‘Please sir? Can I Have some more...?’ - The public preoccupation with period dramas.

Article by Katie Yates. Edited and researched by Miked Edwardson.

From the very moment I saw Colin Firth stepping out of that pond dripping wet in Andrew Davies 1995 adaption of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice my fascination (and that of many others) with period dramas was fixed. The elegance and beauty of; the script, the cast of period dramas and classic texts are the product of a growing breed of television writers who are attempting to recreate a world of the past which oozes scandal, opulence and drama. In the mind-set of the increasing numbers of people who watch them it seems that it is not enough to have affairs, murder, incest and runaway brides played out on the cobbles or in the east end of London. Instead, people demand all of this in costume, sporting top hats and high necklines. So what is it about a good period drama that captures British hearts and minds so ardently? What is it that has made period dramas a great window of insight into our nations’ past? 

Perhaps, it is the stark historical realities that these programmes portray? Oliver Twist, a tale of difficulty, the classic Dickens novel, was first a book, then a film and now a Broadway musical. In 1968 it grossed over £49 million pounds at the box office, truly epitomising everything for which a period drama represents. The histories of many millions of poverty stricken people are relived through the tale of one boy. Titanic, another huge box office success, still manages to leave people in tears despite most knowing that the ending is always going to be the same. The film recaptures the last few days of the Titanic’s infamous maiden voyage and documents moments in the lives of the people on-board which will never be relived. Conspiracy stories which have emerged reveal that nothing in history is ever black and white. Additionally, the sad plight of the working class people on-board with no chance of survival has opened up the possibility that the ship carried the harsh realities of nineteenth century British society with it. 

At least in the imaginations of some female viewers, the undoubted objects of their affections are somewhat superficial. The women are English roses and the men range from true gentlemen to archetypal Machiavellian villains. History in schools is very much about the facts and the places, the dates and the names, war time evacuees and Anne Frank’s Diary. While these are unquestionably important points of historical study, they are most unlike the sexually charged nature of many modern period television dramas which aim to attract the modern woman. It is important that history serves this modern purpose and changes with technology. ITV’s ‘Mr Selfridge’ is great for its realistic portrayal of nineteenth century life, its educative values and the entertainment it provides, drawing in the viewers with its sex and scandal yet, it is not explicit or over the top. Based on the real rags to riches life of Mr Harry Selfridge on a mission to make shopping ‘as thrilling as sex’, television can, potentially begin to inspire a young entrepreneurial mind. The main plot line follows the opening of one of Britain’s first great department stores and the advent of consumerism as we know it, which granted men and women of all social classes a window of opportunity into informal political participation- a world of choice and desire. In an age where most shops now offer a door to door delivery service it appears that people are still romanticising about the days when being able to wear your skirt an inch higher than most was a sign of sexual liberation and independence. Having the power to choose ultimately transcended into democratic responsibility and this is something which perhaps a younger generation take for granted, until they see its genesis in action on a television screen. 

The one quite startling thing about these period dramas is that they appeal to so many women yet for the best part they objectify and degrade women back to the domestic sphere they once occupied. The BBC’s new drama Ripper Street whilst focusing on the thrill of Victorian crime fighting takes its name from some of the most brutal and highly contested murders of women of the eighteenth century. The women in the plot are regrettably either prostitutes, lunatics or lying on the mortuary slab. Perhaps Ripper Street manages to draw in the viewers because it provides a moral message to young women that their lives are never as bad as they think. Watching it, one almost feels a sense of anger that the women are being neglected and relegated in society. Looking to women of the past can help women of today to ultimately hold a greater appreciation of their present. 

Props, costumes and sets are all readily available to the modern producer and director, proving the command of well-produced period dramas. These programmes undoubtedly encapsulate quintessential British charm. Downton Abbey has less of an educative value but is instead incredibly entertaining, having pulled in viewers of 11.6 million in 2010- a clear testimony of its appeal to the family audience. The high revenue as a consequence of the growth in visitor numbers at Highclere Castle since Downton Abbey first hit television screens has meant that the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon have been both saved from financial ruin and been able to keep the history of Highclere alive. The one thing which ties many of these dramas together from film to television set is that many of the houses are open to the public. Often, the attempts of film makers to be sympathetic to the architectural tastes and styles of the period are breath-taking with costumes in Downton during the first series actually having been lent from extensive fashion collections from the period. Pride and Prejudice was set in the grounds of Chatsworth and its extensive grounds were the sight of one of the novels most pivotal walk. Historic Homes need to be preserved, not just for preservations sake but so that they may continue to bridge the gap between history, literature and the ordinary people. Families are especially drawn to these houses because not only do they provide an insight into what once was, they also provide a foothold into a world of grandeur- which to most families is unobtainable in their lifetime. Parents want their children to see buildings such as Highclere, Chatsworth and Hardwick which the National Trust preserves and the television dramas promote because of the precious keys to the past which they entomb; the tapestries, the paintings, the antique collections gathered from a colonial age gone by, provide a history lesson like no other. 

What of the people in these dramas, surely they are not so unlike men and women of today? ‘Call the Midwife’ exposes society to a common female bodily experience but in an entertaining why. It reminds people, particularly women that they should not be afraid of expressing their feelings on pregnancy and the functions of the human body. Society has certainly come a long way from the days when menstruation was an embarrassing dirty social taboo. It seems now more than ever this growth in understanding is becoming intrinsically linked with increasing numbers of programmes which feature the everyday experiences of women. Public history in television is proving its worth as a means of solace to many a confused young mind- without which, life would seem a whole lot more bleak. 

An article by Gareth McLean on the Guardian Online controversially suggests that the appeal of period dramas is due to the absence of black men and women. Indeed, in many period dramas there is a distinct absence of the representative of the multicultural society we see now. Rather than being a conscious act of racism or xenophobia perhaps this is actually reflective of society during the nineteenth century. It is just a damn shame that some commentators have seen this as a sign of negative nationalistic sentiment. 

The progressive nature of history in the twenty first century is reflected in these programmes. History should not be monotonous and boring but something which can be watched, listened to and debated over in the student bar. Period dramas undoubtedly don’t appeal to everyone but if anything can be drawn from their production is that in history there is something for everyone- not just the academic. Perhaps indeed, the effect that these programmes have on people’s everyday lives represents a growing nostalgia for the past and traditional British heritage. Classic pieces of English literature and the lives of many millions of people live on in period dramas. In a world full of globalisation and rapid technological developments perhaps the simple beauty of these dramas are representative of uneasy feelings about modernity. Period dramas are important to our society, whether people watch them or not, because they recognise an acknowledgment that the past is important. The impact is that the writers leave you yearning for more, not only more from the series and the characters but from life itself. 

•‘Mr Selfridge’, one of the most prominent recent example of period drama, began airing in January 2013 to divided critical opinion. It gained 6.86 million viewers, and 80% of polled viewers said they would continue watching after the first episode. 

• Another recent drama, ‘Call the Midwife’, was nominated for BAFTA’s and European awards, and won a National Television Award. 

• The period drama has been talked about in similar terms to historical fiction as a whole, especially in terms of its genre appeal. For instance, contrast the cosy domestic appeal of many of the dramas cited above, playing mainly to the feminine market, with the raw masculinity of a series like ‘Sharpe’.

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