PERIOD DRAMA VS PERIOD DRAMA: DA VINCI'S DEMONS - THE VILLAGE

Tom Riley as Leonardo da Vinci

Two new costume series I'm watching, The Village (BBC1) and  Da Vinci's Demons (Fox, Italian Sky TV) epitomize  the difference between the old traditional way to represent history in fiction and the new tendency to spectacularise it  for modern audiences to enjoy it more. I must be old (I am. Enough, at least) or ancient  (Gosh! I really hope I am  not) because I like it much more when it is accurate and traditional. Not that I despise innovation and originality but I tend not to hit it off with HBO's  and especially Starz's  style in producing costume drama. 

HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND WITH GREAT PERIOD DRAMA SERIES: LABYRINTH AND THE VILLAGE

Labyrinth (Channel 4 )

Jessica Brown Findlay, John Hurt, Vanessa Kirby, Emun Elliott, Tom Felton, Sebastian Stan star in a two-part thilller adapted from Kate Mosse's bestselling novel, linking the lives of two women born centuries apart: Labyrinth. Already broadcast in different countries, Labyrinth will be on British Channel 4 on Saturday March 30th and Sunday March 31st, 9 pm.

Emun Elliott and Tom Felton

Jessica Brown Findlay is the protagonist of the moving romance subplot with Emun Elliott. You may remember them as the protagonists of two popular costume series, respectively Downton Abbey (Lady Sybil) and The Paradise (Mr Moray) . Romance is only one of the elements in this epic mini-series produced by Ridley Scott and shot between South Africa and France with an international cast. It is a historical thriller with a gripping plot based on real historical events like the Crusade against the Catars.