Can't believe this miniseries didn't get the best ratings ever. Either Brit audiences are drinking too much or it was due to a lousy time slot... hopefully not the decision of some psychotic executive. Crimson is as fine a drama as BBC has ever produced. Hopefully some other network will resurrect it... and the cast and crew can be reassembled. A big raspberry to BBC!Admittedly, the drama here is flamboyant and the tone is mildly but definitely anti-authoritarian. Perhaps 2014 audiences weren't able to handle its antiwar theme what with ISIS reaching its peak. But the plots are so gripping, the acting superb, the realism so real... simply a beautifully made series.

This vital time in history is continually overlooked in television and movies. With "The Crimson Field", there is an accurate depiction of the trauma and life of World War I soldiers and nurses. Expertly crafted by the writers and directors, the accuracy of the production is also worth noting. The show both draws you in with the poignancy of stories and repels you with the brutality of war. Important to note the work of Oona Chaplin as our heroine Kitty Trevelyan, who holds mysteries within that seem to prevent her from opening up to others. Her behavior is intriguing and perplexing. Another character of note is Suranne Jones as Sister Joan Livesey. I wish Sister Joan had been given more of her story sooner than the last few episodes. Her work is really quite extraordinary and the resonance of action and character work would have been nice to see earlier. Her story comes to fruition quite abruptly and then dominates the end of the season. Lastly, Richard Rankin as Capt Thomas Gillan is the moral compass and voice of reason in the chaos of war. He silence is golden and emotes every possible thought and feeling, communicating with the audience on another level. His tet-a-tet with Kitty is playful, sensual, emotional, and freeing. There a lot of wonderful work here. It is too bad that BBC didn't choose to renew the show for another season. There was a lot of story and character to be developed. That might have been the issue some would have with the show later, they wrote it with a need to discover more, but there has to be more "pay-off" sooner for viewers. Overall, an interesting and important show that won't disappoint with a very minimal commitment. Beautiful, warm, and lovely, "The Crimson Field" doesn't disappoint.

The Crimson Field does what other shows fail to do: it sheds light on an area of an era that is rarely seen, centering around three dimensional female characters, all of which are different in their own rights. It is incredibly unfortunate that this television show was axed by BBC before it could round out any story lines. But the 6 episode first season is an incredible watch nonetheless. The writing is impeccable, thanks to the talented Sarah Phelps, and the episodes are beautifully shot and directed, two of which are done by Richard Clark, director of episodes of Doctor Who and Outlander. The actors are spot on and give life to the characters. Watch for Richard Rankin as Captain Thomas Gillan, a hot headed Scottish surgeon who has eyes for VAD Kitty Trevelyan, played by Game of Thrones alum Oona Chaplin, against his better judgement. This show will have you laughing and crying and feeling things, which is basically why we watch television, isn't it?

I heard about this drama before it had even aired, this is because my brother, Travis Booth-Millard, was acting as an extra, and it was originally going to be titled The Ark, and me and my Mum were looking forward to watching it, both to spot my brother and because it sounded interesting. As part of the BBC World War I centenary season, a series of radio and television programmes, documentaries and dramas commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the great war, there was this one. The series shows the lives or medical staff, doctors and nurses, and patients and visitors, including war commanders and officers, of a fictional field hospital in France during the Second World War, all going through their own personal happy times, traumas, dilemmas, heartbreaks and duties, many of which are caused and affected by the war. Starring Hermione Norris as Matron Grace Carter, Oona Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter) as Kitty Trevelyan, Richard Rankin as Capt Thomas Gillan, Marianne Oldham as Rosalie Berwick, Alice St. Clair as Flora Marshall, Kevin Doyle as Lt Col Roland Brett, Suranne Jones as Sister Joan Livesey, Alex Wyndham as Capt Miles Hesketh-Thorne, Jack Gordon as Cpl Peter Foley, Jeremy Swift as QMS Reggie Soper, Kerry Fox as Sister Margaret Quayle, Simon Wilson as Padre, Daniel Betts as Jaco Tillens, Abigail Eames as Mathilde Tillens, Stephan Luca as Anton Erhlich, Adam James as Col Charles Purbright and Karl Davies as Cpl Lawrence Prentiss. The series did have some interesting moments, the cast all do very, and it looks and feels very authentic, and of course spotting my brother Travis in particular scenes was good fun (wearing a head bandage being fed soup, sitting on a deck chair in a blue dressing gown, being escorted by nurses on crutches wearing a blue dressing gown). It sort of does not surprise me that there will not be a second series, it was good, but it probably makes more sense not to continue, plus I got a little lost at times with what was going on in each individual character's story, overall however it was a pretty watchable period wartime drama. Good!