Outrageous

This is a fantastic series telling the true story of the six Mitford sisters. One a famous author, two famous nazi lovers.

There is some great acting from most of the cast - the actresses playing Unity and Diana not so great. The real Diana was a renowned beauty and blindly admired Hitler. We don't see her beauty here. The peroxide blonde gives us a wooden performance and she delivers her lines in a monotone way. She doesn't move her face or mouth, maybe worrying about messing up her make up. The other sisters have great speaking voices but this actress attempts a cut glass accent and it doesn't work. Another actress would have portrayed her in a more natural way.

Nancy, the narrator is my favourite. A brilliant actress giving a natural performance.

The Battle of Cable Street put an end to Moseley's vision of a facist England.

It's easy to dismiss the Mitfords as posh, privileged and irrelevant, but that would be a mistake. The main theme of the first series, which only goes up to 1937, is the issue of how people can easily get swept up into extremist movements, which is just as relevant today as it was in the 1930s.

As others say, truth is stranger than fiction. If this had been presented as fictional, you'd say it was implausible, but almost everything described in the series really happened (though at least one of the characters is an invention). And what happens next, which we will probably see in the inevitable series 2, is even more shocking. It's remarkable that anyone could describe this story as boring. I suppose there are no car chases or shoot-outs.

The production is good (houses, cars, dresses...) although some of the scenes supposedly set in Germany are not very convincing. The acting performances are strong, considering how difficult these roles are to play. Kudos to the brave girls who took on the challenging roles of Diana and Unity.

I have been fascinated by the Mitford sisters for some time. So it was good to see the characters fleshed out in a drama.

The story really centres around Nancy, Diana, Unity and the parents. The other sisters and brothers are bit players in the story. And as such it's hard to grasp who's who in the initial episodes.

All the actors do a great job and it looks great. The background of political turmoil in England and on the Continent which leads to conflict within the sisterhood is a major part of the storyline. Told through the eyes of Nancy, the narrative is clearly defined.

Although to most people these actresses sound posh. The real Mitfords were part of the Englush upper class. I recently saw an interview with Diana. She made these actresses sound like washer women.

The Mitfords are one of, if not THE, most interesting families of the 20th century, so l've been waiting for this biopic for some time, even though much has been used in Nancy's biographic novels 'The Pursuit of Love' and 'Love in a Cold Climate', both of which have been adapted for television several times. Their story is seen through the eyes of the eldest Mitford, Nancy, the author and although the sisters bear no physical resemblance to the reality (that would be hoping for too much) the characters are fairly well defined, if a little bland in some cases. My grandfather met Nancy when a Bright Young Thing and took her to a party. I don't know what he would have made of this. What is missing is the distinctive Mitford drawl, which you can hear in interviews, obviously toned down for modern 'Estuary English' audiences. What redeems this series however is the love the sisters have for each other, even though often diametrically opposed to each other.

Ninety percent of the dialogue in this series is given over to exposition -- characters conveniently explaining things to one another, describing events we never get to see, or summarizing various plot developments -- and this strictly functional dialogue (along with Nancy Mitford's voice-over narration) has to do a great deal of work, since the series is filled with all manner of events, comings and goings, whirlwind romances, debutante balls, weddings, break-ups, divorces, financial crises, political allegiances, trips abroad, spats between siblings, reconciliations, etc. -- so the whole busy story with its multiple points of view, though handsomely mounted, feels somewhat artificial and contrived.

However, the acting is so good, by virtually all concerned, that the series is quite likable and a pleasure to watch. I particularly admired Bessie Carter as Nancy and Shannon Watson as Unity, but all the cast was excellent, including the actors (though the men in the series tend to be a fairly caddish and inadequate bunch).