With the overwhelming popularity of series like Bridgerton and movies like Emma, it's become apparent that audiences are clamoring for more entertainment set across the pond. British period dramas are some of the most acclaimed in the world, in no small part due to their ability to transport viewers to a different place and time through fabulous costumes, complex storytelling, and commanding performances.
But while millions of people tuned in for Downton Abbey or The Darkest Hour, there are just as many series and movies that go unnoticed and unappreciated, resulting in selections like these hidden gems being incredibly underrated.
I Capture The Castle (Movie)
The charming movie based on Dodie Smith's book of the same name involves a capricious young girl named Cassandra Mortmain (Romola Garai) who lives in an abandoned castle tucked away in the English countryside. Her father (Bill Nighy) hasn't written a word of his next big novel in 12 years, and all her older sister (Rose Byrne) is concerned about is getting married.
When her sister sets her sights on their landlord as a means to escape their situation, Cassandra must find her own means of making her life what she wishes it to be. Brimming with ambiance, and capturing the splendor of England before WWII, the chemistry between the eccentric cast is ultimately what makes this period drama an undiscovered gem.
Anthropoid (Movie)
While it's full of well-known British talent, this thriller set during WWII hasn't received a lot of action despite its exciting premise. Anthropoid tells the story of Czechoslovakia's covert mission to murder Reinhard Heydrich, one of the Reich's most powerful commanding officers (he's just two ranks down from Hitler).
The task falls to Jozef Gabčík (Cillian Murphy) and fellow soldier Jan Kubiš (Jamie Dornan) who, despite having limited resource and strategic intelligence about the top-secret operation, will be responsible for taking out the Nazi officer. Humming with a quiet intensity, it never fails to remind viewers of the high stakes, the price of failure, and the risks taken by those working behind the scenes to destroy fascism.
Bleak House (Mini-Series)
The subject matter of Charles Dickens' Bleak House is in the name, but despite the lugubrious pace the author wrote the novel in (mimicking the numbing tedium of the English legal system in the 19th century), the mini-series is surprisingly gripping.
Full of odd characters, an eerie atmosphere, and captivating environments, the series knows how to bring the famous authors' daunting work to life. It chronicles two orphans who cannot inherit large sums of money until their case is settled, which in Victorian London could take years. With stand-out performances by Carey Mulligan, Charles Dance, and the icy Gillian Anderson, it is a literary and visual feast.
Victoria and Abdul (Movie)
Never has Dame Judi Dench felt more at home than in the role of Queen Victoria preparing for her golden jubilee, and being completely unimpressed by its pomp. She is more invested in a young clerk named Abdul Karim (Shrabani Basu), who has arrived to help arrange the festivities and becomes her confidante and companion.
Like an Imperial Harold and Maude, the pair are drawn into an indescribable bond as Karim teaches her Urdu and introduces her to curry. Based on a true story, the movie's plot was painstakingly taken from the diary of the real Abdul Karim (the letters he exchanged with the queen were burned by her household after her death in 1901). The movie is superbly acted and is a charming amalgamation of drama and wry wit.
North & South (Mini-Series)
If Jane Austen and Charles Dickens ever penned a piece together, it would go something like North & South, a bold adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's spunky novel combining social commentary with class-conscious. It follows Southern belle Margaret Hale (Daniela Denby-Ashe) from the bucolic South of England as she travels to the industrial wasteland of the North, fending off familial disgrace and settling in the town of Milton.
She finds its ways cold and hostile until she befriends several mill workers, but her efforts to cut across social lines do not escape the notice of John Thornton (Richard Armitage), a brooding mill-owner who doesn't appreciate her progressive methods. Amidst the backdrop of a worker strike, famine, disease, and dark family secrets, the two begin to slowly try to understand one another, sparking a tenderness that is earned and well-acted.
Vanity Fair (Movie)
William Makepeace Thackery's literary tome Vanity Fair has been made many times, both as a mini-series and as a movie, but never have the schemes of social climber Rebecca Sharpe been as fun, fascinating, and addictive to watch than when they're performed by Reese Witherspoon.
Orphaned at a young age, Becky is determined to become a woman of renown, making her way up society's ladder during the Napoleonic Wars. Unfortunately, her obsession with achieving status means her prize comes at the expense of everything she holds dear. Witherspoon is in uncharted territory in this period piece but she does an irable job, ed by British talent including James Purefoy, Gabriel Byrne, Jim Broadbent, Rhys Ifans, and more.
Taboo (TV Series)
When James Delaney returns to London after being presumed dead off the coast of Africa, he finds that the shipping empire he inherited from his father is being devoured by enemies. With grit and determination, he assembles a crew of degenerates and aims to rebuild it as a rival to the formidable East India Trading Company.
When he determines that his father was murdered, his taste for revenge becomes insatiable, and he begins down a dark path of violence and conspiracy. Full of fascinating characters, supernatural storylines, and anchored by a powerhouse performance by Tom Hardy (who also co-wrote the series with his father), it is a truly unique period drama not to be missed.
Harlots (TV Series)
Amidst the pageantry of 18th century London society, an ambitious brothel owner (Margaret Wells) tries to make a life for her two daughters and repel professional attacks by a rival madam (Lesley Manville). Based on a true story, examines life at the crosswords between prudishness and lewdness, mixing drama and comedy as easily as a romp in the sheets.
Not only is the series a compelling examination of working-class life in the period, but it is also brought to life by charismatic talent who remind audiences about the resilience of the human spirit beneath the gossamer veils, petticoats, and feathers. It also boasts two female creators and producers (Moira Buffini and Alison Newman) and a large cohort of female directors, which greatly aids all of the sex scenes.
The King (Movie)
When a stubborn prince (Timothée Chalamet) grows close to inheriting the English throne, he wants nothing to do with royal life or the luxuries and influence that it affords him. Eventually, the king es, and the pauper prince is wrenched from his life living among ordinary people.
The King is the sordid story about how Henry V became the ruler of England, despite his inexperience with bureaucracy, courtly politics, infrastructure, and war. Through arresting performances, attention to detail, and moving themes, the movie doesn't shy away from the discomfort of its content and invites intriguing conversations about class consciousness.
Horatio Hornblower (TV Series)
Rarely do British period dramas make use of practical ships and visual effects, but fans can get their fill of high-sea heroics in this dynamic series about a young man named Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) who s the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Based on the novels by C.S. Forester (Master and Commander), the adventures of Hornblower have been beloved for decades, even providing inspiration for Gene Roddenberry's initial Star Trek pitch (described as a series for a "space-age Captain Horatio Hornblower").
Follow Hornblower during his hazing as a midshipman, his trials as a lieutenant, and finally as he commands his own ship, the process of which molds him into one of the most indefatigable figures of the era. Full of exciting storylines, a top-notch musical score, and complex character development, this seafaring series shouldn't be missed.