>This really is a dreadful adaptation of Flora Thompson's lovely Larkrise to Candleford. Everything about this series is wrong and conveys nothing of the flavour of the original. The production does not have any of the reality of North Oxfordhsire at the end of the nineteenth century while relating too closely to Cranford and the cheesy world of Jane Austen. The original takes place in the tiny village of Juniper Hill and the nearby very small town of Fringford, the over-designed fashions and genteel manners in Candleford seem to ape the world of regency Bath! It also contains a performance by Dawn French which should be entered for the Razzies it is so gross, whenever she appears I feel I have been transported into an old French and Saunders send-up. Other actors do their best with dire dialogue and snail-paced action. Is this to spread a very thin amount of material over so many weeks? Feel-good Sunday viewing is one thing but this is a travesty of minor classic! Does artistic integrity have to be sacrificed on the altar of ratings? I questioned the BBC about this series, an extract from their reply reads: "It is true that the series does use its artistic licence considerably and many changes have been made for dramatic purposes. The BBC has never claimed the series to be exactly like the book. What 'Lark Rise to Candleford' does do very well is to draw in an audience who normally wouldn't watch this sort of programme." What a wasted opportunity.
Review of Lark Rise to Candleford
