David Giles (1) (1926–2010)

Watched over a few days with my husband and teenage son.

This is the BBC adaptation of the six Barchester Chronicles by Anthony Trollope, and we thought it very well done indeed. None of us had read the books, finding them a bit heavy-going, so we don't know how close these episodes are to the originals - but it all flowed well. The story is of intrigue and jealousies amongst the clergyman of a fictional city, with a bit of love interest along the way.

The main character is the excellent and almost-too-good-to-be-true Mr Harding, but in the latter episodes the villainous Mr Slope rather steals the show, played brilliantly by Alan Rickman. We wondered if this was the inspiration that gave him, later on, the part of Snape in the Harry Potter movies.

It's inevitably a little long-winded in places and rather slow-moving, but basically very enjoyable indeed.… (more)

Having just listened to the audiobook of The Warden and Barchester Towers I wanted to see this adaption to see how it went. I was a bit Um on it. Some bits were great - Nigel Hawthorne was brill as was Donald Pleascence and Alan Rickman. But I thought Geraldine McEwan was terrible - she acted as if she was on a stage not on TV - lots of shouty projection.
And someone watching would have wondered where the heck the romance with Francis Arabin came from? - it just happens with no development at all.
As someone on YT has said recently, drama production has changed a lot in the past 20 years - this is a good example of what it used to be like.… (more)