British Period Pieces on Netflix
Last updated September 29, 2023
Casanova
2005 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsAging Casanova reflects on the romantic adventures of his youth, in particular a love triangle with his one true love. The legendary lothario seduces a string of women as he escapes prison, engages in a duel and more in this fast-paced miniseries.
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Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man
1995 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAmbitious rent collector Rory Connor hopes to parlay his skill at playing cards into bigger things: buying a shipyard with his brother. But a run-in with the criminal underworld complicates his plans.
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Pride and Prejudice
1980 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsPreoccupied with status, Mrs. Bennet (Priscilla Morgan) will do just about anything to make sure that her five daughters marry into well-to-do families in this BBC series based on Jane Austen's classic novel. The second eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Garvie), has complete distaste for her wealth-obsessed circle, especially the conceited and affluent Fitzwilliam Darcy (David Rintoul). But what she doesn't realize is that Darcy feels the same way she does.
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Pride and Prejudice
1980 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsPreoccupied with status, Mrs. Bennet (Priscilla Morgan) will do just about anything to make sure that her five daughters marry into well-to-do families in this BBC series based on Jane Austen's classic novel. The second eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Elizabeth Garvie), has complete distaste for her wealth-obsessed circle, especially the conceited and affluent Fitzwilliam Darcy (David Rintoul). But what she doesn't realize is that Darcy feels the same way she does.
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Lillie
1978 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAmbitious and talented Lillie Langtry journeys from an advantageous but stifling marriage to success on stage in Victorian England and, in the process, becomes one of the world's most famous women while attracting a string of powerful lovers.
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Lillie
1978 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAmbitious and talented Lillie Langtry journeys from an advantageous but stifling marriage to success on stage in Victorian England and, in the process, becomes one of the world's most famous women while attracting a string of powerful lovers.
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Under the Greenwood Tree
2005 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAdapted from Thomas Hardy's novel, this charming tale follows schoolteacher Fancy Day, who returns to the bucolic hamlet of Melstock to look after her ailing father. To no one's surprise, three disparate suitors are soon courting the young beauty.
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The Way We Live Now
2001 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsBased on the 1875 novel by Anthony Trollope, this sharp-edged miniseries artfully satirizes the greed and hypocrisy of upper-class Victorian society. The main story revolves around Augustus Melmotte, a mysterious financier who settles in London.
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Topsy-Turvy
1999 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAfter their production of "Princess Ida" tanks, Arthur Sullivan (Allan Corduner) and William Gilbert (Jim Broadbent) start a cold war that threatens to end their long-lasting partnership -- but friends and associates work overtime to bring them back together. The result is their classic play "The Mikado." Mike Leigh's thoughtful musical comedy-drama garnered four Academy Award nominations and won for costume design and makeup.
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The Way We Live Now
2001 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsDuring the 1870s railway boom, ordinary people are blinded by wealth in this miniseries adaptation of Anthony Trollope's satirical novel. When financier Augustus Melmotte moves his business and his family to London, rumors emerge about his past.
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Ironclad
2011 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsBacked by his "Magnificent Seven," a principled Knight Templar defends Rochester Castle from the ruthless King John and his advancing armies, who seek to rule England's free men by force -- no matter what the Magna Carta might say.
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Nicholas Nickleby
2002 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsLife in 19th-century England deals Nicholas Nickleby a difficult hand when his father dies and Nicholas, his sister and his mother, now penniless, are forced to seek help from his twisted Uncle Ralph, who wants to tear the family apart.
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Masterpiece Classic: Mansfield Park
2007 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsSent to live in an estate with her wealthy aunt and uncle, fish-out-of-water Fanny Price (Billie Piper) struggles to find her place in the dizzying world of high society's glitz, glamour and sexual politics. Directed by Iain B. MacDonald, this made-for-television adaptation of the Jane Austen classic also stars Jemma Redgrave, Maggie O'Neill, Blake Ritson, Douglas Hodge, James D'Arcy, Rory Kinnear and Catherine Steadman.
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Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man
1995 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsAmbitious rent collector Rory Connor hopes to parlay his skill at playing cards into bigger things: buying a shipyard with his brother. But a run-in with the criminal underworld complicates his plans.
Details about Catherine Cookson's The Gambling Man
Shakespeare in Love
1998 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsYoung Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) is forced to stage his latest comedy, "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter," before it's even written. When a lovely noblewoman (Gwyneth Paltrow) auditions for a role, they fall into forbidden love -- and his play finds a new life (and title). As their relationship progresses, Shakespeare's comedy soon transforms into tragedy. This bittersweet romance won seven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress.
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Mrs. Brown
1997 | NR | 3.7 out of 5 StarsGrieving widow Queen Victoria (Oscar nominee Judi Dench) withdraws into sadness for years until plainspoken manservant John Brown (Billy Connolly) disrupts her mourning. But as their friendship grows, it results in personal and political ramifications for both of them. Exquisitely filmed and fueled by sparkling performances, director John Madden's period drama brilliantly portrays the woman behind an empire and the man who helped her live again.
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Elizabeth R
1971 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis miniseries artfully recounts the long, tumultuous and historically unique reign of Elizabeth Tudor, queen of England from 1558 to 1603. Glenda Jackson gives an acclaimed performance as Elizabeth from her youth to old age.
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Bleak House
1985 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAs an inheritance battle over the Bleak House estate languishes in the high court, the lives of those involved gradually fall apart in this faithful adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel based on his experiences covering the Chancery legal system.
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Bleak House
1985 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis production of Charles Dickens's classic is set at the Court of Chancery, where the Jarndyce v. Jarndyce case has dragged on for years. As new evidence is brought to light, a long line of innocent victims are ground down by the legal process.
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Jane Eyre
1983 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAdapted from Charlotte Brontë's gothic romance novel, this BBC miniseries tells the story of orphan Jane Eyre (Sian Pattenden and Zelah Clarke), whose early years are marked by mistreatment at the hands of her caretakers. Jane lands a governess job at Thornfield, the estate of the mysterious Mr. Rochester (Timothy Dalton), and is eventually drawn to the tortured man. But a terrible secret keeps Rochester from allowing himself to fall in love.
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Masterpiece Classic: The Mystery of Edwin Drood
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsCentering on a provincial choirmaster's fixation with a 17-year-old girl, this chilling adaptation of Charles Dickens's unfinished final novel spins a disturbing tale of obsession, addiction and the darkness that lurks in men.
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Elizabeth R
1971 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis Emmy Award-winning miniseries depicts -- with deft attention to historical detail and style -- the extraordinary life of Queen Elizabeth I. Also known as the Virgin Queen, she challenged the status quo and survived plots to overthrow her.
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Centurion
2010 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn 2nd-century northern Britain, legendary centurion Quintas Dias and a handful of Roman soldiers struggle to survive behind enemy lines after their platoon is decimated in an ambush by savage Pict tribesmen.
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Mary, Queen of Scots
1971 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn an Oscar-nominated performance, Vanessa Redgrave shines as Mary Stuart, queen of Scotland. Returning from France to assume the throne, Mary finds her ascension challenged by her brother, her husband and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I (Glenda Jackson). Timothy Dalton, Patrick McGoohan and Ian Holm co-star in this lavish production from director Charles Jarrott and producer Hal B. Wallis, creators of Anne of the Thousand Days.
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The Great Train Robbery
1978 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsVictorian rogue Edward Pierce crafts an ambitious plan to stage England's first hold-up of a moving train. Because the gold bars on board are well-guarded by a complex key system, Pierce enlists a bedmate, a safecracker and a tough guy.
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