Critics' Picks May 24, 2008
"Cranford," a five-hour miniseries based on novels by Elizabeth Gaskell and just released on DVD, depicts life in a small town that's the 19th century British equivalent of Mayberry, RFD -- except that Cranford is run by formidable ladies instead of amiable hayseeds. Best of all, those ladies are played by a premium assortment of actresses: Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton, among them. (Salon)
New CD/DVD releases May 21, 2008
Cranford - Adapted from three novels by Elizabeth Gaskell, this miniseries features Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins as spinster sisters in an 1840s British market town. The cast includes Michael Gambon and Imelda Staunton. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Sick to the stomach May 13, 2008
Elizabeth Gaskell identified her "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness" but since, at that time and indeed until the middle of the last century, doctors thought morning sickness was psychosomatic - resulting from ambivalent feelings about becoming a mother - it could have been politeness that caused Bront 's doctor to write TB on her death certificate. Death from HG would probably be the result of kidney or heart failure. (Guardian Unlimited -- Society)
'Cranford': Life as an Open Book May 3, 2008
The miniseries, which was so popular when it aired in England in 2007 that work has begun on a sequel, is based on the novel "Cranford" and two other stories by 19th-century author Elizabeth Gaskell. Michael Gambon and Eileen Atkins portray some of the other town denizens. (Washington Post)
'Cranford' takes in full scope of pre-industrial England May 3, 2008
This new three-parter from "Masterpiece" has all the ingredients of a stereotypical bonnet 'n' bustle melodrama, from its portrayal of 19th-century small-town proprieties to its cast of older, formidable British actresses who all seem typecast to play "the chaperone." Based on three works by Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell, and woven with comic quirkiness and lace, "Cranford" would seem to be claustrophobically quaint. Except that underneath all the country innocence and maidenly primness,... (Boston Globe)
'Cranford' captivates, and makes you think May 2, 2008
Granted, if you're already a fan of Elizabeth Gaskell, the Victorian author whose Wives and Daughters made for an earlier Masterpiece, then you're probably primed for Cranford and Dench's star turn is just a bonus. But if the author and the book are new to you, allow the reliably wonderful Dench to be the draw. (USA Today -- Life)
Dame Judi's proper greeting: A good laugh May 2, 2008
Dench remembers reading the Cranford series of books by Elizabeth Gaskell when she was a schoolgirl. "It's wonderfully intimate and the antithesis of parts I've been playing," Dench says. (USA Today -- Life)
"Gavin & Stacey" beat top shows to win two Baftas Apr 21, 2008
Atkins played Miss Deborah Jenkyns in the BBC adaptation of the Elizabeth Gaskell novel. Share. (Reuters UK)
Review: 'The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë' Apr 11, 2008
But if Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell breaks out a deerstalker and a magnifying glass, I'm out of here. Yvonne Zipp. (Christian Science Monitor)
Dame Eileen wins award for 'Cranford' Apr 6, 2008
She played the town's moral guardian Miss Deborah Jenkyns in Cranford, an adaptation of three novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. The series also won awards for Best Television Drama Series and Best Writer, while Philip Glenister was named Best Actor for his roles in the period drama and Life On Mars. (Digital Spy)
Cranford star wins critics award Apr 4, 2008
Cranford, which is based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels, scooped four gongs, including best drama and writer. The best actor award went to Philip Glenister for his starring roles in the period drama and Life on Mars. (BBC News -- UK)
Dame Judi Dench to reprise Cranford role Apr 2, 2008
The television series, which was based on the 19th-century books by Elizabeth Gaskell, proved a ratings winner, pulling in audiences of up to eight million viewers when it was screened last year. advertisement. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Cranford returning for Christmas Apr 1, 2008
The saga is based on the works of Elizabeth Gaskell. Costume drama Cranford is making a comeback in a two-part Christmas special to be screened in 2009. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Dame Judi makes TV short-list instead Mar 19, 2008
Cranford, based on the books by Elizabeth Gaskell, is up for three prizes. Dame Judi, 73, receives a record 24th nomination for best actress and is up against co-star Dame Eileen Atkins, 73. (Mirror.co.uk)
Dame Judi Breaks Record With Bafta Nomination Mar 18, 2008
The BBC costume drama, based on the books by Elizabeth Gaskell, appears in three categories and is up for four gongs in total. Dame Judi receives a record 24th nomination, including her previous nominations for film. (Sky News)
