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Berkeley Square

Berkeley Square

List Price: $39.98
Your Price: $29.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A good drama series
Review: Haven't see a lot of these types of dramas, but this one was particularly good. It's interesting to see how people live in other parts of the world, even in the framework of fiction. It is a bit weird the way the series ended... seems like there was more story to tell.. just when I was getting interested the story cuts off. Did Matty and Ned ever get married? Are there more episodes?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great, but leaves you hanging
Review: I began watching this series and got completely engrossed immediately. The characters were quite believable and the stories were all woven together delightfully. However, we watched all 8.5 hours of the series only to be left completely hanging! There is no closure, and you are left to wonder what happens to all the characters. It's a shame that a sequel was never made, and if it was I would buy it immediately. At any rate, you should only invest the time in this if you have 8.5 hours to spare and you don't mind that you will never know how the stories end. If you like to finish stories in your head, this movie is for you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Extremely Enjoyable
Review: I bought this DVD set mainly for my wife as I have so many `men' DVD's but we both found it was a very good series, good acting, and enjoyed it immensely. The outcome isn't predictable so it's even more interesting. Great for the whole family and worth watching over and over again. The only regret is there isn't a follow up series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Even my husband liked it!
Review: I found this series at my local library. Having just finished watching the entirety of "Upstairs, Downstairs" -- an endeavor that took several months! -- I was hungry for another Edwardian series. "Berkeley Square" did not disappoint. It had the gorgeous costumes, terrific acting, and timeless quality of a good British period drama.

There were several surprises, though. For one thing, this series had some edginess to it. Things did not always work out well for the characters; their struggles were not always resolved rosily and easily ... much like life itself. These darker shades in the plot were introduced and developed with skill and realism; the writing was fabulous. Rather than being simply a pretty period romp, this series has a bite. In fact, my husband -- who exits the room whenever I slip in a tape of "Mapp and Lucia" or "Upstairs, Downstairs" -- watched the entire series with me, a testament to its brisk pace and its many engaging plot twists. The writers kept several plotlines going at once, and managed to weave them all together impressively. That's no easy feat.

Like some of the other reviewers on this site, I too wished for more resolution at the end of the series. I've since learned that the BBC decided not to order a second season of this show, in which -- presumably -- these loose threads would have been sewn up. What a shame! -- I found myself wishing to know the ultimate fates of these characters. I can only envy those who are just now being introduced to the series: I too wish I had it to watch all over again, for the first time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Intimate portrait of all social classes in Edwardian Times
Review: I purchased Berkeley Square without knowing much about it. After the first episode, I knew I was hooked. The characters are 3 nannies, who all come from very different backgrounds. As the viewer, your brought into their lives and see their day to day lives. You also get a look at the families that the nannies work for, and the other servants. I would say that its like a period soap opera with better acting and better stories. I enjoy the accuracy of costumes and social structure, and how intimatly we get to know the main characters. My only complaint is that there is no continuation of the story, and after 10 wonderful episodes, you are left hanging, wondering what happens next. If the BBC is reading, please, please, please, release a few more, or at least a book! I know I would snap it right up!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thank you, Amazon
Review: I purchased this DVD based on the recommendation of the Amazon reviewer, and I must confess that my whole family loved this series. In fact, they couldn't stop watching! Anyone who has admired a production on Edwardian England will fall completely under its spell. The acting is terrific, the multiple interacting plots are engaging, and the characters are completely convincing. We only wished the series had gone on and on...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent BBC Show- would not expect anything less
Review: I was too young to really appreciate the show Upstairs Downstairs but understand that Berkeley Square was somewhat similar in the premise. Our local library has the set of the three dvd's which is where I happened to pick up the first one and was absolutely mesmerized on the story lines of three nannies and their employers! I could not stop watching and found it excellent. Would I expect anything less of the BBC?! After reading the main review I too am astounded that it did not continue and only 10 episodes were made. Be that as it may, it is truely a wonderful dvd to watch again and again!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Its no Anne of Green Gables
Review: I've just completed watching all three of the DVDs showing 10 episodes of BERKELEY SQUARE. I've been a fan of Regency, Georgian, and Victorian setting books for some time now and have to say that my expectations were high when I purchased this without knowing any of the cast members. I have to say that my expectations were met in all ways. The story - of 3 Nannies,along with the children, the staff and the upper crust employers was fabulous..... So fabulous that I hated to see it end and wish that there were more episodes to continue with the 'rest of the story'.....

