Manners, Duchess of Rutland
b.1780 - d.1825

Elizabeth is one of my favourite characters that I am writing about - although I have to admit I love them all! She was born at Castle Howard in North Yorkshire to the 5th Earl and Countess of Carlisle. She was vaguely related through marriage to Harriet whose sister Georgiana was married to Elizabeth's eldest brother George. Elizabeth married John Henry Manners, the 5th Duke of Rutlnd in 1799 when she was just 19 and moved to Belvoir Castle in Rutland. She was hugely disappointed when she arrived at the Castle, finding an outdated and dilapidated house in need of renovation and money. She took it as her mission to improve the Castle and throughout her relatively short life she worked continuously to develop the Castle that you see today. She was also unfortunately the recipient of several tragic events - losing three of her children, her eldest daughter and two baby boys, as well as a fire in 1816 which ravaged the Castle, burning away lots of her hard work. She is an incredible woman - probably the strongest of the bunch, and I can't wait for you to get to know her more.

So that's it! These are the four main women in my book. I will be making references to other women throughout the book to lend context to the period but these four women will form the bulk of the story. We will be looking at upbringing, marriage, home life, children and tragedy - following their lives and challenging our stereotypes of women of the period.

I can't wait for you to be able to read this book . . . . I just hope you like it!!

p.s.:

Please do share this webpage with your friends and family if you know they like country house history or you think they would enjoy my book!