10/10 BBC period drama based on beloved book 'makes World War 1 come alive'

Period drama lovers have been raving about a beloved BBC television series which has viewers watching it on repeat. The World War 1 drama series The Crimson Field is inspired by the 1980 book The Roses of No Man's Land written by Lyn Macdonald.

The historical show, which is available to stream on Amazon Prime, follows the lives of volunteer nurses and medical staff in northern France. Viewers will see the nursing team grapple with the horrors of war, heal the wounded, and navigate personal challenges and societal expectations. Staff numbers are low and the volunteers are desperately needed, yet there are some who see the women as more of a threat than a lifeline, making the daily battle to keep the war machine churning all the more daunting.

For nurses Kitty Trevelyan (played by Oona Chaplin), Flora Marshall (Alice St. Clair) and Rosalie Berwick (Marianne Oldham), it becomes clear that no training could have prepared them for the slaughter on the battlefield.

But a breath of fresh air soon arrives at the hospital in the form of Sister Joan Livesey (Suranne Jones), a disarming and spirited nurse with a decided mischievous edge.

Producers filmed the war drama in the heart of London and transformed the Historic Dockyard Chatham and HMS Gannet into the Port of Boulogne, France.

Dyrham Park also featured throughout the six-episode seres as a French hotel ahead of the centenary special. The creator of the BBC series Sarah Phelps shared her excitement about her TV series ahead of filming.

She gushed: "I am bouncing off the walls with excitement at having such an extraordinary talented cast, bouncing off the walls."

Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after one series due to the lacklustre critical responde as well as budgetary considerations towards other BBC series despite Phelps planning four more series on the the back of it.

Despite its early departure, the series and the book have been widely praised by fans online, with one user writing: "Makes WW1 come alive. Each episodes deals with a different problem at a field hospital. It's humanism is extraordinary."

Another gushed: "The Crimson Field has been such a beautiful series, at times reducing me to tears, all the actors have done a brilliant job in bringing the story alive."

A third echoed: "Sarah Phelps has written a new perspective on WWI that is intelligent, humourous, compassionate and poignant. While it is from the point of view of nurses and VAD's in WWI, the experiences of the soldiers who are their patients and that of the other men on staff, are given equal attention."

Meanwhile, others were quick to slam the broadcaster for axing the war series after it was promised a further fourt series. One user penned: "Moving, unflinching drama, The Crimson Field brought forth the best - and the worst - of those dedicated to saving the lives of the British fallen and shattered of World War I.

"A brilliant series with a standout cast and a potential for worldwide viewer impact, the BBC made a huge mistake in cancelling this masterpiece."

A third gushed: "Watching it for a 2nd time. Wonderful acting, great storylines. So much better than some of the other c**p people watch. So sad no 2nd series. Bad decision BBC."

A fourth chimed in with: "I am absolutely gutted that there isn't a series 2 and 3. I thoroughly enjoyed this series. The acting was great. People's feelings came out, I was hooked."