News about Sophie McShera

A dramatic mixture of tension, passion, and intrigue can be obtained during period dramas. But with so many options across so many streaming services, where should you start? Well, our reporters have done the hard work for you by sifting through copies to bring you an unbeatable selection of 30 options that will take you back to the excitement and passion of long-past eras.

CHRISTOPHER STEVENS: The Gallow's Pole (BBC2) is loosely based on a Benjamin Myers book, which is loosely based on a tale of a gang of starving weavers at the start of the Industrial Revolution, who switched to forgery and counterfeiting. Not that any of the first three parts of this three-part series would have been expected, but to put it mildly, it took a long time to get going. The first five minutes featured a man dressed in a blood-drenched jacket, carrying a bag of blacksmith's accessories behind him, and defending off hallucinations of demons with stags' antlers.