Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Maybe it is two kinds of magic ... kidding aside, this is a very well written and filmed show about Magicians and how they might have been perceived. While it does name check real life figures/people (like Napoleon), I am not a scholar of the time to tell you what it does get right about the time this is supposed to play in.

Having said that, it does start quite slow (as I reckon almost anyone on here will have stated already too), but becomes quite the beast along the journey. It really ups the ante and it really has some high stakes when it comes to the characters and their fates. Intriguing storytelling mixed with really well thought of characters ... and a mini series too! For those who like to binge watch and all that. Costumes are great and performances are very good too. Special effects are decent as well - which was needed considering the nature of the show.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is set in the early 1800s, in a universe where historical events somewhat match our own but with the added dimension of magic, real magic which once ran rampant in ancient England. The only problem in the 19th century English magic is very much dead, that is until Mr Norrell appears.

This kind of fantasy is a fusion old folk tales such as the Grim brothers or fairy folklore set in a beautiful period drama, I love it.

If you cannot grasp this concept perhaps the fantastical isn't for you and it pains me to see people calling it an adult Harry Potter (not that I have anything against HP), as it shows what an utter lack of understanding and knowledge some viewers have. I have rarely ever come across an adapted show or film that captured so much of the original book and carried out with such care to detail and casting. The actors are are all outstanding, the storyline slowly reels you in and it looks beautiful too. I cannot praise this show enough.

This is BBC drama at its very best and a great showcase for why the licence fee is such good value. The quality of acting is superb with brilliant casting, lighting, costumes and direction. Hats off to Peter Harness, Nick Hirschkorn and Toby Haynes for writing, producing and directing respectively such a complex book into television drama of the highest quality. Those who have read the complex and sonorous book will be aware of the feat this adaptation has required. This production oozes class and looks set to grip viewers under its spell.

And all this without a single shirt needing to be torn off. At least, thus far.

After the first two episodes I'm hooked! The first episode started out a little slow, developing the characters and establishing the plot. I was sufficiently entertained and interested so that I watched the second episode. By the mid-point of the second episode the pace of the story quickly picked. The main characters feel real, as people, colleagues and competitors. The magic seems natural too. I found it very entertaining without being forced or too fantastic. The acting, costumes, locations, photography and CGI all are first class. I can't wait for the rest of the series and I will probably get the book too. I would consider this much more adult and better than the Harry Potter franchise. Which makes me wonder if we'll hear objections from religious conservatives? There's a lot of magic here but it's such lighthearted fun, I think it will be a shame if people miss this one.

About seven years ago I had to work away from home for three weeks, so I needed a decent book to read. I decided on Susanna Clarke's massive, doorstop of a novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. It was recommended with a glowing review by Neil Gaiman and that was a good enough recommendation for me. At over a thousand pages I thought that it would keep me company for the entire three weeks and more. After ten days I needed to find another book. It was the first book in years that I had been totally engrossed in and also one which has stayed with me for much longer than the ten days it took me to read it. I have championed this book wherever I've lived and it is certainly one of the top five books I've ever read. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy literature, finding most of it turgid and unreadable, but because Susanna Clarke grounds her fantasy firmly in its own reality it was totally original and unique, like nothing I'd ever read before or since, and so when I heard that it was being adapted for television I was at first excited then worried that they would mess it up. After watching the first episode I can now say that not only did the BBC NOT mess it up but it exceeded my expectations. It was brilliantly designed, capturing the the flavour of the book's feel and it was superbly cast - Eddie Marsan is good in anything he's in, and he perfectly captures Norrell's isolationist magician. Bertie Carvel, who I've never heard of, was the flibbertigibbet Jonathan Strange I imagined from the book and Marc Warren was suitably sinister as the Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair. A great start to a series that is going to get weirder and weirder as it goes on, if it continues to follow the book. Marvellous.