North & South (2004– )

North and South is a four part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's love story of Margaret Hale, a middle class southerner who is forced to move to the northern town of Milton.

Stars:

Daniela Denby-Ashe, Richard Armitage, Tim Pigott-Smith

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Daniela Denby-Ashe	...	Margaret Hale (4 episodes, 2004)
Richard Armitage	...	John Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Tim Pigott-Smith	...	Richard Hale (4 episodes, 2004)
Sinéad Cusack	...	Hannah Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Lesley Manville	...	Maria Hale (4 episodes, 2004)
Brendan Coyle	...	Nicholas Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Anna Maxwell Martin	...	Bessy Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Jo Joyner	...	Fanny Thornton (4 episodes, 2004)
Pauline Quirke	...	Dixon (4 episodes, 2004)
Kay Lyon	...	Mary Higgins (4 episodes, 2004)
Brian Protheroe	...	Mr. Bell (3 episodes, 2004)
Rupert Evans	...	Frederick Hale (3 episodes, 2004)
John Light	...	Henry Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
Emma Ferguson	...	Edith Shaw Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
William Houston	...	John Boucher (3 episodes, 2004)
Jane Booker	...	Mrs. Shaw (3 episodes, 2004)
Lucy Brown	...	Ann Latimer (3 episodes, 2004)
Tom Charnock	...	Williams (3 episodes, 2004)
Tim Faraday	...	Mr. Watson (3 episodes, 2004)
Travis Oliver	...	Capt. Maxwell Lennox (3 episodes, 2004)
Caroline Pegg	...	Mrs. Boucher (3 episodes, 2004)
Will Tacey	...	Mr. Latimer (3 episodes, 2004)
David Crellin	...	Mr. Slickson (2 episodes, 2004)
Shaun Hennessey	...	Mr. Henderson (2 episodes, 2004)
Frank Lauder	...	Stephens (2 episodes, 2004)
Carl McCrystal	...	Henderson Worker (2 episodes, 2004)
Ian McHale	...	Stone (2 episodes, 2004)
Martin Walsh	...	Mr. Hamper (2 episodes, 2004)
Spencer Wild	...	Tom Boucher (2 episodes, 2004)

Storyline

This series operates on many levels. At the heart of the series is the tempestuous relationship between Margaret Hale, a young woman from a southern middle class family who finds herself uprooted to the north, and John Thornton, a formerly poverty-stricken cotton mill owner terrified of losing the viability of his business. Around them are class struggles between the workers and mill owners and ideological struggles between the industrial North and the agrarian South. After moving North, Margaret's father befriends his student Mr. Thornton. Margaret has already formed her opinion of Mr. Thornton independently after seeing him treat his workers harshly. As the series progresses, she and we the audience begin to learn that his strict treatment is due to an overarching concern for his mill and by extension, his employees. John Thornton, on the other hand, is attracted to Margaret's independence and position in society as a well-educated Southerner. As in "Pride and Prejudice" the ...

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Plot Keywords:

prejudice | marriage proposal | strike | cotton mill | 19th century | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nord et Sud

Filming Locations:

33 Portland Place, Marylebone, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

235 min 235 min (4 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Milton is based on Manchester, where Gaskell also lived.

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Goofs

In the final scene at the train station a man is seen looking at his wristwatch. The story is set in 1851 (The Great Exhibition) and wristwatches were not invented until 1880.

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Quotes

John Thornton: Was... was it Miss Hale who told you to come to me? You might have said.
Nicholas Higgins: And you've have been a little more civil?
John Thornton: [Thornton glares at him and leaves]

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Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)

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Soundtracks

"I've Seen Hell"
By Martin Phipps

User Reviews

Fantastic

Absolutely gorgeous period drama! As a huge fan of BBC's Pride and Prejudice this has quickly become my favourite! Accurate casting, fantastic costumes, authentic settings and the soundtrack really adds to the quality of the series.

It has all the passion that Pride and Prejudice (Bless it!) lacks.

The story centers around Margaret Hale who moves from Helstone (the South) to Milton (the North). To begin with Margaret hates the bleak and industrial north and especially dislikes Mr Thornton who appears to Margaret to be cold and controlling, or are things not as they appear to be?