2.5 Enchanted April

An A to Z of UK Television Drama

For those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine... an advertisement in a newspaper captures the attention of two constrained and unhappy women from the London of the early 1920s: Lottie Wilkins (Josie Lawrence) and Rose Arbuthnott (Miranda Richardson). Their joint goal becomes this seemingly impossible holiday in Portofino, Italy, and together with two guests, to share the financial burden, Mrs Fisher (Joan Plowright) and Lady Caroline Dester (Polly Walker) they make their dream a reality. Once there, all four women will experience changes in their lives that none of them could have foreseen during this truly enchanted April. Andy has always loved this adaptation of the classic tale by Elizabeth Von Arnim while Martin faces his perennial fear of another period costume drama. However, once again, Martin discovers this piece to be a wonderful surprise (one day he might actually start to trust Andy's choices!). The pair discuss its themes of love and friendship, magic, class, and choosing life, whether its the right length, and if its more television or film. If you've not seen this 90 minutes of uplifting character-led drama, which had its first TV showing in 1991, then we encourage you to track it down and discover the magic of Portofino for yourself. We can both still smell the white acacias even now.