How to survive without Downton Abbey ?
2 min read
The last episode aired on Xmas day…The Dowager Countess of Grantham would probably tell us to get on with it, so let’s try, as hard as this may be.
Here is a selection of TV series that make a pretty good job of trying to make us move on after Downton Abbey.
(you will not be surprised to see only British period dramas in that selection)
Poldark (BBC 1)
Go back a few decades and further West and you’re in Cornwall where Ross Poldark returns home after American Revolutionary War to find his estate in ruins and his former fiancée engaged to his own cousin. It’s a brilliant series, with intrigue, romance, endeavor, drama, hope and despair and it stars Aidan Turner…. Also the BBC has signed a 5-series deal, producing an installment of the period drama every year until 2020. Need I say more? Download/ watch it here.
Mr Selfridge (ITV)
Set in the 1910s, the drama series tells the real-life story of the flamboyant and visionary American founder of Selfridge’s, (London’s department store) and the emergence of modern retail. Fine actors , intrigue, criminal activity, love affairs, family quabbles make this a very enjoyable series. Download/ watch it here.
Upstairs Downstairs
Upstairs Downstairs is a classic. Even though the series aired back in the 1970s , it has lost none of its charm and appeal, particularly the richness of characters. It chronicles life at 165 Eaton Place, depicting the personal lives of the aristocratic Bellamy family above stairs and their servants below… Sounds familiar? The purists actually say that Downton Abbey is a soap opera version of Upstairs/Downstairs… See for yourslef: download/ watch the series here.
War and Peace (BBC1)
I’m only briefly mentioning the new adaptation of Tolstoy’s love triangle in 19 century Russian nobility by the BBC, because the series only just started airing. So far the critics have not been very kind, dubbing it a “sexed-up” version of the book , but it stars Lily James (Rose in Downton Abbey) so I’lll give it the benefit of the doubt. Download/ watch the series here.
The Crown (Nextflix)
And last (but not least) , Netflix has just released the first trailer of The Crown wich follows all the political, familial, and romantic drama of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. The 10-episode first season is set to debut later this year . I’ll be watching it!
And of course, the list wouldn’t be complete without Peaky Blinders and Call the Midwife and , which are actually my two favourite!
Carson would approve of this list! He’d watch all of the above series with glee after downloading them with his free VSO Downloader!
