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 last scene where Margaret and John are at the train station, the same woman in a brown bonnet and coat walks around or past the characters a total of eleven times.

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Quotes

Nicholas Higgins: My poor Bess! She lived the life of a dog. Hard work and illness. She never had one moment of rejoicing. I'm not saying I don't believe in your God, but I can't believe He meant the world to be as it is. The masters ruling over us, the rest of us left to live a half-life in the shadows.

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

"Northbound Train"
By Martin Phipps

User Reviews

Great Stuff!

I thought this production was great - I highly recommend it to anyone especially if they enjoyed Pride and Prejudice - It took you back to another era and was thoroughly entertaining. The actors were great and any red blooded woman would have had their pulses sent raising with Richard Armitage's performance!

I also thought the sets and locations were fabulous - such details especially the 'snow' scene in the factory at the very beginning- spell binding!. So all in all even though certain details of Victorian conduct etc were thrown out of the window this production was brilliant!! I can't wait for the DVD to come out... It was so great I immediately read the book