The BBC TV adaptations Cranford (2007) and Return to Cranford (2009) were hailed as rich and funny portrayals of Victorian provincial life.

The series featured a wealth of stars including Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis. Heidi Thomas’s screenplay reflected both the gentle humour and the pathos of rural life in a Cheshire town on the cusp of industrial change.

The series detailed the private and public lives of the middle-aged women of Cranford, a town ‘in possession of the Amazons’, who lived in ‘elegant economy’. Comedic scenes like the cat who ate lace and the cow in her pyjamas were based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford alongside her other short stories including My Lady Ludlow, Mr Harrison’s Confessions, The Last Generation in England, The Moorland Cottage and The Cage at Cranford.

Enjoy a wealth of characters from the gentle Miss Matty and her domineering elder sister to the gossipy Miss Pole and that arbiter of social standing, The Honourable Mrs Jamieson, as Dr Chris Louttit takes a closer look at the much-loved adaptation of Cranford.

‘I found it incredibly interesting and inspiring.’ – Visitor to previous online event.