Adaptions of books to TV drama

I agree with you Rosiebee

I avoid photos of any Archers cast members like the plague! When the Ed/Emma/Will love triangle was at it's height, and there was quite bit of coverage in the press, Mr P used to go through the paper before I read it and stick post it notes over the pictures

Thanks Rosie for the recommendation of the Rev M W books I have added them to my list of books I am looking for in all the local charity shops.

My favourite books by Diana Gabaldon, The Outlander series, has just been televised on Amazon Prime. I watched with trepidation but the series was fabulous, so much so I have started reading the whole series again and I think I am enjoying even more than first time.

What would we do without our wonderful books ?

I used to enjoy books dramatised for television, but over the last few years I have gone right off them.

The main reason is that production companies consider that audiences cannot handle the books as they are; they revamp the characters to make them more modern, they change the plots to make them more 'relevant'.

I thoroughly enjoyed Joan Hickson as Miss Marple. She matched the character portayed in the books. Then the Geraldine McEwan version came out. Not only was she not the Miss Marple of the books but in the first couple of episodes I saw, the plots were tweaked to be other than as written. In one case a straight forward murder was made a lesbian triangle crime. A theme not in the book. At that point I stopped watching

The same thing has happened with classical series. I started to watch a dramatisation of Mrs Gaskell's North & South, but gave up somewhere in the first episode when the male lead was portrayed as tall, dark, handsome and young, everything the book character is not, which is key to the story. DD saw it out to the end but said what was meant to be the dramatic romantic denoument, set on a railway station (not as in the book) was so ridiculous and out of period she ended up laughing.

Is it to do with PCness? They put in what they think it should be like.We all know things were very different in the past.Sometimes that's what we watch it for.

MOnica That "updating" for television really annoys me as well.

I seldom watch adaptions of favourite books, although the Swedish made Wallander series is quite good. I love the Merrily Watkins books have almost the entire series.
I am sure we will get it here on Flemish or Netherlands TV so may try it.
I wonder who they will cast as Lol Robinson and stroppy Pagan Jane.

The Wexford books by Ruth Rendel were just right. She even said she pictured the actor who played him when she wrote more of the books . I just loved them even though I had read all the books.

Cider With Rosie is on next Sunday.

They'd better not mess it up!

John Hannah was so not Rebus any more than Stephen Tomlinson/Tomkinson was Alan Banks. I just can't watch them if the face doesn't fit in my mind.

I find book adaptations are so much better on the radio than on telesion. They tend to stick closer to the plot and because the actors are voices only they 'look' just as you would expect them to.

Has anyone noticed how much shorter book adaptations are now? Previously a classic 19th century novel, whether Jane Austen or Anthony Trollope, would be dramatised over 6 45 minute episodes, now it would be in 2 1 hour programmes or at most 4 shorter episodes. Here radio is as bad as television. Last year R4 dramatised all Anthony Trollope's Barchester novels at about 2 1 hour episodes a book.

A recent series I did enjoy was Father Brown with Mark Williams.
Intrigued by Rev. MW - shall find the books!

I love Father Brown and don't care a bit that it's nothing like the books. But then I'd watch Mark Williams in almost anything.

I enjoyed the Father Brown series but I can't stand Stephen Tompkinson as Alan Banks.

felice, just seen a pic of Merrily, Huw and Lol. Merrily and Huw, I have no problem with but Lol seems to have undergone a race change. He also looks chunkier, younger and better looking than I had imagined. Don't know how that will alter the dynamics. Seems they have also changed the story as well. Why don't they just say that it is 'loosely based' on the original books? I couldn't watch the Marple version of Agatha Christie's books. Miss M even started appearing in stories she wasn't originally in!

Deedaa: Absolutely - he's right up there with Timothy Spall for actors I really enjoy seeing. I saw MW on stage in Tartuffe, hilarious, and occasionally think I'd like to go on The Link mainly to meet him!

Isn't it funny the way some actors really appeal to you Elrel neither Mark nor Timothy have ever been what you'd call matinee idols but you know they'll be doing something interesting and doing it well. And off screen they seem quite normal people.

Stephen Tompkinson ruined the Banks series for me. He is such a wooden actor. I had read some of the books and he's the last person I would have suggested for the role.

I shall look forward to the Merrily Watkins series, having read most if the books. she should be small and dark haired, and Lol Robinson is weedy with glasses! so now he is not 'white English' and he is chunky, hunky?Ah well.

Agree with Stephen Tomkinson being wooden, he is the kiss of death to any series.

I liked Mark Williams as Father Brown too, even though he should have been small and Williams is very tall.Also even though his church was obviously a Church of England church and should have been a Catholic one! also should have been in Yorkshire and not set in the Cotswolds.