From the BBC:

"Irresistible characters, a stellar cast and the non-stop liveliness of a 19th-century English country market town capture your heart in this brilliant mini-series based on three novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. Dame Judi Dench (As Time Goes By, Notes on a Scandal, Mrs. Henderson Presents) stars as kind-hearted Miss Matty Jenkyns - the younger sister of Cranford's severe moral guardian, Deborah (Dame Eileen Atkins, Vanity Fair, Cold Mountain, Gosford Park). Share dramatic ups and downs during an exciting year in the life of the town, as Matty meets her long-lost first love (Sir Michael Gambon, Harry Potter films, Amazing Grace, Wives and Daughters), a handsome young doctor makes many hearts beat faster, and alarming rumors of a new railway line prove true. Lushly filmed with period costumes in beautiful historic settings. As seen on Masterpiece Classic."

"It's very unusual to find a period drama that makes you laugh out loud but Cranford definitely does. Not only is there wit but there are also some great comedy sequences ... However, it's the withering put-downs from Dame Eileen Atkins's character Miss Deborah that completely steal the show."

--David Stephenson, Express on Sunday

"Predictably, the highlight of the evening, indeed of the weekend's, schedules ... a near-flawless start to an adaptation of three Elizabeth Gaskell novels. The pick of the outstanding cast is Eileen Atkins as Deborah Jenkyns, the self-appointed enforcer of Cranford's unwritten moral code, and this is from the outset rather moving and often hilarious."

--Karl French, Financial Times

"The BBC's new dramatisation of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford has the intimacy of a soap opera, alive with the tug of hopes and fears of daily life, and, at a deeper yet pervasive level, addresses issues we all face - how to cope with change, financial insecurity, new technologies; and how the ripples of world events reach our own backwaters, perhaps misunderstood, but nevertheless directing our lives."

--Jenny Uglow, Sunday Times

"...utterly delicious..."

--Daily Mail

From one online reviewer:

For anyone who just adores cozying up with a well made and acted British miniseries, this one is for you. On par with Wives and Daughters, North and South, and dare I say perhaps even A&Es Pride and Prejudice, I absolutely enjoyed this. The acting is superb as is the cast, and the costumes and scenery are beautiful. I highly recommend this to just about anyone!


From another online reviewer:

Great acting, great screenplay, great everything. Super mini series. I was astounded when I picked up the book and saw what Heidi Thomas had to work with. It's excellent. Elizabeth Gaskell would be thrilled.

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