# Cranford (2007)

> A small Cheshire town in the 1840s navigates gossip, rank and the first stirrings of change through the eyes of its genteel, eccentric women.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/13285

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 7
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, comedy
- Created by: Sue Birtwistle, Susie Conklin
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench, Lisa Dillon, Simon Woods, Claudie Blakley, Philip Glenister, Julia McKenzie, Lesley Manville
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974077/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: slow
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: warm, wry, gently melancholic, comforting, witty

## What critics say

Audiences broadly acclaimed the series as a warm, witty and beautifully acted adaptation of Gaskell's novels.

## Synopsis

Cranford (2007-2009) is a British period drama series created by Sue Birtwistle and Susie Conklin for BBC One, adapted from the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell. Set in a small Cheshire town in the 1840s, the series follows a community of genteel, eccentric women who govern their quiet lives through gossip, etiquette and careful attention to rank. Judi Dench plays Miss Matilda Jenkyns and Eileen Atkins plays her sister Miss Deborah Jenkyns, the formidable pillars of local society, while Lisa Dillon plays Mary Smith, a younger woman whose arrival brings fresh perspective. Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Lesley Manville and Philip Glenister add to a sprawling ensemble. The engine of the show is small domestic drama: social calls, dinner parties, petty rivalries and quiet anxieties about money and marriage, all threaded with the railway and industry that are slowly reaching the town. The series runs seven episodes across two seasons as a loosely connected, case-free ensemble piece rather than a single plot-driven saga. Its tone is warm, wry and gently melancholic, with comedy rooted in character and affection for its people. Fans of Downton Abbey, Pride and Prejudice and Gosford Park will find similar pleasures in its witty manners and elegant costume drama.

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