The Camomile Lawn (1992)

When this series first aired in 1992 it was considered rather racy due to the characters' unconventional attitude to sex and the handful of nude scenes now it seems far less shocking. The story is told in flashback as the characters head to a funeral in west Cornwall. On the way they reminisce about their time together around the time of the Second World War. We are introduced to them as they enjoy one last summer together in Cornwall before the war. Once the war starts Polly and Calypso head to London and young Sophy is sent to a boarding school. Their love lives are unconventional to say the least Calypso is determined to marry a rich man but when she does she is more than happy to take other lovers, Polly can't decide which twin she wants to be with so has both and Helena has an affair with Jewish refugee Max while her husband Richard is left with Max's wife.This might sound like the plot from a particularly melodramatic soap opera but thankfully it doesn't feel like that due to the excellent acting from Felicity Kendal, Tara Fitzgerald, Jennifer Ehle and Rebecca Hall as Helena, Polly, Calypso and Sophy and Paul Eddington as Richard. As it is set during the war there is a constant feeling that characters could die and at least one is killed, although we obviously know that certain characters will survive as we have seen them in the present. I liked how the story was presented in flashback as the surviving characters told their story to the next generation on the way to the funeral; this somehow gave it a greater degree of believability perhaps because their reaction to hearing the story mirrored the viewers.

Unforgettable adaptation of Mary Wesley's novel about a social circle in WWII - featuring affairs, incest and wife-swapping: "an immensely happy time", says one of the women, of the Blitz. Yet the series is far from tawdry. Like Calypso - the character everyone remembers - The Camomile Lawn is gorgeous to watch; glamorous; obsessed with sex; but slowly proves to have hidden depths and a strong, if unconventional, morality. Jennifer Ehle proves herself one of the sexiest figures to have been seen on screen, and a classic and classy actress to boot.

Jennifer Ehle is certainly attractive and shows a lot more in this epic than in her later Jane Austen roles. But for an example of dark and sultry pouting look no further than Tara Fitzgerald. This production also features everyones 1970's favourite pin-up Felicty Kendal, but she's playing an old woman here folks!

Let's get the obvious out of the way first , Jennifer Ehle is GORGEOUS , so excuse me if i seem biased! Set during the war , a family with a strange besotment with the smell of their yard (?) are thrown in to a sea of love , hate and torrid affairs! The acting is absoloutely priceless throughout with everyone doing a marvellous job! Only problem is , where can i get it on VHS or DVD? A fantastic drama , a treat for all!