The House of Eliott

I've just watched all 3 seasons of the BBC costume drama, The House of Eliott. I must say that it is very addictive and I wish there were more episodes, but alas, there are not. So what is The house of Eliott?

A brief synopsis from Off The Telly. Season 1: The year is 1920 and Britain is recovering from the Great War. But a more recent tragedy is the catalyst for the story of the Eliott sisters, Evangeline (18) and Beatrice (30) (Louise Lombard and Stella Gonet). Their father, a penny-pinching disciplinarian, has just died and left them nothing, having squandered his fortune on his mistress and illegitimate son (of whom the sisters have no knowledge). Their mother died in childbirth and they are alone in the world save for their unsympathetic Aunt Lydia and her odious son Arthur. Bea and Evie are forced to make their own fortune armed only with their initiative and dressmaking skills. They start at the bottom as seamstresses in sweatshop conditions and climb through the ranks to create their empire, the eponymous House of Eliott. This is basically the plot of the first of the three series.

Season 2: The main plot of the second tells of the development of Evangeline from child to woman. She throws off the shackles of her Victorian upbringing and, in the process, jeopardizes the sisters' reputation and careers through her affair with the married MP (Member of Parliament), Lord Alexander Montford.

Season 3: The third, shorter, series follows the reconciliation of Beatrice and her estranged husband Jack. They have a baby (Lucy) and Jack enters the world of politics. The series ends on an ambiguous note with the sisters in bitter conflict over the future direction of the business.

That's the program in a nutshell — now why is it so good? Well, for me it harks back to the days of BBC drama at its uncompromising best when happy endings weren't obligatory and loose-endings could be left untied.

I found myself fascinated by the whole drama and the clothes are fabulous. I wish there were more to the series! But I'm not sure why it captivated me. I'd be interested to know what you think. Have you seen it?