Saturday 13 December 2008

LARKRISE TO CANDLEFORD XMAS SPECIAL

The Larkrise Christmas special is on BBC1 ON 21ST December. And the new series proper will start early in January.











Pictured Myself and fellow resident Simon, in our night shirts.

9 comments:

Ray said...

See it takes two people to fill Dawn French's nightdress and dressing gown.

Charles Gramlich said...

That's a rather scary thought!

Danny-K said...

Oh goody! Thanks for that reminder; I'll try and watch
- this time!

Watched a few of the early episodes of the initial series and found it a bit 'too twee' for my liking - you know: "Mr Kipling bakes exceedingly good cakes" type of thing. So missed a lot of the episodes.

That's because it's not how I remember the book; and I did so want to see, and be reminded of, my own personal time when I first read the book all those years ago.

A book which I was 'forced' to read as the set piece we were required to study, when as a lad I attended evening classes after leaving school, (1970's). I remember all in the class treating the book with derision, disdain and outright distaste.

Think only the tutor and myself appreciated it at the time. Flora Thompson's writing style is an acquired taste and doesn't read easily to modern eyes. Everyone in my class said that's why it'd been labelled as 'literary' - because it was unreadable and boring!

But I liked it as almost some kind of semi-documentary type of diary 'the way we were'; a way of living that had just about died out by the time the world wars arrived - Families keeping livestock in the same building as they lived in themselves, with walkthroughs, (they couldn't afford the additional buildings to house the animals in winter); besides which, the larger animals, gave off additional body heat which saved on costs for heating the family household. Almost every family kept chickens or in the case of the slightly better-off, a pig. Ten miles to the next village being a serious divide with each village treating the other as something foreign.

Reading the book you realise what the term 'Close-knit' really meant. Truly, close-knit as we know it today has no direct comparison.

There's still an echo of some half-remembered evolution in the way many modern folk yearn to keep chickens et al in the back garden - not a yearning to run a farm per se, but just like the ordinary labourers in Flora Thompson's book who kept livestock, as a way to provide a little extra food/income.

Until the BBC series aired, I had enjoyed being 'one-up' on everyone - now everyone's 'in' on it and they go: "oh yeah I've heard of her, Flora Thompson".

Danny-K said...

Oops - sorry about the long post. Didn't realise until I saw it, once posted.

Unknown said...

Long, Danny-K, but what the heck? Interesting and informative, I thought.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Danny - agree the TV series is quite tween in comprison to the book which tackled the social injustice of the time. But they'be dropped the socialist agenda and are going for family entertainment. Which, I think, it managed quite well.

And thanks for the long post - very interesting.

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

Ray - Dawn send her best! LOL

pattinase (abbott) said...

Sounds like fun.

Chris said...

Looking forward to seeing this...sometime. We only get BBC America, so instead of Larkrise, it will probably a "BBC America Reveals" show about a transvestite crack addict who want to mate with a grasshopper! LOL

Congrats on another acting turn--hope to see it someday.

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