“In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses, above a certain rent, are women. If a married couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all week in the great neighbouring commercial town of Drumble.” - Opening lines of Cranford, the novel, by Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell
The 1840’s English village of Cranford comes to life in this wonderful BBC series based on three of Elizabeth Gaskell’s works, Cranford, My Lady Ludlow, and Mr. Harrison’s Confessions. The three novellas blend beautifully with story lines that reveal much about life and attitudes in a small town on the edge of industrialization.
One of the “big” things in this series is the arrival of machine made Valentines to be purchased at Johnson’s store and sent anonymously. This also causes some unexpected trouble for one of the town’s most eligible bachelors, Dr. Harrison.
Viewers will recognize many of the faces as icons of British Drama, Dame Eileen Atkins plays Miss Deborah Jenkyns, the moral compass and wisest of the Amazons of Cranford. Dame Judi Dench plays Miss Matty, or Matilda as her elder sister prefers to call her, a kindly soul with a lot of wisdom of her own, completely overshadowed by Miss Deborah’s laws.
The story is told from the point of view of Miss Mary Smith (Lisa Dillon) whose mother had once been a Cranford girl, and had brought her daughter for visits with Miss Deborah and Miss Matty. Miss Smith is escaping from an unhappy situation at her home, her step-mother wishes to marry her off to anyone with a good job.
Miss Mary is not ready to settle, and doesn’t like any of her “prospective beaus,” so she comes to stay with the Miss Jenkyns. At about the same time of Miss Mary’s arrival, a new doctor has been invited to come to Cranford. Old Dr. Morgan (John Bowe) has more than enough business, and he is looking to ease his practice into the capable hands of young, handsome, well-educated Dr. Frank Harrison (Simon Woods).
Of course he must prove himself to the town, and the single ladies of Cranford are all atwitter at having such an eligible bachelor in their midst. Of course unbeknownst to Cranford, Dr. Harrison loses his heart almost immediately to the rector’s oldest daughter Sophy Hutton (Kimberley Nixon).
Love and romance are important in Cranford, but along with those elements is the portrayal of the beginnings of class uprising in England of that time. Lady Ludlow (Francesca Annis) will not hire a young girl to be a ladies maid, who (proudly and rather defiantly) tells her that she can read.
Lady Ludlow who is from another generation says that the girl’s education has “raised her above her station,” and that she is of no use to the household. Another youngster, Harry Gregson (Alex Etel) the son of a poacher who lives in a shack in the woods, loves words and is fascinated by learning.
Taken under the wing of estate manager Mr. Edward Carter (Philip Glenister) he makes headway into the world of books and figures, but has double hurdles of his parents and Lady Ludlow’s disapproval.
Cranford is presented in a beautifully boxed two disc set, with five episodes and a special making of Cranford featurette. Produced by the team of Susie Conklin and Sue Birtwistle (Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma 1996) and written by Heidi Thomas, this is a feast of sights, sounds, personalities and story.
This is pure delight, there are tragedies that are real, and there are tender and touching moments and there is much humor. Once you “go” to Cranford, you may never want to leave!
Cranford is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK . Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story