TV Reviews

A sweeping story of a family through the generations.

Transmitted on BBC Television in Spring 2001.

A Sterling Pictures/TalkBack production for BBC Television.

Adapted by Kevin Hood and Neil Biswas from the novel by Tim Pears.

Length / Format: 10 x 50 minutes / Television drama serial



Assorted Press & Reviews

"Blessed with an intricate, clever script from writer Kevin Hood, imaginative direction from Hettie Macdonald and David Moore, and top-notch performances from brilliant British actors In A Land Of Plenty is elegantly put together and beautifully filmed." — Brian Curtis, The Age 19/11/01

"Absolutely dazzling, devastating television that has become one of the most-acclaimed series ever - yes, ever - in Britain. By January, those who have stuck with it will be very, very pleased that they did - and that's a guarantee." — Eleanor Sprawson, Daily Telegraph 15/11/01

"Superbly written, directed and acted. A classy, engrossing family saga."— Sydney Sun-Herald 18/11/01

"A richly textured story. The direction is outstanding. It is original, unconventional and dazzles with its brevity"— Michael Idato, Sydney Morning Herald 19/11/01

"A true original. Atmospheric, moody and compelling."— Daniela Soave - Daily Mail 21/02/01

"Riveting. Played out exquisitely each week."— Edna Pottersman, The Daily Telegraph 21/02/01

"The undisputed jewel of Wednesday night. It just keeps getting better."— The Sunday Telegraph 18/02/01

"Each time an episode of this series ends, you wish it would carry on and on. All the characters are at once ordinary and exceptional, profoundly sympathetic and deeply flawed. These are real people who could thrive outside the intensive care unit of a television series, and this is the best kind of story, one that unfolds naturally and inevitably out of the characters themselves rather than at the behest of a scriptwriter. Not, under any circumstances, to be missed."— David Chater, The Times 17/02/01

"Manages to outclass and outlast its rivals. It's been quite a while since we've been treated to such an ambitiously expansive drama. It goes to show the BBC is still capable of achieving exceptional heights when it puts its mind to it"— Gerard O'Donovan, The Daily Telegraph 15/02/01

"Densely layered, beautifully acted and entirely haunting."— David Chater, The Times 10/02/01

"BBC2's impressive In A Land Of Plenty continues to be one of the few series worth making an effort not to miss. It's hard to beat."— The Sunday Telegraph 11/02/01

"Like a traditional canal barge wending its way along some backwater in some impossibly tranquil part of Britain, In A Land Of Plenty is unhurriedly pursuing the history of the Freeman family. It is, I assure you, a most compelling piece of storytelling."— Peter Paterson, Daily Mail 01/02/01

"In A Land Of Plenty goes from strength to strength. The beauty of the photography, the mixture of narrative styles and the stateliness of the pace are all at the service of the story - there to remind us that the events are being seen through the messiness of memory. If this were a triumph of style over content, why would we be dying to find out what happens next? The old-fashioned sight of BBC2 tackling a big drama series so wholeheartedly - and so successfully - remains a stirring one."— James Walton, The Daily Telegraph 01/02/01

"Quietly gripping, exceptionally good-looking drama."—Karl French, Financial Times 31/01/01

"Its scope and ambition are way beyond anything else on TV at the moment. In particular, the script pulls off the rare trick of combining incident with genuine emotional revelation."—The Guardian 31/01/01

"The most moving episode to date. Call me a softie, but the pain of this drama is becoming well nigh unbearable. The acting's sensational, miss it at your peril."—The Daily Telegraph 27/01/01

"The great strengths of Tim Pear's masterpiece are on show tonight. This is a brilliant cast at the service of an extraordinary story - and the effect is hypnotic. It remains the high point of the week."—The Times 27/01/01

"Unmissable. Beautifully shot and rewarding."— The Daily Mail 28/01/01

"Excellently directed, wonderfully acted and intricately written, In A Land Of Plenty manages to be both epic and intimate, conveying as much through the choice of how a scene is shot and the flash of emotion in a character's eyes as through the words spoken. It's a joy to see a genuinely momentous story, unwrapped like a luxurious pass-the-parcel. And the fact that it's a story of one family makes it all the more engrossing. In A Land Of Plenty shows the ordinary to be extraordinary."— Gareth McLean, The Guardian 25/01/01

"A sure sign something is good is when you catch yourself watching without breathing. Utterly mesmerising."—Mike Mulvihill, The Times 24/01/02

