Doctor Thorne, ITV Sunday night

[Cooroo]

Anyone else excited about this? I'm torn between delight and dread, because I am a huge Trollope fan and love this book. Can Julian Fellowes convey the subtleties of the relationships? The degrees of snobbishness? Will we see the Honourable Johns and Georges? Miss Dunstable has been turned into an American - will this work?

Dr Thorne himself reminds me of my long-dead dad (a GP), so has a lot to live up to!

[NatashaBolkonskaya]

I'm sort of looking forward to it but sharing your apprehension. And I was a bit annoyed about Miss Dunstable, frankly. If Trollope had wanted her to be American, presumably he would have written it that way.

Ah well, we shall see. I'm hoping it will be good but not necessarily expecting it to be, IYSWIM.

[OnlyLovers]

I haven't heard about this and I don't know the book. If it's anything like Downton, though, it'll be well-dressed, frothy soapy nonsense.

Which is a good thing in Sunday-night drama, in my book.

[Cooroo]

I'm hoping for so much more OnlyLovers! The surface story is conventional enough but Trollope develops his characters so beautifully and with such kindness and humour. I want to see some of that conveyed to the screen.

[diddl]

I love Dr Thorne!

So I doubt that I'll watch!

[Cooroo]

Nearly there! Just cry through Midwife then we're off. I do hope we see Drs Thorne and Philgrave meet in Sir Roger's house...

[officerhinrika]

So far it feels like a very distant relation of Trollope. Hoping for improvements by the end.

[carlajean]

Dreadful. Poor Alison Brie reduced to overacting. Intrusive music. Bad choice of actress for the lead role. What a shame.

[Cooroo]

Well, could have been worse. But on TVs Scatcherd killed Henry Thorne by accident and got 10 years - and so made his immense fortune in just 10 years! In the book it was deliberate and he only got 6 months! Not wild about an American Miss Dunstable, and Alison Brie's implausible teeth distracted me. Miss Dunstable should be English because her social position is relevant - she is clever, funny and somewhat vulgar. I love her!

[IrenetheQuaint]

I liked Miss Dunstable but otherwise v. disappointing, all frocks and houses with no depth, and v. clunky. Reminded me why I never watch ITV.

[sadwidow28]

I was just about to put this on iplayer. I guess I'd be wasting my time.

[notevernow]

It wasn't very good, was it? Not as craply enjoyable as Downton (and so far with none of Fellowes' delicious verbal anachronisms), very stilted, terrible music, too many shots of sumptuous country estates. Lots of good actors being wasted here.
And I missed The Night Manager!

[Heavens2Betsy]

I haven't read the book.
I'm not sure if I will like this or not but I will give it one more go next Sunday before I make my mind up.
Not hugely impressed so far though I must say.

[IPokeBadgers]

I had no previous knowledge of/not read the book....was struggling by the first break, bored by the second and gave up totally at about the 40 minute mark. Didn't warm to it at all....although I did enjoy seeing the slightly fractious pug that Rebecca Front was carrying at one point....it was obviously fascinated by something/someone off-camera.

[NatashaBolkonskaya]

Oh dear...

too many shots of sumptuous country estates. Lots of good actors being wasted here. I completely agree with that. The series could improve, I suppose. The trouble is it's only got two more episodes to do it in.

I thought some bits were really quite tedious. On the plus side, Tom Hollander and (especially) Ian McShane injected a bit of life into the proceedings. I also think Richard McCabe is ok as Mr Gresham. But, on the whole, I was disappointed.

And, a trivial thing I know, but Frank's hair didn't look right to me. To be fair, though, I know nothing about Victorian gentlemen's hair fashions so I could be very wrong about that.

[IndridCold]

It was absolutely awful. I love Trollope and it had a great cast, but it had a real feel of having been made for American viewers.

[carlajean]

Yes - the changing of Miss Dunstable to being American points to that. Poor Alison Brie, she had to display the character's vivacity but laughing at everything Frank said (funny or not) which made her look deranged.
What I can't understand is the positive reviews it's received.

[Twinklestein]

Quite dreadful from start to finish.

[MakingJudySmile]

I recorded this and am currently watching it. I haven't read the book (in fact didn't know it was a Trollope book). It's just so something I can't quite put my finger on - amateur (?). All of it just seems wrong somehow. I don't think the music even suits; and is that Lovejoy?

I've not even half way through.

[annandale]

LOL at 'Is that Lovejoy?' Glad I'm not the only one who can't watch Ian McShane in anything without waiting for him to come up with a lighthearted quip about somebody's candlesticks.

[Twinklestein]

I noticed the music too.

Everyone is miscast apart from Phoebe Nicholls who's the only good thing in it. It feels very am dram.

[MakingJudySmile]

I gave up; and turned off series link.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

I quite enjoyed it ! Tom Hollander is such a good actor.

[Twinklestein]

I thought he was the weakest actually. Totally miscast. Not enough charisma and gravitas for the role. Just off somehow.

[BaconAndAvocado]

Loved it! Untaxing Sunday night fare and anything with the Hollander in it is usually bloody marvellous

[Cooroo]

It's just annoying me now. I can see that bringing Sir Roger and Mary together must have been tempting. But the whole thing loses all the charm of Trollope's narration, and the silly chocolate box sets are completely unnecessary.