The Hardacres

So many attempts at humorous disparaging comments, make you wonder why they bother watching then reviewing.

The thing is, its entertainment. Not a documentary not a bio. It may be clichéd and clearly not reality but it's also engaging and entertaining.

The overall package keeps you watching as the characters develop nicely and you can see the problems and diversions for the main characters slowly but surely developing.

Ma makes me laugh. Keeping all feet firmly on the ground whilst others are desperate to elevate their social standing, to start with at least.

View with an open mind and you'll enjoy the humour as well as the emotional ups and downs.

Its a rags to riches Downton Abbey.

The new money story was indeed a widespread process resulting from the industrial revolution, the birth of capitalism and fast stock market winners.

Although lower working class elevations to such dizzying heights was rare indeed because they lacked initial capital to seed such fortune.

Nevertheless good acting, good comedic moments and plenty of upstairs downstairs skulduggery to satisfy anyone who likes English period drama.

There's a lot of silliness and behaviour that would never occur and sometimes the father's refusal to move up from his humble background starts to grate a bit as do the daughters persistent petulance with everything.

Then there's the housekeeper who seems to believe she's invincible.

The varied accents are inconsistent for such a tight nit family but lead to some great quotes such as

Her Ladyship: "What accent is that, I can't quite place it?" The mother-in-law "Its Yorkshire ma'am, it's where you're bloody living"

1890's Yorkshire, The Hardacres family work endlessly to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. After a bad accident, Sam loses his job, but wife Mary has a plan, a plan that makes them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

It's a rags to riches story, almost Disney style, it's so outrageous and over the top, but it genuinely works, we see two worlds collide, two worlds that don't often mix apart from in an Upstairs, Downstairs fashion.

Watching The Hardacres trying to adapt to their new found wealth is a joy, seeing the family, Mary and Ma in particular, trying to interact with their new and wealthy circle.

There are some wonderful characters, I adore Mrs Dryden, the spiteful housekeeper, you could easily place her in Downton Abbey, she's great. The whole family are entertaining, it's just a shame that Harry is packed off so early, he was great.

So they may look a little modern, and some of the dialogue (especially Ma's) wouldn't have been heard for decades, but it just works, the sets look wonderful.

Entertaining, funny and sometimes moving, it's an uplifting tale of rags to riches, one of Channel Five's better dramas, hopefully a second series will follow.

Super entertaining.

8/10.

A super nice rags-to-riches period drama which has a high 'feel good' factor. The characters were quite well developed, well cast, and the acting was good. I would like to have seen a slower pace and a 'grittier feel' to give it some sense of reality and to get to know the characters on a deeper level. The perfect complexions and white pearly teeth did make it look a bit fake but the costumes were really good and the set was wonderful. Great entertainment which, with a bit of attention to some of the detail, could be a really great period drama. There's so many aspects of the story to be developed and expanded on. I'll certainly be watching for series 2.

A great accompaniment alongside ACGAS, much needed for those who love a period drama!

However very disappointed with some of the cast. Claire Coopers glaringly obvious botox was so distracting, it took away from the accuracy of the time. What on earth were they thinking!?

It was also difficult to take her character seriously having known who she played in Hollyoaks. She isn't the right actress for this part and sad to see C5 think people would overlook this. I'm sure there is a whole host of British northern actresses who would have been better suited for the role.

Conor Deane is brilliant, along with Julie Graham and Taheen Modak. Not sure on the actors chosen who don't look historically accurate for the time in Yorkshire.