BBC period drama branded ‘perfect watching’ is ‘better than Call the Midwife’

Lark Rise to Candleford has been getting rave reviews from fans of the show, which has been compared to the hit BBC medical drama Call the Midwife.

The period drama is set in 19th-century Oxfordshire and follows the tale of a young girl who moves to a local market town in the county and starts an apprenticeship as a postmistress.

It stars various well-known British actors, such as Linda Bassett, who played Nurse Phyllis Crane in Call the Midwife, and Victoria Hamilton, who has appeared in a myriad of period dramas, such as The Crown and Victoria and Albert.

Lark Rise to Candleford aired on the BBC between 2008 and 2011 and it's now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video and AppleTV.

The series has an 8.2 rating on IMDb across its four seasons, with fans calling it "perfect" viewing.

One avid viewer penned on the platform: "After Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre and this winter's Cranford, I thought that the BBC couldn't do any better: that it had reached its peak. Boy, was I wrong. I was apprehensive about watching Lark Rise because of this, but those doubt were removed immediately as I fell in love with all the characters, especially Julia Sawalha, who surpasses herself, obviously moving away from her most famous role as Lydia Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, and she does so delightfully."

Another said: "I discovered this delightful little show during one of my many inpatient vacations in the hospital when I was struggling with End Stage Kidney Disease. It truly was one of the things that helped me through the worst times..."

A third added: "This is one of the best series I've ever seen on BBC. I was gorged on watching all 40 episodes on BritBox, which I just adore. The series is very well filmed, with fantastic actors and actresses."

Another fan, who gave the show top marks, remarked: "This is the best of the best costume dramas, and perhaps the best BBC production!!!! The acting, the set, the costumes, the story line, and lessons learned about dealing with life/people issues in a fun yet serious fashion."