serial british television drama serial produced bbc originally broadcast episodes bbc november december follows story young woman southern england north father decides leave clergy family struggles adjust industrial town customs especially meeting proud family cotton mill owners social story explores issues class gender margaret sympathy town mill workers clashes growing attraction serial based victorian novel adapted television directed plot parents richard fictional industrial town north england father clergyman decides leave church_of_england thanks friend bell able find house gains employment private tutor pupils local mill owner gets bad start margaret witnesses beating worker caught smoking mill workers gradually margaret gets mother hannah sister believing alien customs north meantime margaret attempts charitable work working classes comes contact daughter contracted exposure cotton mills ill father moved mill working environment better meeting fellow mill owners says wheel ventilation installed rooms factory despite fact costs great deal money refused install wheel expense margaret mother falling ill desires son frederick dies frederick naval officer involved mutiny return england life telling father margaret writes brother spain tell mother dying margaret calls borrow water mother trapped mill workers riot strike angry mob threatens john safety confronts margaret margaret defends injured thrown stone margaret recovers returns home telling happened mill mainly protect health mother proposes day thinking believes superior difference financial circumstances denies tells love insists actions personal dies stops coming lessons distraction margaret visits great exhibition aunt cousin husband margaret meets exhibition discussing machinery group gentlemen listening great respect admiration simple good sense margaret embarrassed meet soon rejection defends brother law admirer margaret tries trade henry reliance fashionable wit compares honesty margaret sees margaret returns home mother taken turn worse margaret brother arrives time mother death bed frederick house comes visit friend allowed case sees fred interprets margaret refusing family servant sees member frederick crew town decided frederick leave discovered arrested margaret seen railway station thinks margaret lover gives employment death master hand surprisingly despite differences come plan feed workers communal kitchen comes greater understanding workers share ideas strike business trouble forced close mill margaret father dies oxford leaves north stay relatives london godfather bell makes fortune finds terminal illness chooses argentina better climate margaret owner landlord having discovered truth fred goes south margaret home town way meets returning visit north proposes business deal factory reopened share kiss final scene takes place railway station platform going home cast richard richard henry emma aunt houston production origins started adapting making changes emphasise industrial landscape story story example begins ends main character travelling train starting ending point novel describes travelling south north train main characters visit great exhibition changes believed time complained pressure complete novel editor summer brought project producer week period pre production started beginning february casting originally auditioned role sure participating project producers looking right margaret long time energy charm chemistry star proved decisive actor read role performance impressed producer casting director possible weeks casting begun decided auditions realising perfect filming filming took place end april july fictional town loosely based manchester producers decided shoot town scenes edinburgh maintains visual architectural heritage industrial victorian era main locations cotton mill filmed scenes inside mill shot queen outskirts lancashire london main location interior scenes shot west london scene shot palace locations town scottish borders lancashire sussex final beginning scenes shot additional railway sequences filmed yorkshire carriages provided costume drama required substantial work art department serial production designer received nomination music composed score short piano tune played series different rhythms music especially loud clear turning point relationship margaret reception bbc low expectations series publicised went unnoticed critics audiences receptive hours episode aired november message board programme website crashed number visitors site receiving forcing host shut sudden interest serial attributed relatively unknown actor portrayal emotionally restrained drew parallels portrayal bbc mini series pride prejudice reception later received claims series success industrial landscape attention series gives working classes way develop reaction series surprise bbc decided release dvd april voted best drama bbc drama website annual poll voted desirable drama star best actor voted best actress came different scenes voted year favourite moments final scene winning number spot
North & South (TV serial)