"The story is carried as much by the characters' expressions and reactions to each other as by anything they say - a device that makes this drama both more poignant and funnier as we learn more about the family. Stunning"—The Guardian 21/01/01

"That's it: hooked. You're going to find it hard to resist this sensitively adapted drama - thanks in no small measure to some superb casting of characters to care about." - Edna Pottersman, The Daily Telegraph 14/01/01

"If all else fails, set the video. This superb recreation of middle England in the Sixties sees Robert Pugh and Helen McCrory score perfect tens for their wholly convincing portrait of a disintegrating marriage. The children are equally good, and the director of photography, Alwin Kuchler, is an artist in his own right."—The Times 14/01/01

"It's a feast for the senses and demands much from the viewer, it's challenging and at times unbearably poignant."—Radio Times 16/01/01

"Not only lovingly and beautifully photographed, it was also an attempt to do more than the average TV book adaptation: to transform Tim Pears's original novel into a piece of genuine television, as opposed to turning it into a script which is then filmed."—James Walton, The Daily Telegraph 11/01/01

"Adapted from Tim Pears's novel, In A Land Of Plenty is designed as Television Like It Used To Be, the television licence-payers deserve."— Joe Joseph, The Times 11/01/01

"As it went on it became clear that something very bold was being tried. Instead of being spoon-fed a narrative, viewers had been pitched into the middle of the action and left to fend for themselves. This, however, was nothing like as daunting as it sounds. Although In A Land Of Plenty demanded more of its audience than most serials, these demands were handsomely repaid. Family sagas on television tend to have a pretty soapy feel to them, but there was nothing forced or phoney about this. To me it all felt true and real, as well as increasingly intriguing. It also looked fantastic. The camerawork - by Alwin Kuchler - was enormously original, not in a silly, self-conscious way, but always in the interests of enriching the tone. I ended up looking forward to the second episode more keenly than I have done to anything in ages."—John Preston, The Sunday Telegraph 14/01/01

"An impressive and ostentatiously expensive production which marks a promising, involving start to the series."—Karl French, Financial Times 10/01/01

"It is BBC2's flagship drama for this season. Ten hour-long episodes stretch into the middle of March. Although the Beeb won't say how much it cost, it took nine months to film and another twelve to edit, it has a cast of 140 and it is generally agreed to be the most ambitious piece of television since Our Friends In The North or Gormenghast. The result is like nothing we have ever seen on television. More Proust than Galsworthy it contains some of the most inventive story-telling techniques we have ever seen on the small screen. it is bold, impressionistic and breathless - and it leaves you intrigued and eager for more."—Simon Edge, Daily Express 10/01/01

"Very brave people somewhere in television land obviously swallowed hard and said: "Right, let's go for it!" and have given this ambitious novel the full-throttle, ten-part treatment in the hope that it will become another Forsyte Saga or Jewel in the Crown. Based on one episode - on the imagination behind the camerawork, the quality of the writing and acting, and knowing what is in store - they have done it. This is it. This is the real thing."—David Chater, The Times 10/01/01

"Mesmeric. It has both a classicism and modernity in its content and direction that make it a breathtaking work of art."—Jaci Stephen, The Mail on Sunday 14/01/01

"Comparisons with Heimat and Our Friends In The North are inevitable but the focus is on family dynamics. What brings this intimate epic to life is its use of viewpoint. The result is a wonderfully shot evocation of childhood which grows on you, and becomes strangely enthralling."—Andrew Preston, The Mail on Sunday 07/01/01

"Who says that commissioning editors don't think big any more? This ambitious new production has the word "epic" written all over it. This serious, sweeping work flies in the face of those who say TV is dumbing down."—The Independent on Sunday 07/01/01

"Programme Of The Week. A big, ambitious family saga with the feel of a 19th-century novel and the scope - though in a very different milieu - of Our Friends In The North. Not to be missed."—Nigel Andrew, Daily Mail 07/01/01

"A remarkable production. Beautifully acted, sensual, episodic, laden with emotions, passions and confusions of childhood, what might be an unremarkable story of middle-class family life takes on Proustian intensity."—Paul Hoggart, The Times 06/01/01

"Number 1 Reason To Watch Television This Week: In A Land Of Plenty. An innovative drama and a distinct challenge."—TV Times 06/01/01

"Programme Of The Week. Such is the power of this strange beast that its very oddness is mesmerising. What could have been little more than a high-class soap opera becomes something thoughtful and beautiful."—Alison Graham, The Radio Times 06/01/01

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