How Can A Literary Adaptation Be So Sumptuous?; Or, Misadventures of An Anglophile Part V: The Telly

Lately, I've become an expert on watching TV, especially British TV. So, to celebrate my ever-deepening Anglophile geekery, I thought I would share some of my recent BBC, etc. discoveries. (That way you can get a view of what I do most days.)

How about a little Rufus to start us off? You remember the delectable Rufus Sewell, right?

My favorite movie boyfriend will be starring as a detective in BBC1's new crime series, which is set in Venice. The three-episode series is called Zen and will be airing in the States on Masterpiece Mystery beginning this Sunday! The sad news is BBC apparently dropped them after three episodes, so we'll see if they can find a new UK venue for series 2. In the meantime, there will be Rufus for the next three weeks!

However, if you're like me, that is just not enough British tv. In which case, allow me to recommend a few shows that can only be classed as "brilliant." In my experience, there are two camps of British TV that have made an impact on the States. The first, of course, is the period piece/SLA (Sumptuous Literary Adaptation), which is perhaps best know for the A&E P&P with all that Firthiness

(You watch her play, Mr. Darcy. You just watch her play. He-loves-her-swoon!)

I think that most of you are familiar with P&P and the adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South

(I would look back at you, Richard Armitage. Really, I would.)

And probably a Jane Eyre or 27 Jane Eyres. Really, there are a lot of high quality adaptations out there to love. Two tv shows (rather than miniseries) that I've loved lately are

and

These are both really great series dealing with the long fin de siecle (as it were). Lark Rise to Candleford is set in the 1880s. The main character, Laura Timmins, grew up in Lark Rise, a small farming community in rural England. In her late teens she is apprenticed out to the local postmistress of Candelford (yes, that is Lydia from The P&P, only she's like all practical and mature and stuff in Lark Rise. It's kind of crazy). Laura compulsively journals, and we get nice, focused episodes that deal with town v. hamlet politics, new technologies, new ideologies, the Woman Question, marriage, making a living, and young love. It's really great, and Netflix has it on DVD. And let me tell ya, for me, appreciating this photo

was about the same as enjoying this one

And Alfie's not even the hottest boy in Lark Rise or Candleford to decide that life begins and ends in Laura Timmin's presence. (Plus also, there's a hottie Marxist. You know how I love  a hottie Marxist.)

Downton Abbey is nothing like Northanger Abbey, except for the fact that they're both awesome. The first series begins with the sinking of the Titanic and ends with the U.K.'s entrance into The Great War (WWI, that is). It's not an adaptation, but it still deals with so many issues and events of the period. Plus, it has a great Upstairs/Downstairs dynamic. And there's Maggie Smith and Brendan Coyle (who's also in Lark Rise) and class issues and women's issues and it's so very, very British. Also, I think I've fallen in love with one Matthew Crawley as played by

Dan Stevens, who, as you can tell from the Penguin classic he's holding, read English Literature at Cambridge. This simple fact, combined with those piercing blue eyes and the dashing smile that is impossible to find on google, means that I am pretty much in love. (Sorry, Rufus!) It really adds to  Downton's delights (And don't worry, his hair is a lot less feathered than it was in the most recent Sense and Sensibility (shudders).)

Oh! and for those of you who've seen the first series of Downton, let me just mention that series two features a character named "Vera Bates" in every episode, which I'm choosing to read as a nod to von Arnim. Are you ready for the drama? Plus also, all the war drama! I like this show.

So . . . I also wanted to mention some great British comedies and talk a little bit about Doctor Who and Sherlock, but I think I'll have to save them for another post and another day. Hopefully soon because I really want to talk about a comedy with an Orlando-like time frame and a sketch comedy show by these guys

Tune in next week for the comedic half of this post (unless programming is interrupted by procrastination and the score of medical appointments one must undergo in order to serve the Lord). Until then, happy viewing!