The Living and the Dead

I'm very sad to hear that there will not be any more seasons. It really was wonderfully done.

A brilliantly constructed bit of telly showcasing the BBC at it's best. A feast for the eyes with views of the English countryside through the changing seasons. Excellent costume design, most notably for Colin Morgan's character where his clothes reflect his changing mental state. A scary, gripping and clever tale filled with surprising and unexpected twists and turns and a final scene which left me gagging for a sequel. Brilliant soundtrack. Colin Morgan gives a heart wrenchingly good performance as Nathan Appleby and the chemistry between him and screen-wife Charlotte Spencer is wonderful. Cannot recommend this show highly enough and I implore the powers that be to make a second series!

The Living and the Dead taps into the late 19th century obsession with spiritualism and runs with it.

This is a well crafted series. It examines the obsession with spiritualism of the time but hints, ever so subtly, that there may be more going on than one man's obsession, in the face of bereavement.

The settings and in particular, the beautiful, well crafted visuals and set pieces breathe Victorian "atmosphere". Familiar settings reminiscent of agricultural scenes from paintings by the like of Constable are cleverly combined with an unspoken, eerie, other worldly quality, that sits just below the surface of rural normalcy.

The acting is of a high standard and the chemistry, in particular, between Colin Morgan and Charlotte Spencer's young couple, the Appleby's, who own a struggling country estate is electric. They are an inherently likable couple whose shared warmth helps to soften the "chilliness", found in the supernatural aspects of the series.

This series is in many respects highly original but also familiar. Certainly there are aspects reminiscent of films like The Other's, to be found in The Living and the Dead. I have enjoyed this slow burn psycho supernatural mystery series and plan to keep on watching. Nine out of ten from me.

The Living and the Dead is a very evocative celebration of rural England. It is powerful because, rather than present a life of twee corn-dollies and doilies, it presents the real struggles of life on the land, and what the agricultural year used to mean to people: i.e. everything. The haunting come across as an expression of this place in time and I think, despite other reviews, are truly original in that they are rooted in deep story. The central characters are mostly real and deep - especially Gideon and Nathan Appleby. I find Charlotte's character a little cookie cutter at times - she is the straightforward one. The acting by Morgan is really rather stop-you-in-your- tracks, but I must also acknowledge that I am a red blooded female with an appreciation for tortured souls in a waistcoat. The twists, and complexities of plot, the imagery of the thing and - most of all I think- the questions it raises about the nature of time, make this compelling TV viewing. Many are super keen for more.

If I'm honest I didn't think the BBC had the capacity to make a series like this, nothing to do with production or calibre, just that a series such as this feels less mainstream somehow.

It's fantastic from start to finish, you get a horror vibe from it, it's full of intrigue, suspense and manages to get you on edge. Beautifully filmed, it oozes quality, the cinematography is sublime, and the music is perfect throughout, it really added to the overall 'gothic horror' feel of the show. Fantastic costumes, which looked incredibly authentic. I got vibes of the recent Woman in Black and The Others, a very definite positive.

Colin Morgan goes from strength to strength, he has a definite quality, and somehow seems to have matured into an actor of some presence. Entire cast were great, Charlotte Spencer and Kerrie Hayes particularly good, as was the all too brief appearance of Fiona O'Shaughnessy.

It's disappointing that a second run was not commissioned, particularly in light of the ending of the final episode, but as I said earlier, it may not have been 'mainstream' enough.

I have a feeling this will be a series remembered for years to come, 9/10