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The Living and the Dead BBC1 (or iPlayer)

(84 Posts)
Grannyknot Sun 26-Jun-16 13:12:37

We watched episode 1 of this last night on telly, via iPlayer. iPlayer are now uploading entire series (they did the same with New Blood) on iPlayer prior to release on TV, to provide "box set" type of viewing for those who want it.

It will start on BBC1 on Tuesday.

Anyhow - it is good. It's the young actor who played the main role in Merlin - he's a psychologist who returns to the family farm with his new bride and encounters all sorts. It's a Victorian spook story.

Jenty61 Wed 29-Jun-16 08:00:08

going to watch it on catch up later today I dont like being spooked before I go to bed...??

carerof123 Wed 29-Jun-16 08:15:34

can anyone put me right, was the lady he saw at the end from the present day and was i right in thinking he saw an
aeroplane trail in the sky at one point in the program???

Grannyknot Wed 29-Jun-16 08:47:42

carer yes, apparently so 're the woman. I think she also had an iPad! I didn't notice the aeroplane trail! But I read somewhere that those "flashes" are to show (the viewer) that time is not linear (I know!) ... but I decided to ignore that. I'll try and find the article.

Grannyknot Wed 29-Jun-16 08:56:27

Here you go - so the person who sees the modern "visions" is Nathan the main character. smile - and us the viewers of course. It gets good reviews overall. Has a super soundtrack too.

"The Living And The Dead plays the same game. It’s a traditional Victorian ghost story with Something Else Going On. Two events in the first episode alert viewers to this fact – the vapour trail of a modern airplane in the 1894 Somerset sky and the closing sight of a twenty-first century woman, iPad in hand, walking around the nineteenth-century farmhouse in which the story is set."

ninathenana Wed 29-Jun-16 08:59:09

S wanted to watch it but I don't "do" ghosts and supernatural.
Is it scary??

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:06:02

No. It's not a matter of solving individual 'cases'! It's one story continuing all the way through.

Re the modern day woman, you need to keep watching. All does get revealed, particularly in the final episode, when all loose ends are tied up. Apart from one startling and totally unexpected revelation.

You can always do what I did. Watch all the episodes back to back on I player. I'm still enjoying it in the Tuesday evening slot as well though. I'm 'getting it' more on the second watch.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:07:22

It's not scary. It's sad. Especially the second episode, which I found almost unbearably sad.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:10:54

Thanks for the enlightening re the vapour trail Grannyknot. I didn't manage to tie that bit in. It's all very clever.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:12:27

Actually it might b the third episode that I found particularly upsetting. It involves a little boy from the village.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:13:16

Best not to give spoilers on here.

Grannyknot Wed 29-Jun-16 09:16:49

No spoilers, please! I don't do binge-watching grin

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:22:12

It did me nicely over the last couple of weeks or so. One episode an evening. Great!

Odd idea putting it out on iPlayer as a 'box set', but apparently that is how a lot of people watch tv these days.

jinglbellsfrocks Wed 29-Jun-16 09:23:03

(It's a first for the Beeb and iPlayer)

rosesarered Wed 29-Jun-16 09:25:00

This series could be so much better if they got historical details right (can't give spoilers) I know it's a bit pedantic, but if people act in a way we know they didn't in those days,it spoils it slightly.
I do like the 'time is a river' touches, good idea.

rosesarered Wed 29-Jun-16 09:26:07

I prefer the box set way of watching.

Grannyknot Wed 29-Jun-16 10:49:34

Teehee merlot I do the watch through the fingers thing grin

roses it's sort of "time is a river, all seen at once". Very clever.

Teetime Thu 30-Jun-16 11:16:36

Ok I've seen it now having tried twice (keep falling asleep) yes its good isn't it - very different. Interesting how its an early psychologist tackling the phenomena. I shall keep watching DH loves all things spooky as well.

Deedaa Sun 03-Jul-16 21:20:02

Finally got round to watching the first part. I think it looks quite promising. Wasn't the girl wonderfully Pre Raphaelite? She would make a great Lizzie Siddal.

rosesarered Mon 04-Jul-16 11:29:14

Have watched four episides now, it gets a lot better, and the fourth episode the best of all, it has got into it's stride now.

sarahc446655 Mon 04-Jul-16 16:04:03

You've got to be so careful with 'ghost stories' to avoid them looking naff naff naff.
Watched the first half hour of Living and the Dead and couldn't work out which one the author or producer was. It was awful - if you want quality that is off the scale watch the Hollow Crown box set ( was recently on BBC) history with Shakespeare doing the dialogue - the best thing the BBC has ever done.

cathymum Mon 04-Jul-16 20:46:17

I enjoyed this but the ending was a bit of a let down, I can't get the theme music out of my head though " Lyke wake dirge" really atmospheric.

Lyndylou Mon 04-Jul-16 21:13:20

cathymum I believe all the music on the show is by The Insects. Their web site is interesting, they write a lot of film and tv music.

Deedaa Mon 04-Jul-16 21:53:50

I've always loved the Lyke Wake Dirge. I agree with sarahc446655 that The Hollow Crown was very good, but, for my money the best thing the BBC has ever done was Wolf Hall.

cathymum Tue 05-Jul-16 21:59:24

LyndylouThanks for that, I have never heard of them,I will certainly have a look.smile

rosesarered Tue 05-Jul-16 22:48:02

Thought the 5 and 6th episodes were really good, and liked the ending.