Like mac and cheese and a big bowl of hearty pasta, period dramas are like our on-screen versions of comfort eating – they give us that warm, cosy feeling inside, perfect as a little escape from the current status quo.
Maybe it’s the corsets! The crowns! The ballgowns! The strapping suitors in black-tie! Anything to take our mind off not being able to leave the house all day. Yes, we’re doing at our at-home workouts but it’s not enough and we’re still looking aimlessly at lists of things to do at home. A dose of high society drama is exactly what we need to help us get through this tough and lonely period of self-isolation.
Just we are feeling a bit anxious and bored, there comes Mr Darcy, his white-shirt stuck to his drenched body (Pride and Prejudice) Oh my. Or Naughty Princess Margaret wearing a honking great crown in the bath (The Crown). Our kind of woman. or there’s the broody, topless Ross Poldark saving his Cornish miners above the roaring, rugged Cornish coast (Poldark). Not to mention can’t-take-our-eyes-off devilishly handsome and seductive gardener, Oliver Mellors (Lady Chatterley’s Lover).
The good news is that these period dramas and more are all available to stream on Netflix right now. From those Sunday night BBC adaptations you may have missed to all-star-cast Oscar-nominated films, we bring you a guide to the best in show.
After something else? Check out our lists of the best TV series to binge-watch, and the best films on Netflix.
