We are going on the Villages of South England tour starting on May 8th. In preparation for the trip, we have been watching some shows filmed in England. We have especially enjoyed Foyle's War, which takes place in and around Hastings on the southern coast. These shows are also helping us get used to British accents.
We also enjoyed River, a detective drama set in modern day London (even though we will not be visiting London on this trip).
Have you watched the Poldark series that was a BBC production? It was shown on PBS stations. It is wonderful and it is set in Cornwall. Beautiful scenery and a terrific story. Check it out before you leave. I guarantee you'll binge watch it and be wanting more.
I agree, Poldark is a great series. Another PBS series you might enjoy is: Doc Martin. It takes place in the fictional seaside village of Portwenn and filmed on location in the village of Port Isaac, Cornwall.
As a fairly recent participant on that tour, I can say none of the TV series do justice to the beauty of Cornwall. It's breathtaking. And by the way, there are posters of Poldark himself (well, the most recent actor anyway) all over where you'll be going down into a mine. It's a great tour!
Don't much care to watch fiction to prep for a tour (to each his own.) For most countries I like the DK or Insight Guides which give me a lot of data. Also, will watch old RS shows. Finally, the "Great Courses" often has something to add, especially if you really want to get in depth with the art/history of a region. For England, as an aside, I have always enjoyed the older Bettany Hughes "The Roman Invasion of Britain." Several good documentaries available as well on Arthur.
Bob,
You may also like the Poirot episode "The Clocks" set in Dover. For Bath: "Persuasion"--I prefer the Amanda Root & Ciaran Hinds version.
Read Edward Rutherfurd's "Sarum" about Salisbury and Stonehenge and the Forest about the Portsmouth area and the New Forest.
He takes both areas thru history with various family story threads; reminds me of Michener.
Thanks for the suggestions.
We started watching Poldark, but decided to continue with Foyle's War. I have read two books by Edward Rutherfurd - London and New York. Rutherfurd's books tend to be long, so I don't think I will have the time to read Sarum before the trip.
I am finding Foyle's War to be interesting because on my last trip to England (1972) I met a number of people who expressed thanks for the U.S. involvement in WWII.
I'll be on the May 15 South England tour and have also been watching/reading things related to that area. If you haven't seen the classic 1964 movie "Becket" with Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole, that is one definitely worth adding to your list. A great movie, and of course much of it takes place in Canterbury.
