A four-part miniseries hailed by fans as the greatest period drama the BBC has ever produced is now available to stream for free on the platform U. The 2004 adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel 'North and South' originally aired on BBC One but is not currently on iPlayer.
Set in 1851 in the fictional industrial town of Milton—a stand-in for Manchester—the drama follows Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe), a young woman from southern England who moves north with her family. She becomes involved in a factory workers' strike and develops feelings for the mill owner, John Thornton, played by Richard Armitage in his breakout role.
Though initially overlooked by critics, the series has since gained a cult following and holds a 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have compared it favourably to the BBC's legendary 1995 adaptation of 'Pride and Prejudice', with many claiming it surpasses that classic. One IMDb user described it as 'even better than the BBC's legendary Pride and Prejudice'.
The series was largely filmed in Edinburgh, West Yorkshire, and Burnley, Lancashire. It won an online BBC poll for Best Drama of 2004, with Denby-Ashe and Armitage voted Best Actress and Best Actor respectively. Armitage was also named Most Desirable Drama Star.
Fans have praised the adaptation for its depiction of class, industrialisation, and romance. A Reddit user called it 'my new favourite period piece of all time, taking Pride and Prejudice to number two'. Another viewer described it as 'the best historic fiction on screen I've ever seen'.
