ITV3 investigates how the costume drama genre has evolved over the decades - from The Forsyte Saga to Upstairs, Downstairs, Brideshead Revisited to Lost in Austen. Get closer to the drama with interviews with the stars and the people behind-the-camera, from the writers to the location managers.
Each episode, narrated by Keeley Hawes, will focus on a different aspect of the genre – from how costume dramas changed the world to the process of creating some of the most loved dramas seen on British television.
The Story of the Costume Drama is wide-ranging, covering love and war, birth and death, the rich and the poor. British costume dramas have upset the Royal Family, been banned by American TV, and overcome strikes, riots and freak weather on their way to creating massive stars – meaning the incredible drama could be found off-screen as well as on it.
In the first episode of the series we look at The Greatest Stories Ever Told – an overview of the genre, from its beginnings with swashbuckling series The Adventures of Robin Hood to classic period dramas such as The Forsyte Saga, Upstairs, Downstairs and Brideshead Revisited. This episode traces the changes the genre has undergone in its 50-year history and speaks to stars including Susan Hampshire, Timothy West, Derek Jacobi, John Hurt, Anthony Andrews, Alex Kingston and Art Malik.
