‘Masterpiece’ period drama based on beloved novel is ‘perfect adaptation’

Period drama fans have been going wild over one three-part series based on an “incredible” 2011 novel. Starring Line of Duty legend Anna Maxwell Martin, Doctor Who’s Jenna Coleman and The Crown’s Matthew Goode, the BBC series – released in 2013 – is a hit with fans of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

Entitled Death Comes to Pemberley – and based on the PD James book of the same name – the murder mystery blends elements of a whodunnit and a Regency drama, picking up six years after Pride and Prejudice left off. It follows Elizabeth Bennet’s sister Lydia and her husband George Wickham as they travel to Pemberley for a ball – but an argument forces the carriage off the road.

Wickham and Captain Denny rush off into the woods and Lydia soon hears gunshots, later finding Wickham distraught as he holds the body of his fallen comrade. What follows is an effort to untangle the mystery and discover who really killed the captain.

The series is set in 1803 and has received rave reviews from fans. One wrote: “Excellent series. The writing, photography, casting, directing, story – everything is absolutely wonderful.”

Another echoed: “I have watched several different films and series of Pride and Prejudice, and have enjoyed all of them, so I was excited to watch this continuation of the story. It was beautifully filmed, and the storyline was really good.”

As a third penned: “I loved this series!! I thought it was wonderfully cast, the acting sensitive and first rate. The scenery lush and beautiful. It was very entertaining and I would certainly watch it again. I give this series 5 stars!”

“Fantastic actors, great plot, fabulous scenery and gorgeous estate!! Perfect English movie,” somebody else gushed.