Dench drama leads critics' nods Feb 29, 2008
The drama, which is based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels, has picked up six nominations in four categories. Michael Gambon, Philip Glenister, Dame Eileen Atkins and Dench are all up for best actor and actress. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Trouble at t' mill Feb 23, 2008
In North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell determined to show her middle-class readers the problems of the poor in the new industrial towns ... In North and South, published in 1854, Elizabeth Gaskell examined this fear and fascination in a dramatic, confrontational love story, an industrial rewriting of Pride and Prejudice. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
Missing Cranford already? Dec 17, 2007
Kathryn Hughes: Missing Cranford already. Missing Cranford already. (Guardian Unlimited -- Books)
May contain Knutsford Nov 24, 2007
It was here in the earlyn Victorian period that Elizabeth Gaskell (it feels wrong not to call her Mrs) wrote her gentle satiric study of the manners of the inhabitants of a small English country town, their uneventful lives and their preoccupation with hats, and cake and tea where "the rose-leaves were gathered 'ere they fell, to make into a pot-pourri" ... Even when the private car doubled the town's population (from 6,000 in 1951 to 13,000 in 1971), turning Knutsford into a dormitory town for... (Independent)
BBC embraces its bonnets Nov 22, 2007
Launching "Cranford," based on three novels by Elizabeth Gaskell, to opinion formers and Blighty's TV drama community last week, Thompson declared, "This is what the BBC is for" before the opening credits began to roll. "Cranford," co-produced by the BBC's regular costume drama collaborator, PBS station WGBH Boston, features Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins as two seventysomething sisters who rule the roost in the village of Cranford in the late 1800s. (Variety)
Elizabeth Gaskell Nov 21, 2007
The Forgotten Victorian Novelist. Gaskell has long been overshadowed by other Victorian novelists, but with a new BBC production of Cranford currently on screen, now is the time to revisit her novels. (Suite101.com)
Looking under the bonnet Nov 18, 2007
Cranford is a five-part adaptation by Lilies writer Heidi Thomas of three Elizabeth Gaskell novels, with the first episode screening this Sunday on BBC1 ... I hope people will realise from this adaptation what a wonderful read Elizabeth Gaskell s novels are. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Dench leads Cranford girl power Nov 17, 2007
Costume drama Cranford, a lavish production based on works by Elizabeth Gaskell, is at the heart of the BBC's winter TV schedules. The cast boasts some of Britain's best-loved and most experienced actresses, including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis. (BBC News)
In search of a good read? Nov 13, 2007
But Dirda did stir up fond memories of authors I haven't revisited in years Andr Malraux, Elizabeth Gaskell, Denis Diderot, Erasmus which may well prompt me to pull a few off my shelves and take a fresh look. But first, my next assignment. (Christian Science Monitor)
Life of Charlotte Bronte Nov 8, 2007
In 1850 she met Elizabeth Gaskell, who would publish perhaps the most famous biography of Charlotte. Encouraged by the success of her two previous novels, Charlotte finally published Villette in 1853. (Suite101.com)
* Book Review: Have-nots have no idea why they're poor Sep 30, 2007
In England they were subjected to statistical reports, researched in depth and divided up into "deserving" and "undeserving." In the 1840s Dickens, Disraeli and Elizabeth Gaskell wrote novels about "the condition of England" (which meant what to do about the poor), and the successful dramatist Henry Mayhew interviewed them at length for London Labor and the London Poor. Marx filled Das Kapital with descriptions of English 18-hour workdays, atrocious housing, and diseases entirely attributable to... (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Real life plot twists of famous authors Sep 27, 2007
During her pregnancy, she fell ill, and according to her earliest biographer, Elizabeth Gaskell, she was attacked by "sensations of perpetual nausea and ever-recurring faintness.". The elder Bronte sister's nausea was so overwhelming, in fact, that the author couldn't eat or even smell food without becoming violently ill. (CNN -- Showbiz)
From Tarantino to the Turner ... Aug 28, 2007
This season promises several costume dramas - among them ITV1's A Room with a View, adapted by Andrew Davies, and BBC1's Oliver Twist - but this five-part take on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels may be the one for traditionalists. Judi Dench heads a star-spangled cast that also includes Philip Glenister, Francesca Annis, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon and Joe McFadden. (Guardian Unlimited)
Peril in pink Jul 13, 2007
