The BBC period drama Life After Life has been described by viewers as 'Ground Hog Day mixed with Downton Abbey', with fans praising the performances of Sian Clifford and Thomasin McKenzie.
The series follows Ursula Todd, who dies on the night she is born in 1910, only to be born again and survive. In each new life, she lives a little longer, navigating different decisions as she experiences both World Wars, including the London Blitz.
Based on Kate Atkinson's novel
The BAFTA-nominated series, directed by John Crowley, is based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Kate Atkinson. Viewers have been impressed by the performances of Clifford, known for Fleabag, and McKenzie, as well as the cinematography.
One viewer wrote on IMDb: "A refreshing change to the run-of-the-mill period drama. Ground Hog Day mixed with Downton Abbey! Occasionally painful to watch (episode 2 was particularly harrowing) but also uplifting in parts. Certainly kept me gripped."
Viewer praise for acting and story
Another viewer called it a "quality drama", adding: "What a pleasure it is to watch something that is intelligent and meaningful and beautifully written and brilliantly acted. The story itself is a deep one. Philosophically and emotionally. It deals with life and death and loss and love and everything that makes up a single life. But for Ursula, a single life lived many many times. McKenzie is an incredible actor. She brings so much depth to the character. She is an absolute joy to watch."
A fan of the book said they were not let down, writing: "I have loved the book for some years - re-read it several times - so was a little nervous about the TV series. But it was perfect. Most of the scenes were almost exactly how I imagined them, and the characters too. Having the author, Kate Atkinson, involved obviously helped."
Departures from the book
They added: "Yet my favourite scenes were ironically the ones where the series departed most from the book (which is not to say it was far), especially episode four. In many ways the TV series tied it all together better than the book did. Even though I knew what was coming the series still packed emotional hit after hit, so I cannot imagine what someone who did not know it would make of it!"
Life After Life is now streaming for free on BBC iPlayer.
