Vanessa Minns

I watched the first episode with dread! I first read the books as a teenager and have reread them many many times since so, sorry, know them by heart. The script was a mash up of the book, wrong order, bad locations and sadly lots of miscasting. Uncle Matthew too young, Linda, where were the ‘unmistakeable blue Radlett eyes’ and straight brown hair, Fanny was dark with hair like heather, the Bolter far too young - she was Fanny’s mother trying to look young and shouldn’t have appeared so early anyway . . . . Alconleigh was ugly, huge, full of instruments of death and freezing cold. Lord Merlin, urbane, sophisticated, oh dear nowhere near it, too young. And so it goes on. The girls should have ridden sidesaddle, for heavens sake. All these essential period details ignored. I don’t think the script writer has managed to convey any of the essence of the book, too much attempted in one episode, not enough time to establish the characters , having to use printed subtitles a last resort. What a waste. Making a complete muddle of a legendary book and a legendary family. Vanessa Minns