'Masterpiece' period drama is 'best adaptation' for fans of All Creatures Great and Small

According to TV fans, this period drama set in the 1850s has them hooked for its believable performances, political themes and, of course, dreamy romance. North & South is a British BBC programme based on the Victorian novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, set against the backdrop of the Great Exhibition of 1851. It's acclaimed for its clear depiction of social and class divides within the country, and its admired periodical settings make it a captivating watch. One viewer took to the review site IMDB to share: "I'm a history teacher, so I'm very critical of adaptations, especially those that sentimentalise the past in any way. This is a superb rendering of the spirit of the industrial age and the many facets of class struggle within it. It's also a richly romantic love story. The acting by all the cast is uniformly excellent, but Richard Armitage as Thornton is a standout."

The short series follows the story of a young Margaret Hale, played by Daniela Denby-Ashe, who is forced to move from the luxuries of southern England to the North after the tragic death of her father. She faces head-on the cultural differences of living in an industrial time and struggles to make adjustments.

The stark differences become more apparent when she meets the Thorntons, a family of cotton mill owners who have taken a disliking to her southern ways. As time goes on, her sympathy for them grows, as does her affection and attraction to John Thornton, played by Richard Armitage.

Another fan wrote: "North and South took me completely by surprise... But Elizabeth Gaskell's work on which the film is based is far more than a mere period romance. This is social commentary and a love story, the struggle of workers and masters/managers, as well as the misunderstanding of the intellectuals that forms a triangle in the film that is still alive today.

"The lead characters all take on a social conscience that grows with their love for each other to an understanding of the different worlds that lived together in this time of radical change."

Others have praised the series' acting performances. They wrote: "The acting is superb - the lead characters John and Hannah Thornton, Margaret Hale, and union man Nicholas Higgins are so natural that you forget that you are watching a movie and get simply enthralled in their story. The supporting characters are also strong, making this an unexpected gem of a movie."

At the time of its release, the BBC had next to no expectations for the series, and so it was not well publicised or marketed, but it quickly took off.

Many put this down to the lesser-known actor at the time, Armitage, who drew comparisons to Colin Firth's character in the 1995 series of Pride and Prejudice.