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Airdate: The Halcyon

Lush UK period drama set at 5 star hotel comes to ABC in April.

New UK drama The Halcyon begins on ABC in early April.

The story by playwright Charlotte Jones centres around a 5 star hotel during WWII, and has drawn comparisons to Downton Abbey.

Set in 1940, the series shows London life through the prism of war and the impact it has on families, politics, relationships and work across every social strata – set to a soundtrack of the music of the era.

The cast features Steven Mackintosh, Olivia Williams, Matt Ryan, Hermione Corfield and Kara Tointon.

It premiered in the UK in January.

-not to be confused with scifi series Halcyon.

Episode One
…Sees the arrival at the Halcyon hotel of a mysterious and handsome American, Joe O’Hara (Matt Ryan), who while checking in, queries a line of smart black cars snaking their way around the back of the hotel. Meanwhile, the owner, Lord Hamilton (Alex Jennings) arrives with Charity Lambert (Charity Wakefield) a young glamorous blonde on his arm, and several upper class and white haired men in tow. He’s hosting a meeting of Lords, MPs and influencers who are plotting how to instate Halifax as PM… bit it’s clear that the room contains more than its fair share of appeasers and Nazi sympathisers.

Meanwhile, Lady Hamilton (Olivia Williams) arrives a day early and is quickly diverted by the manager Richard Garland (Steven Macintosh) from the Royal Suite – where her husband is ensconced with his mistress. Later in the bar, Joe O’Hara introduces himself to Lord Hamilton and also meets his twin sons, Freddie (Jamie Blackley) and Toby (Edward Bluemel).

Saturday April 1 at 8.20pm on ABC.

4 Responses

  1. It’s curious that past prestige British period dramas were usually set in the 18th or 19th Century but now we are starting to look at early to middle 20th Century themes. WWII was not politically correct not so long ago so it is refreshing to see some war themed shows returning helped by CGI. Problem could be that the American market, which is obviously important for the British entertainment industry, has to find it interesting. This show looks to be an example of that.

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