Although a little slow going over the 3 episodes, a number which the BBC seems to believe constitutes enough for a series, and set in a very cold looking house, I found the show to be rather good. I'm too young to have seen the original series on ITV in the 70's, and I've never wanted to seek it out on DVD, so armed only with a knowledge gleaned from the Christmas Radio Times feature I found some of the first episode to be a bit too concerned with making connections and lingering shots with references to the old show. Jean Marsh, who co-created the original series and starred in both as Rose Buck, provided the only real link with the two series, and I thought she was excellent here.
Dame Eileen Atkins, so stern and school-marmishly enjoyable in Cranford, was a more fun, witty and likable character here, what with her brightly coloured tights (like an elderly member of the Saturdays), her pet monkey and Indian servant. She brought heart to the upstairs cast, as Hawes does a wonderful line in frosty, and her onscreen husband, played by Ed Stoppard (who's also turned up in Any Human Heart and Zen on my TV screen in the last month) didn't leave much of an impression.
Much more interesting were the downstairs characters, with Anne Reid's cook a particular favourite. Her meeting and photo session with Cecil Beaton was a lovely touch. What I liked about the series was how it bumped up against real life events, such as the rise of fascism and King Edward VIII's abdication crisis (also appearing in Any Human Heart, and the forthcoming The King's Speech) and the different class' reactions to these events. If they do another series, I'll be watching, though I hope there's a bit more warmth to be found.
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