TV Meview 19.1.2009

Okay, Sunday nights. They are soon to be changing.

The only thing we really watched last night was Lark Rise to Candleford.

Yes, that's right. It's a costume drama not sci-fi!

Well, actually last night's episode was kind of about the future.

The theme for this series so far, whose return since the Christmas special has been most welcome, has been about change and the future.

This is no greetings card snapshot, its a drama about a community that's adapting to the world around them.

The postman finally rides the village bicycle for the first time, an atheist comes to the village and big business seeks to ride roughshod over the villagers interests. Oh and a woman proposes marriage.

Not your typical Victorian drama. Which is probably why I like it.

The traditional values of the time are prevalent throughout the village but not above being challenged and adapted in the face of common sense.

The cast is also a big factor as they are not what you'd expect for a drama of this type. Julia Sawalha, Mark Heap, Olivia Hallinan and Dawn French. Knowing them all from various other edgier comedies and dramas it's an interesting mix from actors I trust to take on quality roles.

Since the start of this series the village has been thrown into a tizz as respectable and wealthy newcomer James Dowlands (Jason Merrells) reveals he was originally a pauper boy from the lowly regarded Lark Rise. He's come back and settled in Candleford, the upmarket village, as a man of means and he means to bring his big city ways to change Candleford forever and make a bit of money too.

This gives rise to a lot of interesting plots to do with the rise of women's rights, the decline of the Christian way of life, social mobility, the class war and more. Maybe I've just never been able to see previous costume dramas for what they were but this one really does connect with me and engage me.

In this epsiode the aftermath following the death of the local parish priest causes a big kerfuffle. His daughter and estranged son come to blows after the funeral. Why? Because he was an atheist and apparently that was a shameful thing in those days, but even more so for a priests son. The issue of how to treat someone with different beliefs is raised from various perspectives. It's not too heavy handed and most people end up showing a tolerant attitude which kind of displays the fact that most people were probably Christians in that period because other people were, not because they necessarily believed in it all.

It's an entertaining hour spent laughing and sympathising and being concerned for the characters.

Hopefully, from next week, this won't clash with Lost once it starts as that would be tough, but thank goodness for iPlayer.



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