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TV review: The Pursuit Of Love
Lily James (left) and Emily Beecham play cousins in the period drama based on Nancy Mitford s novel. PHOTO: BBC
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Perhaps the most infamous by-product of this period comedy-drama miniseries was the scandalous affair between leading lady Lily James and co-star Dominic West, which made headlines last October and threatened the father of four s 10-year marriage.
More disturbing than the 20-year age gap was that he played her insufferable father on the show.
One wonders if James character rubbed off on her a bit too much.
Currently airing on BBC First (StarHub Ch 502) and BBC Player, and based on Nancy Mitford s novel, The Pursuit Of Love is set in Europe between the two World Wars and focuses on passionate Englishwoman Linda Radlett s (James) tumultuous love life and quest for experience and identity, as narrated by her level-headed cousin and close friend, Fanny Logan (Emily Beecham).
Bridgerton will surely fall for BBC’s star-studded adaptation of
The Pursuit Of Love. Both shows are easy-to-watch period dramas that offer escapism and – on the surface, at least – a substantial dose of smut.
Bridgerton has been described variously as a “polite orgy,” “soft-core porn” and “horny as hell”, which is exactly why it went on to become Netflix’s most-watched show. And it seems that
The
Pursuit Of Love’s writer-director Emily Mortimer got the memo. The trailer projects a sexed-up, ultra-sparkly vision of interwar England, starring Andrew Scott, Lily James and Dominic West (yes, it was ground zero for
The new adaptation of Nancy Mitford s novel begins on Sunday, starring Lily James and Dominic West
8 May 2021 • 5:00am
BBC s adaptation of Nancy Mitford s novel, The Pursuit of Love
Credit: Robert Viglasky / BBC
Alongside Lily James and Dominic West (yes, it’s that production), the other star of
The Pursuit of Love, the rompy new BBC adaptation of Nancy Mitford’s novel which begins tomorrow, are the costumes, of which there are 1,200. Linda Radlett (James’s character) alone has 65 costume changes.
Mitford adored fashion - much to her initial chagrin when she didn’t have the money to execute her taste for Parisian couture. “Isn’t it awful to love clothes as much as I do, you know, I am not vain at all,” she complained to her mother, Lady Redesdale.
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That dynamic is immediately established in the trailer, as we see Linda playing pranks on Fanny (including throwing her diary out the window and spraying bathwater) and extolling the virtues of “true love”.
Dominic West plays Linda’s aristocratic father, with a conservative outlook on life.
We also meet various other key characters in the series, including Linda’s aristocratic neighbour, the eccentric Lord Merlin (played by Fleabag’s “Hot Priest” Andrew Scott).