Getting very involved with costuming, Staunton lobbied for Umbridge to be dressed in a way that screamed "motherly.""I wanted the fabrics to be soft -- she should be squishy, so that you could be comfortable to sit on her lap. There shouldn't be any sharp edges."These days, Staunton is back on familiar, traditional ground, shooting a five-part BBC costume drama called "Cranford Chronicles," based on the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell, with such British grandes dames as Judi Dench. As for Staunton's... (Indianapolis Star)
BBC launches new eight o-clock news Jul 12, 2007
Judi Dench will star in Cranford Chronicles, an adaptation of three Elizabeth Gaskell novels set in Cheshire in the 1840s. The series will also star Michael Gambon, Francesca Annis, Philip Glenister and Eileen Atkins. (Telegraph.co.uk)
BBC1 plans two-minute news slot at 8pm Jul 12, 2007
Mr Fincham was bullish about BBC1's recent performance, claiming its lead over ITV1 had increased and unveiling a string of classic period dramas, including Judi Dench in Cranford Chronicles, based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels; a dramatisation of the last years of Jane Austen's life; and Timothy Spall as Fagin in Oliver Twist ... Cranford Chronicles Dame Judi Dench in classic period drama based on three Elizabeth Gaskell novels. (Guardian Unlimited)
Harry Potter's witchy woman Jul 7, 2007
These days, Staunton is back on familiar, traditional ground, shooting a five-part BBC costume drama called "Cranford Chronicles," based on the novels of Elizabeth Gaskell, with such British grandes dames as Judi Dench. As for Staunton's future Potter prospects, her character gets her comeuppance at the end of the new film after wandering into Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest. (Newsday -- Entertainment)
Mars stars reunite for film caper May 18, 2007
" Glenister, who said he was "contracted" to work with Simm once a year, is currently dividing his time between Tuesday and the Cranford Chronicles - a BBC costume drama based on three novels by Wives and Daughters author Elizabeth Gaskell. "I'm flitting from the 1880s to the 1980s on a daily basis," he said. "I'm all over the shop. " The actor will also begin filming the sequel to Life On Mars, called Ashes To Ashes, later this year. Simm's character will not appear in the new series, with a... (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Glenister joins all-star BBC cast Apr 22, 2007
Life on Mars actor Philip Glenister has signed up to appear in a five-part BBC One period drama based on novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. The actor will play Mr Carter in the Cranford Chronicles - a 19th Century drama which explores life in a fictional rural town in Cheshire. (BBC News)
What the Dickens?Step aside Disney, the Dickens World theme park is here Apr 17, 2007
" But English or global, amiable or cruel, it's likely the legend of Dickens can endure a little Disney-fication. Send us your comments using the form below. Lets assume this isn't aimed at the literary elite who, (judging by some of the coments here), seem to be very smug with themselves about their knowledge of Dickens. Seems to me the target group here are more parents who want to get their children thinking beyond Video Games, reality TV, and c list celebrities. I see nothing wrong with... (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Romney Family Tree Has Polygamy Branch Feb 26, 2007
Miles Romney and his one clearly documented wife, Elizabeth Gaskell, had 10 children. Among them was Miles Park Romney, one of Mitt Romney's great-grandfathers. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Dame Judi signs up for TV drama Feb 1, 2007
Oscar-winning star Dame Judi Dench is to appear in a five-part BBC One serial based on novels by Elizabeth Gaskell. The 72-year-old actress will play Miss Matty Jenkyns in Cranford Chronicles - a 19th Century drama exploring life in a fictional rural town in Cheshire. (BBC News -- Entertainment)
Minister secures place of 'heritage' novels on schools list Aug 9, 2006
Jane Austen, Charlotte Bront , Emily Bront , John Bunyan, Wilkie Collins, Joseph Conrad, Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, George Eliot, Henry Fielding, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jonathan Swift, Anthony Trollope, HG Wells. Under threat. (Guardian Unlimited)
* China echoes UK industrial nightmare Aug 4, 2006
The journalism of Henry Mayhew and WT Stead, alongside the novels of Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli and Elizabeth Gaskell, helped to put pressure on politicians and industrialists to clean up their conurbations. The public voice of civil society produced the great social reforms of the mid-19th century, from sewerage to child labor and trade union rights. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Cheshire Life Feb 7, 2006
Elizabeth Gaskell used Knutsford as the model for her novel Cranford. Veteran footballer Sir Bobby Charlton, above, is a resident. (The Independent, UK)
