Tom Brown's Schooldays

This adaptation has been tried and tested on four separate occasions. Right from the outset you could tell this screening of the famous story was sticking to the old traditional set. This was reassuring. Stephen Fry played the Doctor well with the casting of both Flashman and Tom Brown accurate. It was an average performance from Flashman, but a strong performance from the youngster who played Tom. Especially since it was his debut acting role. The story was intended for light entertainment and had no real meaning, therefore I can't scrutinise it for lacking depth. The other roles seemed too minor and the rest of the cast played their part well enough to go unnoticed. The viewers of this will forget it ten minutes after they've seen it but entertaining nonetheless and better than most in this genre.

Over the holiday period I enjoyed Martin Clunes' "Mr Chips" and "Pollyanna", both recent ITV adaptations, so was looking forward to this offering. I have never read the book, so cannot judge how close it was to the original story, but did see the 1971 BBC series, which I remember enjoying immensely.

I think the problem may be that it tried to squeeze three hours of story into two hours, (less ad breaks) and there is a sense of non-resolution at the end. Ending on the funeral of the unfortunate Arthur leaves things weirdly up in the air. There is no sense of catharsis that there is with the well received 1971 version. It all seems to be made up of bits and pieces of story stuck together without any real narrative thrust.

I remember the BBC series ending with the sweeping reforms of pay and conditions for masters and boys introduced by Arnold, this being the culmination of his experience and his journey to restore Rugby to its former status as a place fit for "gentlemen and Christians". In this version this is dealt with over a brief conversation while walking with an elderly master, asking him to spend the nights on the premises.

Flashman's comeuppance is disappointingly glossed over, and the consequences of incurring the wrath of one of the school's major benefactors are not addressed.

The film looks good and the acting is competent (although I too, found the "reality" camera work intrusive), but I feel that, as I have already said, the problem may well may on the cutting room floor and the amount of footage that had to be excluded to fit into 1 3/4 hours.

what a wonderful adaptation of the novel! Beautifully filmed on location in rugby school,David Moore the director has made a really fantastic drama which is modern and exciting....better than any period drama on itv all year!!

the acting was first rate...Steven Fry was Super as Dr Arnold and really nice to see this actor leading a drama rather than playing the comic relief of a piece...maybe an award in the wings for this performance!! young Alex Petyfer was a good Tom Brown..holding his own in some tough scenes with fry.Joe Beattie was a satisfactory Flashman running the school house with his bunch of cronies! Clive Standen playing Brooke was a Magnicent Hero and really electrifyed the screen when he was on!the perfect juxtaposition to Beatties Flashman. And the two young Boys playing East and Tadpole were really quite brilliant...especially Dane carter playing Tadpole in the most memorable scene in the film where he is accused of lieing to Steven fry!! a jolly good film which i would advise all to watch AND HOPE TO SEE SOME OF THE ACTORS TO GO ON TO GREAT THINGS

Well done ITV

I really liked this drama, it just showed on television here and I really liked it.

Stephen Fry's performance was excellent as headmaster Dr Arnold. He plays his role perfectly, being firm but kind in transforming a rowdy school into a good Christian one. I love his performance, as he is a great actor. I have seen him in a few other things (Peter's Friends, Jeeves & Wooster, Wind In The Willows), all great work.

The boy who played Tom Brown was, in my opinion, brilliantly acted and amazingly cute. I loved his character and I hope to see more work from him.

Flashman was a great character also, I particularly liked him. Also greatly acted as the arrogant school bully, his character was powerful yet brutal. I enjoyed his performance very much.

The overall story was amazing. It reminded me of some things about school life as a young child. A great plot indeed. There's humor, a little bit of action, some tearful parts and some brilliant acting. I really do love this.

Please watch, it's brilliant! *10*

This is the story of important 19th Century educationalist and Headmaster Dr.Thomas Arnold's effort to stamp out some of the less desirable traits in the exclusive Rugby School of that era, including bullying, gambling, and drinking. A well intentioned if sanitized version, a small pity the "good" boys all look so angelic and scrubbed up. In Alex Pettyfer we have a John Howard Davies lookalike. Davies played Tom Brown in the 1951 film, and Pip in David Lean's "Great Expectations". Overall its good clean fun and suited to television. Christopher Fry tries hard to bring some credibility to the Headmaster and largely succeeds, while Joe Beattie as the unpleasant bully Flashman is perhaps a little less effective. Not as dark as the novel suggests, often the lyrical settings are at odds the drama, certainly not a Dickensian approach. But full marks for trying to show the making of a man in Victorian England.