A younger man than me, once wrote that ‘it is better to have loved and lost, than never loved at all.’ This phrase is the lynch pinning to basically any of the romance novels of the Victorian era and as we find with DOCTOR THRONE the same. Passionately adapted by Academy Award winning writer Julian Fellowes, it is as much a correction as a TV series. Anthony Trollope is an under appreciated writer from the time. His critical oxygen, consumed by Dickens, one Bronte sister or another or the queen of the age, Jane Austen, means he is lower down the food chain. Fellowes wants to alter this narrative.

DOCTOR THRONE follows the story of Doctor Thomas Thorne (Tom Hollander), who lives in the village of Greshamsbury. His place is as consul and corrector to the local wealthy. His beautiful niece, Mary (Stephanie Martini), is as lovely as she is poor. Growing up alongside the Gresham sisters, who are rich and privilege and secretly making eyes at their handsome brother Frank (Harry Richardson), who is equally enamoured. Lady Arabella Gresham (Rebecca Front) discovers this and is not impressed. She wants to stop all this falling in love business but with debts mounting and  favourable loans that Doctor Thorne has secured from a railway millionaire, Sir Roger Scatcherd (Ian McShane), it will be harder than she thinks.

I wanted to see this as it is the first Blu Ray release with something added in. The series sadly was poorly made but had two stellar perfomances from McShane and Hollander (whose scenes together are extraordinary.) The series feels like a missed opportunity. The extras here help some what mind. The extremely brilliant and eager series of introductions from Fellowes, point to his passion. The Sir Roger feature is fun and it maybe points to the direction being the reason it falls flat at the end.

Special Features:

• The Making of Doctor Thorne
• Julian Fellowes: Adapting Anthony Trollope’s Doctor Thorne
• Doctor Thorne: The Gentle Hero
• The Love Story: Mary and Frank
• Lady Arabella and the Strong Women in Doctor Thorne
• Sir Roger and Louis Scatcherd