On the occasion of the BBC’s broadcast of its adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Tudor novels (taking its title from the first, Wolf Hall), the Daily Telegraph published its list of what it considers the top 20 TV adaptations of all time. The 1981 Granada TV production of Brideshead Revisted
Brideshead Revisited is television’s greatest literary adaptation as much for what it represents as for what it is. Over 13 hours it wallows in every last detail of Evelyn Waugh’s longest novel – indeed, large chunks of its run were spent with Jeremy Irons, as Waugh’s alter ego Charles Ryder, reading out passages from the book verbatim in narration. Filming lasted nine months and took place all over Europe; it cost what in today’s money would virtually buy you a whole channel, let alone a one-off series. We loved it then because it was so wistfully evocative of a world gone by. We love it now because it represents a particularly British type of TV literary drama that they just don’t make any more (at least we thought they didn’t, until Wolf Hall – perhaps).
How the list was compiled is not explained. Other extended adaptations of contemporary novels on the list include Olivia Manning’s Fortunes of War
The entire list can be viewed here. Following the slideshow is a compilation of comments which includes a lively exchange on the C4 adaptation of Sword of Honour.
