Starting in the 1920s this four part series is centred on Nick Jenkins, a public school boy, and his circle of friends. Over the next five decades their lives are intertwined along with those of their families and associates. As time passes the fall in love, marry, and in some cases fall out of love or die. While Nick is a fairly ordinary chap those around him aren't; most notably Kenneth Widmerpool
at school he is considered somewhat of a joke but later he rises higher and higher; first in the military then in politics. Meanwhile another friend who seemed destined for effortless success sinks into alcoholism and obscurity. As time passes more and more people enter the story; each somehow connected to the original friends who met at school.
The plot to this series might not make it sound too exciting; it is more a case of observing people's lives than a traditional drama. To my mind this wasn't a problem though; the characters were interesting and didn't always act as one might first expect. It does of course rely on a lot of coincidences as the cast keep meeting the people they know in a variety of locations. The story features many really funny moments as well as some tragedies. The large cast does an impressive job; most notably Simon Russell Beale, who does a great job portraying Widmerpool from schoolboy to old man, James Purefoy who played Jenkins in the first three episodes and Miranda Richardson, who puts in an unforgettable performance as Femme Fatale Pamela Flitton. The opening scene, where Claire Skinner opens the door to Jenkins while stark naked may make some viewers get the wrong idea about what sort of series this will be; apart from that scene there is only a small amount of non-sexual nudity and a small amount of swearing; not enough to offend most people. Overall I'd recommend this series; just don't expect lots of 'stuff' to happen.
The plot to this series might not make it sound too exciting; it is more a case of observing people's lives than a traditional drama. To my mind this wasn't a problem though; the characters were interesting and didn't always act as one might first expect. It does of course rely on a lot of coincidences as the cast keep meeting the people they know in a variety of locations. The story features many really funny moments as well as some tragedies. The large cast does an impressive job; most notably Simon Russell Beale, who does a great job portraying Widmerpool from schoolboy to old man, James Purefoy who played Jenkins in the first three episodes and Miranda Richardson, who puts in an unforgettable performance as Femme Fatale Pamela Flitton. The opening scene, where Claire Skinner opens the door to Jenkins while stark naked may make some viewers get the wrong idea about what sort of series this will be; apart from that scene there is only a small amount of non-sexual nudity and a small amount of swearing; not enough to offend most people. Overall I'd recommend this series; just don't expect lots of 'stuff' to happen.