12 of the best period dramas of all time
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1Downton Abbey
One of the most popular period dramas of all time, Downton Abbey has been a huge success in both the UK and in the US. The series, which first launched in 2010, follows the aristocratic lives of the Crawley family between 1912 and 1926. To date, it's the most watched television show on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited. In 2020, creator Julian Fellowes followed up its six seasons with a feature-length film starring many of the original cast.
2The Crown
The Crown has made fans out of period drama detractors and the most steadfast anti-royalists. Offering insights into the inner dynamics and workings of the British royal family, the show takes Queen Elizabeth II as its focus, tracking her life since she was young up until more recent years. It has received acclaim for its acting performances, cinematography and gripping story-telling.
3Poldark
Poldark is the show that made Sundays sexy again. Yes, the nation may have stayed in for Downton Abbey and Indian Summers, but it was Poldark – which emerged on our screens in 2015 – that sent female reviewers and audiences aquiver. Starring Eleanor Tomlinson and Aidan Turner, the show became a hit almost instantly. The public became obsessed with the relationship between the aesthetically gifted Ross Poldark and his wild-haired wife Demelza.
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4Marie Antoinette
Sofia Coppola's 2006 film Marie Antoinette has become something of a cult favourite. A candy-coloured visual feast, starring a fresh-faced Kirsten Dunst, the movie takes viewers on a hedonistic journey with the young protagonist, who becomes the Queen of France at just 15 years old. Cue plenty of excess, drama and scandal - all wrapped up in some fabulous fashion.
5Pride and Prejudice
There have been many Jane Austen adaptations, but none (bar perhaps 1995's Sense & Sensibility) are as convincing and charming as the 1995 BBC version. Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth star as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, who realise that, despite their different temperaments and social standings, they are perfect for one another. The pairings are believable, the supporting cast excellent, and it accurately represents Austen's intelligent, sharp dialogue. It also delivers one of the most unforgettable scenes in history - Firth's Darcy dripping wet after emerging from a lake - and for that alone we are grateful.
6Ammonite
Ammonite is based on the story of real-life unsung heroine Mary Anning, a legendary palaeontologist whose work was re-appropriated by her male peers and passed off as their own. But, the thing that caused the most discussion and attention around the film was not Anning's work, the sexism of the era, nor even Kate Winslet's strong performance, but the fact that director Francis Lee decided to give her a lesbian love story. There is no proof that Anning had any romantic relationships with men or women, but there is evidence to show that she had intense same-sex friendships. In Lee's film, Anning falls in love with Saoirse Ronan's character, Charlotte Murchison, in a tale which highlights how conditioned we are to seeing heterosexual relationships as the traditional set-up in love stories.
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7Atonement
Based on Ian McEwan's book of the same name, Atonement is a film about love, war and redemption. The narrative starts with one awful mistake made by a 13-year-old child that prompts a tragic series of events set amid the backdrop of World War II. Featuring a young Saoirse Ronan, as well as James McAvoy and an ever-stylish Keira Knightley, this is a complex film that asks whether or not we can really atone for our previous crimes.
8The Favourite
Featuring an all-star cast - Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz - Yorgos Lanthimos' black comedy is set in the 18th-Century court of Queen Anne (Colman), and follows two of her 'favourites' (Weisz and Stone), who play a ruthless game of one upmanship. The film garnered an incredible 10 Oscar nominations in 2019, resulting in a Best Actress win for Colman.
9The French Lieutenant's Woman
The French Lieutenant's Woman interweaves two love stories set in different periods - one in the Victorian era and another in the 1980s. Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons star as the romantic leads in both, with the former earning herself an Oscar nomination and a Bafta Best Actress win for her efforts. Viewed today, their performances might feel on the hammy side, but the character of the French lieutenant's woman is still interesting - a woman ahead of her time who refused to conform to what was expected.
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10Brideshead Revisited
The 13-hour serialisation of Evelyn Waugh's novel might have first aired in 1981, but it is still rightly remembered as one of history's finest period dramas. Starring a young Jeremy Irons as lead protagonist Charles Ryder, the story follows Ryder's relationship with a wealthy, eccentric family - the Flytes - who live in a mansion called Brideshead Castle. Sophisticated, nostalgic and hedonistic, Brideshead Revisited offers escapism into a bygone world of the English good life.
11Bright Star
Jane Campion perfectly depicts the intensity and pain of first love in Bright Star, which explores the passionate relationship between 19th century poet John Keats and his muse, Fanny Brawne. He was a dreamer and she was a realist, but they fell madly in love anyway, much to the disdain of her family who hoped that she would marry someone of wealth. Ultimately, Fanny and John's story ended when the sickly poet died young, aged 25. Bright Star is a delicate, beautiful homage to heart-stopping passion.
12A Room With A View
Helena Bonham Carter was just 19 when she landed the life-changing role of Lucy Honeychurch in 1985's A Room With A View. Set between Florence in Italy and Surrey in Edwardian England, this compelling romance sees Lucy fall in love with the unsuitable George Emerson while on holiday in Tuscany. Her chaperone immediately whisks her back to the UK where she becomes engaged to the smug Cecil, played by a young Daniel Day Lewis. Not long after, George moves nearby and Lucy is forced to make a big decision about what she really wants from life.
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