After watching Cranford last year I was naturally happy to find out that there would be a Return to Cranford (aka Christmas Cranford) in 2009. Now that I’ve watched it I can only hope that the producers or whoever is in charge decides to do a Cranford 3!

In this two part series we return to Cranford and to some of the characters we loved in the first series. Miss Matty and her friends delight us again, Lady Ludlow, Miss Galindo and Mary are also back and there are also new characters introduced like the Bells and the Buxtons.

As hinted in the last series change is coming to Cranford in the form of the railway. The town, however, resists to what they think is a passing mania to quote Mr. Buxton, much to the despair of his son. But Miss Matty eventually realises that her late sister might not have been right and she is the one that leads her friends to try the new train. There are sorrows and joys to live through, some of the characters leave us. Miss Matty sadly suffers another loss. Lady Ludlow’s son finally arrives but too late for his mother, Lord Septimus soon reveals himself as a nasty character not above cheating on a young boy.

It took me just a little while to warm up to the new characters, especially William and Peggy who take up as the romantic couple. Her brother was a nasty piece of work though and I felt Erminia has too little space to be properly developed. However the magic of Cranford remains in the original characters and the anecdotes of their daily lives. Miss Pole’s cage for instance or her fear of fraying the optic nerve, Bessie being evicted from her field, Harry Gregson giving Mrs. Forrester a new heifer or Tilly emerging from the wardrobe were just some of them. Some scenes brought a smile to my faces; others brought a tear to my eyes.

Heidi Thomas did a wonderful job with the script and the direction by Simon Curtis was perfect. If anything there was enough material to make me feel that a third episode would not be amiss just to give more time to William to court Peggy or for Miss Matty to have more time with the changing of her mind. The cast was just as one would expect from such excellent actresses and actors. It is difficult to refer to just one or two interpretations because they were so perfect and all worked so well together. Judi Dench but also Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Deborah Findlay, Celia Imrie, Andrew Buchan, Jonathan Pryce and all the others really made Cranford came to life.

What is it about this series that makes us want to live in such a small village and know all your neighbours? Everyone knows and judges everyone else’s life yes, but there’s also a friendship and a network of support when it’s needed that makes it seem worthwhile. And Cranford is definitely about women, they are the ones who have the power, who dominate society and who take destiny into their own hands as Mary does. And Cranford’s resistance to change is a timeless problem that seems as appropriate in the XIX as today.

Return to Cranford was a lovely Christmas present!

BBC site

We have mentioned in the past how the adaptations of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol are a favourite to watch at Christmas. Well this season we have a different suggestion, not a serious one but a “just for laughs” kind of thing. It’s Blackadder’s A Christmas Carol, a different twist on Dickens’ story and that you can watch on You Tube. Particularly fun are the bits set in Queen Elizabeth II’s time and during the Regency.
 
Have fun watching it and have a… Very Messy Christmas!

It’s always wonderful to watch David Suchet play Hercule Poirot; we have enjoyed his acting so much that he has become THE Hercule Poirot for us. And this is a particularly nice adaptation where in addition to see him use his little grey cells to uncover the criminal we also get to watch glimpses of Poirot’s humour.

 The story begins 40 years before with Simeon Lee killing his partner in a mining business and then taking advantage of the woman who saves him from dying in the desert. The action then jumps to the 1930s, where Simeon Lee, now an old man, seems to feel an extreme pleasure in toying and tormenting his grown children. He is planning a family house party for Christmas and altering his will but fearing for his life invites Poirot to go and investigate under the pretence of spending Christmas with them. But soon, after everyone arrives, a loud crash and a scream are heard and Simeon Lee is found murdered in his locked bedroom.

 Besides David Suchet one should also mention Philip Jackson, superb as usual as Chief Inspector Japp and Vernon Dobtcheff plays a particularly repellent Simeon Lee. The secondary cast plays a solid role as characters that hide their own secrets and have their own reasons for murder.

 The settings are mostly Lee’s house and everything seems perfect, from the atmosphere to the differences between the upstairs and downstairs people. Costumes and scenery have the usual BBC quality. Highly recommended for Agatha Christies fans and especially Hercule Poirot fans.

IMDB

The ladies of Cranford are back for a two-part Christmas special. It’s been two years since we last saw Miss Matty and her friends. If life continued peacefully, the railway still looms over everyone’s heads. The arrival of new habitants and prestigious guests will stir up some new adventures and even create some differences between some of the town ladies. Even Lord Septimus, the mysterious son of Lady Ludlow will return home after years living abroad. Miss Matty feels she needs to rethink her life after some unexpected events, but she is determined to do as much as she can to keep Cranford the wonderful place she always knew and cherished.

The cast:

Miss Matty Jenkyns – Dame Judi Dench
Peter Jenkins -  Nicholas Le Prevost
Martha – Claudie Blakley
Jem Hearne – Andrew Buchan
Miss Pole – Imelda Staunton
Mrs Forrester – Julia McKenzie
Mrs Jamieson – Barbara Flynn
Miss Tomkinson – Deborah Findlay
Lady Ludlow – Francesca Annis
Captain Brown – Jim Carter
Mr Buxton – Jonathan Pryce
William – Tom Hiddleston
Erminia – Michelle Dockery
Peggy Bell – Jodie Whittaker,
Mrs Bell – Lesley Sharp,
Edward – Matthew McNulty
Lord Septimus – Rory Kinnear.

Cranford was one of our favourite series last year, so we are terribly excited to see this special and revisit again all those delightful characters who immediately warmed up our hearts.

The first part will air tonight in the UK 9:00 PM GMT and the second part the 27th at the same time.

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Now, the giveaway!

To celebrate Christmas we decided to give away a dvd of Return to Cranford.

The rules:

- 1 entry per person
- Open Worldwide
- deadline: 31st December 2009 at midnight.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

We know we are almost a bit too late to talk about Christmas period dramas but you know how it is, between work, buying gifts, planning the holidays and everything else, time flew by and we are already the 24th. After having posted about our all time favourite Christmas movies in 2007, this year we decided to mention three tv special episodes that caught our interest.

Blackadder Rides Again (to air the 25 december)

If you are a Blackadder fan, you surely won’t miss this one. Nonetheless, this is not a one-off special episode like Blackadder’s Christmas Carol but in fact a 90 minutes documentary about the series and its characters. You’ll get the chance to meet again Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Miranda Richardson.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/11_november/24/blackadder.shtml

Crooked House (aired between the 22 and 24 december)
If you like ghosts this is for you, a journey through time to know the history of a haunted house and the people who inhabitated it. With and interesting cast that includes Lee Ingleby, Daniela Denby-Ashe and Anna Maddeley, Crooked House might be that spooky story who will keep you glued to the screen during the festive season.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305108/

Lark Rise To Candleford (aired the 21 december)
After a very successful first series Lark Rise to Candleford returned for a Christmas special this past Sunday before starting it’s second series in 2009. The series was a favourite with us and we are looking forward to spend a few cosy hours by the fireplace watching the special.

(image found at Critictoo)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/09_september/01/lark.shtml

And with this we wanted to wish you all Happy Holidays! We will be back next week with the best movies and TV series of 2008!!