Berkeley Square

One of the best series from the great BBC. The characters, costumes and settings were all perfect. Now, if only they would make a follow up to it as there were many plot lines that could have continued.

The British series crossed the line in one of the later episodes into soap opera plot lines. The three nannies are well-played and are unique and different. Mattie is the solid, moral nanny. She must deal with the manipulative Mrs. McCluskey (played excellently by Kate Williams in this role). It's interesting to see how the households in upscale Berkeley Square run quite differently. The townhouses are really organized by the staff. Relationships between staff and employer is pretty well looked down upon by the upscale upper classes. The families are uniquely different. Hannah has a history and baggage. She is far more complicated and intriguing than the other two nannies. She must deal with Nanny Simmons (well played b Ruth Sheen). Then there is Lydia who comes from a small farming village and must work beside Nanny Collins (played wonderfully by Rosemary Leach). The cast is first rate but the writing is very melodramatic. The art direction and costumes are first rate.

My wife and I love this show but had difficulty understanding some of the dialogue.

As a gift for her, I took the past three months and painstakingly created the subtitles word for word. In her incredible generosity, she asked that I share it with others who love the show.

You can find the subtitles for all ten episodes on these two websites: OpenSubtitles dot Org and Addic7ed dot com

Yes it was an excellent series. Unfortunately, it's broadcast coincided with the World Cup Football here in the UK and it's time slot was constantly being shunted around the schedule to make way for all of the games. Sometimes it was shown on Saturdays, sometimes Tuesdays or Fridays - sometimes at 8pm, 9pm or 10pm or whenever it was given a little window between football matches. Consequently, the viewing figures were lower than they undoubtedly would have been and the BBC thought it was because not enough people wanted to watch it! WE COULDN'T EVEN FIND OUT WHEN IT WAS ON!!! So the BBC would not allow a second series! It was a magical costume drama. Everyone who sees it wants to know 'how it ends'... We will have to imagine it for ourselves. Another brilliant decision from the BBC in their infinite wisdom... To cut it short after all the wonderful work from everyone involved in the production, if I were any one of them or the director or creator of Berkeley Square; that would eat away at my heart big time.

This mini-series is wonderful all around, from the actors to the plots in each installment. It is a joy to experience and should not be missed by anyone. It accurately tells the story of the three women right down to their clothing. History and culture from the early 1900's comes alive and entertains the viewers. Never a dull moment. In two words, the mini-series is great fun!