Cranford

The hugely successful BBC classic drama adapted from,Elizabeth Gaskelfs three novels of small town gossip,secrets and romance.

1842. Cranford, a market town in the North West of England, is a Mace governed by etiquette. custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that has Iways been conducted according to their social rules but Cranford is on the cusp of change...

For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness in Cranford, and Matty, her demurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue - a handsome new doctor Frank Harrison from London' has arrived; a retired Army Captain and his daughters have moved in to'a house opposite and the preparations for Lady Ludlow's garden party are underway everyone - from charming rogue Dr Marshland to mean Mrs Jamieson and her lap dog - talls and is talked about, behind closed doors.

The town also has its secrets which it slowly reveals; Marry's encounter with an old flame at the garden party; Lady Ludlow's laad agent Mr Carter teaching a gypsy lad to read and write; the wild expectations of the May Day celebrations and - news that shakes the town when it is revealed - a railway line from Manchester is coming to Cranford.

Return To Cranford

This special two-part feature takes up the story a year after the small Cheshire town celebrated the marriage of Dr Harrison to Sophy Hutton. It's August 1844 and Miss Matty's house is full of life and bustle now she has her brother, Peter, home from India and Martha's baby, Tilly, to keep her busy.

The amazons of Cranford – Miss Pole, Mrs Forrester and Miss Tomkinson - still set the tone in all matters for the town and anticipate with great excitement the arrival of aristocratic Lady Glenmire. Lady Ludlow awaits the return of her long-absent son Septimus and young Harry Gregson prepares to start his education at Shrewsbury. Wealthy widower Mr Buxton has returned to Cranford, bringing with him this charming ward, Erminia and his handsome Eton-educated son, William. And, at nearby Thorn Cottage, Peggy Bell is trying to make the best of things caring for her mother and brother Edward.

Despite the best efforts of Captain Brown to bring the modern age right into the heart of King Street, the railway has stopped five miles outside Cranford. However, life never stands still for long and Cranford is about to change in some unexpected ways.