Period British series have a special charm. Not in vain, because BBC has decades of experience adapting their literary classics. One of its best examples in recent years is a miniseries that may have gone somewhat unnoticed by genre fans: The Pursuit of Love, but you know it's never too late if the series is good.

Based on the eponymous novel by author Nancy Mitford, the miniseries, set from the 1920s to the Second World War, follows in three episodes Lily James (Pam y Tommy) and Emily Beecham (Cruella), who portray Linda Radlett and Fanny Logan, two cousins who share an irrepressible desire to start living.

Linda is impulsive and nonconformist, seeking the perfect romance. Fanny, on the other hand, is more thoughtful and cautious, aspiring to a solid and realistic relationship. Both defy what is expected of them as women in the 1920s and are willing to dive headfirst into all experiences, at a time when opportunities for their gender were limited by both their family and society.

In supporting roles are actors of the caliber of Andrew Scott (Fleabag), as Lord Merlin, an eccentric aristocrat and art lover friend of the family, and queer; Dominic West ( The Crown), playing Matthew Radlett, Linda's strict father and Fanny's uncle; and Dolly Wells (Dracula), who plays Aunt Sadie, responsible for raising Fanny in her mother's absence.

Emily Mortimer, an actress known for titles such as The Newsroom or The Bookshop, also as the creator and star of the small gem called Doll & Em ( which we claim for the streaming catalog on some platform), firmly and confidently makes her directorial debut with this miniseries, and given the results, we can only hope she continues to explore this path.

From the first scene to the last, Mortimer captures with a contemporary, energetic, and sophisticated gaze the luminous vignettes of this friendship and romance story in the interwar period.

She also manages to awaken in the viewer nostalgia for what was not experienced and enjoy the graceful sense of humor with which Nancy Mitford, the author of the work on which it is based, satirizes the frivolity of the aristocracy of the time and the political movements that were brewing in the decades before the Second World War.

The world of Nancy Mitford

This prominent British writer, born on November 28, 1904, in London, came from an aristocratic family and was the oldest of six sisters, many of whom also became famous.

Mitford is known for her novels that portray high society life in Britain and France, as well as for her sharp social criticism and wit. Her most recognized work is The Pursuit of Love, which explores the complexities of love and relationships in an aristocratic context and is heavily based on her own family and experiences.

The novel, published in 1945, is considered semi-autobiographical and reflects Mitford's experiences and her eccentric upper-class family. The protagonist, Fanny, narrates the adventures of her cousins, the Radletts, who are a representation of the Freeman-Mitfords, her real family.

The characters and situations in the story are inspired by members of her family and their relationships. For example, the character of Uncle Matthew is based on her father, Lord Redesdale, and the family dynamics presented are a way to explore the customs and scandals of British society in her time.

All this makes the novel not only entertaining but also a social critique of the British aristocracy.

The same occurs with the series, which will delight fans of period dramas in general and of Bridgerton in particular, but with that special touch that only British series are able to achieve. All the ingredients of The Pursuit of Love work in perfect harmony.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence