I am very surprised to be the first to comment on 'South Riding'. It was a major production of its time and is still one of the most impressive series I remember from the 1970's.
Unusually, it was produced by Independent Television. Classic series in the UK are usually the work of the BBC ('I, Claudius', 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', etc.). However, ITV got it right, with a superb adaptation by a top quality writer (Stan Barstow) and a cast which brought the book's characters perfectly to life.
For those who don't know the book, or the series, it is set in the fictitious South Riding of Yorkshire (roughly the area between Kingston-upon-Hull ('Kingsport'), Bridlington ('Kiplington') and inland). The theme of the book is to show how the work of local government affects the lives of people in the county. This sounds dry stuff but the characters are so vivid and their stories so engrossing the series easily carries the viewer along.
The tone of the work is essentially optimistic - by providing good social services (housing, health, and education) the quality of life for ordinary people will be improved. In many ways the book (published in 1937) looks forward to the post-war world of the National Health Service and the welfare state. Unfortunately I am not sure that its ultimate argument (that by giving people a better life you can make them better people) has been proved by experience.
Nevertheless, the series was superb, solidly written and well-acted, and should stand as a classic of British television.
Unusually, it was produced by Independent Television. Classic series in the UK are usually the work of the BBC ('I, Claudius', 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy', etc.). However, ITV got it right, with a superb adaptation by a top quality writer (Stan Barstow) and a cast which brought the book's characters perfectly to life.
For those who don't know the book, or the series, it is set in the fictitious South Riding of Yorkshire (roughly the area between Kingston-upon-Hull ('Kingsport'), Bridlington ('Kiplington') and inland). The theme of the book is to show how the work of local government affects the lives of people in the county. This sounds dry stuff but the characters are so vivid and their stories so engrossing the series easily carries the viewer along.
The tone of the work is essentially optimistic - by providing good social services (housing, health, and education) the quality of life for ordinary people will be improved. In many ways the book (published in 1937) looks forward to the post-war world of the National Health Service and the welfare state. Unfortunately I am not sure that its ultimate argument (that by giving people a better life you can make them better people) has been proved by experience.
Nevertheless, the series was superb, solidly written and well-acted, and should stand as a classic of British television.