# Howards End (2017)

> Three families from different social classes in early twentieth century England collide over love, property and status.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/64855

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 55 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, romance
- Created by: Hettie Macdonald
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Julia Ormond, Tracey Ullman, Philippa Coulthard, Joseph Quinn, Alex Lawther, Sandra Voe
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2577192/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: wistful, measured, melancholic, elegant, observant

## What critics say

Audiences generally rated this adaptation of E. M. Forster's novel positively, praising its performances and faithful evocation of Edwardian class divisions.

## Synopsis

Howards End (2017) is a British four-episode period miniseries created by Hettie Macdonald for BBC One. Adapted in the spirit of E. M. Forster's novel, it follows the idealistic, independent Margaret Schlegel (Hayley Atwell) as she becomes entangled with the wealthy, pragmatic Henry Wilcox (Matthew Macfadyen) and his household. Her sister Helen (Philippa Coulthard) and brother Tibby (Alex Lawther) orbit the family, while the struggling clerk Leonard Bast (Joseph Quinn) is pulled into their world from the lower middle class. The engine of the series is a tangle of inheritance, property, marriage and the quiet promises people make to one another, with each episode unfolding through drawing-room conversations, letters and sudden social reversals. Set in Edwardian England, the story moves through London townhouses and the country estate that gives the show its title. Its tone is measured, wistful and sharply observant, with a melancholic undercurrent about money and missed connections. Fans of Downton Abbey, Upstairs, Downstairs and Pride and Prejudice will find resonance in its elegant interiors and its hard look at class.

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