Costume dramas ignited young performers' careers and benefited from the glow of established stars. Alex Kingston's Moll Flanders led her to ER, and Keira Knightley's Lara in Doctor Zhivago got Hollywood calling.
The power of the genre to create new stars - or to spur existing stars on to create some of their most powerful performances. From Mansfield Park's Billie Piper to Helen Mirren in Elizabeth and My Boy Jack's Daniel Radcliffe to Keira Knightley's TV debut in Doctor Zhivago we speak to the stars themselves as well as their fellow actors about what it takes to create these iconic characters on screen - and the rigours of working on such demanding shows.—Anonymous
