Anna of the Five Towns

Adapted from a novel written in1902, this production faithfully follows the morals and customs of the period without the usual anachronisms.

Anna is an intelligent young woman who does a fine job keeping house for her father and raising her younger sister, she also teaches Sunday school for the Methodist church, a position of great responsibility and gravity at the time.

On her 21st birthday her father informs Anna that she has inherited 50,000 pounds and so she is instantly flung into the world of business management and a much higher social circle.

The story becomes complicated and compelling as Anna is torn between the demands of good money management and the demands of her natural Christian kindness. She is also torn between a charming and appropriate suitor and a natural and unconditional love.

Writing this in 2022.

While the quality is not the HD that we are all enjoying, the content of this drama is well-worth overlooking the 1985 technology.

Anna of the Five Towns is a British television drama series which first aired on BBC. It is an adaptation by John Harvey of the 1902 novel of the same title by Arnold Bennett.

I must add that it stars the young and engaging Peter Davison.

I am so glad that this came up as a suggestion from Britbox.

This coming-of-age story of a stifled young woman is intriguing. Her navigation from nothingness to being a woman of means was very satisfying to view.

Don't miss it.

I thought it portrayed that time honestly, Especially as far as a woman's rights during that period. She had no idea she could stand up to Her father. I just wish that they would've had more than four episodes. The scenery and the costumes were fantastic. It made you think that you were there. I love the relationship between Anna and her sister. I thought the preview said that the father was going to die. So I kept expecting him to die and he never did. They world could've been a better place without that kind of man in it. I love how it showed the difference between loving families and strict hard-core families. And that we can choose what kind of family we will be.

I was surprised to learn I had access to this delightful series on Britbox. It also introduced me to Arnold Bennett's work which I had not been aware of.

This series is very well done. I was most impressed by the compelling story and charming grace of the main characters. Peter Davison is quite remarkable as Henry. It is no wonder his career skyrocketed after this series. I was also delighted to see young Anton Lesser. His acting talent in Anna of Five Towns is very much apparent.

The series is very true to Bennett's text. I love the casting. So wonderful to see character actors that depict real people without the Hollywood glamour.

I highly recommend this series!

Wonderful series that relies on character development, a good script and engaging actors. I very much enjoyed the costumes and the scenery, especially the outdoors scenes. Nothing seemed rushed, allowing the characters to Develop and endear themselves to us.

This was offered on Amazon prime Which is great because I'm not going to spend more money on things like BritBox. What I really have noticed and enjoy about these BBC productions is that the actors aren't always beautiful. Some are downright homely, but it doesn't matter because the acting is so good.

This is a great series to watch with an afternoon cup of tea in snippets, which is how I enjoyed it. It would be nice if it could be remastered in someway, but if you can overlook the picture quality you're in for a treat.