Wives and Daughters is a 1999 four-part BBC TV series based on the 1864 novel Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story by Victorian writer Elizabeth Gaskell. The series was made together by the BBC and WGBH Boston, an American public television station. It had very high viewership when it first aired in the UK in 1999. At the same time, it competed with a TV version of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist on ITV, and this competition became known as "the battle of the bonnets." The series later aired in the United States on BBC America in August 2000 and was also shown on PBS.

The story follows Molly Gibson (played by Justine Waddell), the daughter of a town doctor, and the changes in her life after her father, who is now a widower, decides to remarry. Her new stepmother (Francesca Annis) is described as "too vain and shallow to care about anything except her improved social status." Molly also has a stepsister named Cynthia (Keeley Hawes), who is flirtatious. A friendship with the local squire leads to an unexpected romantic relationship. A 2001 review in The New York Times said, "The entire cast gets the characters right."

The series was written by Andrew Davies, produced by Sue Birtwistle, and directed by Nicholas Renton. It also includes actors such as Michael Gambon, Penelope Wilton, Bill Paterson, and Rosamund Pike.

Production

In 1995, Davies and Birtwistle worked together on the BBC's television version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. After this success, the BBC told them they could adapt any book they wanted, which led to the creation of Wives and Daughters. Birtwistle described Elizabeth Gaskell's novel as "strong, direct, and passionate," noting it had the qualities needed for a popular classic TV drama.

Filming took place at Elstree Studios, with some scenes shot at historic buildings in England. Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire was used for the exterior of the Hamley family home, while interior scenes were filmed at Levens Hall in Kendal, Cumbria. Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire was used to represent Cumnor Towers, the grand home where Molly visits as a child and meets her future stepmother. Additional outdoor scenes were filmed at Dyrham Park in South Gloucestershire.

Reception

At the 2000 British Academy Television Awards, the series received seven award nominations and won four. One of the awards was Best Actor (Television), which Michael Gambon won for his role as Squire Hamley. A description of his performance stated: "Rough or harsh in tone, with a strong emotional side, the country squire is a common character, but Gambon makes him seem charming and new."