The entire series exceeded my expectations, in costumes, vivid storylines, props, etc. The children were absolutely darling and I highly recommend this series to anyone with a love of English history. ---- Marilyn, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Exceptional Mini-Series
Review: I've just completed watching all three of the DVDs showing 10 episodes of BERKELEY SQUARE. I've been a fan of Regency, Georgian, and Victorian setting books for some time now and have to say that my expectations were high when I purchased this without knowing any of the cast members. I have to say that my expectations were met in all ways. The story - of 3 Nannies,along with the children, the staff and the upper crust employers was fabulous..... So fabulous that I hated to see it end and wish that there were more episodes to continue with the 'rest of the story'.....

The entire series exceeded my expectations, in costumes, vivid storylines, props, etc. The children were absolutely darling and I highly recommend this series to anyone with a love of English history. ---- Marilyn, Official Reviewer for www.historicromancewriters.com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Splendid British Period Drama!
Review: If you enjoy British period dramas in general--shows like Upstairs Downstairs, The Grand, or The House of Elliot, for example--you'll surely enjoy this splendid 1998 period drama set in 1902 London.

The series covers the lives of three young nannies and the families for whom they work--all of whom are situated in Berkeley Square. Firstly, there is pretty but prim, proper and straight-laced young Matty Wickham, the new nanny for Tom and Harriet, the children of the St. John family (pronounced SINjin). However, all is not domestic bliss in the household, as Mrs. St. John (Hermione Norris--Cold Feet's Karen) is busily engaged in an adulterous affair with dashing Captain Mason (who also happens to have an eye on Isabel, the beautiful but empty-headed young niece of the Hutchinson family).

The head nanny to the children of the Hutchinsons (consisting of young Bertie and his baby brother Charlie) is cold, nosy, unkindly Nanny Simmons. Her new assistant is a beautiful young Irish woman named Hannah Randall (Victoria Smurfit--Ballykissangel's Orla), a woman whose secrets include an illegitimate baby of her own. Luck (with a little less-than-honest assistance from Hannah!) has landed her the position, but can she keep it under the ever-watchful eye of Nanny Simmons?

Finally, there is the Lamson-Scribener family, consisting of the Earl, his young American second-wife and their baby, Ivo, who is the charge of elderly, carmudgeonly, no-nonsense Nanny Collins. Collins' new assistant is a naive-but-good-hearted country girl named Lydia Weston, the daughter of tenant farmers on the Lamson-Scribeners' country estate. Lydia's newfound life is threatened, however, when the Earl's adult son Hugh arrives home.

This is an absolutely splendid, thoroughly captivating period drama with plenty of tension and suspense. However, because the story deals with three households and the interplay between them, it is a little more challenging initially to keep track of who is in the employment of whom! As a result, I recommend not having a break of more than a couple of days at most between episodes. (Believe me, you'll find it difficult waiting for the next episode anyway!).

The series consists of ten 50-minute episodes, and although the last episode does serve to wrap up each of the stories, we are left with a few kernels which were likely designed to serve as a springboard for a further series of episodes, had one been commissioned. I know I'm not alone in hoping the BBC will someday revive this series (they've done so with many others in the past).

In conclusion, I highly recommend this series to all fans of British period productions. Frankly, though, I don't think a penchant for period productions is prerequisite to enjoying this series. If you're looking for a good, clean, captivating dramatic series (of any era), you may want to consider checking this one out.


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