For Release: 2008-04-22 11:13:00
A sleepy 1840s English village comes to life with gossip, parties, romances, sudden death, bankruptcy and the drama of an encroaching railway in “Cranford,” a new Masterpiece Classic series based on the beloved Victorian-era writings of Elizabeth Gaskell. The three-part series airs Sundays, beginning May 4 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1 and KET HD and Thursdays, beginning May 8 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET2.A cross between Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, Gaskell’s novels are love stories with a social message, set amid the turmoil of the industrial revolution in England. Cranford was her most popular novel, but Masterpiece viewers may know her already from Wives and Daughters, which was adapted for the series to wide acclaim in 2001.
Topping the all-star cast are Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins (Cold Mountain) as Matty and Deborah Jenkyns, two unmarried sisters living together in a small town ruled by an eccentric code of antiquated customs. Miss Deborah, the elder sister, is the stern enforcer of Cranford’s decorum, while kind-hearted Miss Matty is content to be swept along by events. “You must gird your loins,” she says. “It is all go in Cranford!”
During its UK broadcast on the BBC, “Cranford” earned eight million viewers for each of its first two episodes. “It’s wonderful,” raved the New Statesman. “Lovingly and scintillatingly brought to life,” wrote the Daily Mail. And from the Evening Standard: “The reason why 'Cranford' has captivated us is that the concerns of this mid-19th century town are similar to ours today.”
Masterpiece Classic “Cranford” is a production BBC and WGBH/Boston in association with Chestermead. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.
Contact: Ellen Soileau
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