Having watched the trailers for Cranford, which appear to be trying desperately to make out it's an all-action series, I'm worried that the BBC might have seriously cocked it all up.

According to Wikipedia, the series is actually based on "the novel Cranford, novella My Lady Ludlow, short story Mr. Harrison's Confessions, and article The Last Generation in England."

Which seems to be very much over-egging the pudding to me. Cranford shines because it's a gentle, calm, not very much ever happens book, a story of bygone times. If the BBC have tried to jazz it up to suit more "modern" tastes, it's just going to be a travesty.

It's bad enough that I couldn't bear to watch the Beeb's production of North and South, because they desperately miscast that stupid, over-the-top, dozy mare with eyebrows as Margaret Hale, if they've ruined Cranford as well, I shall be having a very serious sulk. :hihi:

It's bad enough that I couldn't bear to watch the Beeb's production of North and South, because they desperately miscast that stupid, over-the-top, dozy mare with eyebrows as Margaret Hale, if they've ruined Cranford as well, I shall be having a very serious sulk. :hihi:

I don't think the audience was watching that for the leading lady were they? ;)

I don't think the audience was watching that for the leading lady were they? ;)

Well, considering she's the main character, it'd be a bit hard not to notice how crap her acting was.