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!