We started watching this over the weekend and have seen 3 episodes so far. Thematically it's like a Harry Potter for adults (or to put it another way, Penny Dreadful without the monsters). Really well done and believable in a suspend-disbelief kind of way. Mrs.D at first complained the pacing was too slow, but has warmed to it and is considerably more enthusiastic as the story unfolds. Bertie Carvel is Jonathan Strange, a meh everyman who can (it transpires) do magics, Eddie Marsan is Mr. Norrell, a far more complex character, and Marc Warren is the mephistophelian 'Stranger'. Many other great performances, sub plots and plot twists, with some fake history thrown in as well. Riveting.

Stick with it. The finale is a corker and I don't think I've ever seen main plot and loose ends resolved so successfully before or since.

Yeah, this was great. I missed the first episode or two (came into it when Strange was in France) and loved it.

The first couple of episodes established the character and back stories of the main protagonists (and introduced some hangers-on who will figure largely in the ensuing plot). In particular Mr Worrell who is deeply conflicted and lacks all social graces yet has ambition. But I think much of it may be inferred in later episodes.

I have a bad habit of starting to watch serieses part way through. Or my wife has a bad habit of watching things I'd like and not telling me they're on.

Can you not stream whatever episodes you missed (assuming you'd want to)?

I may not be the most reliable correspondent.

Reliability is overrated.

I too enjoyed this one. The book's not half bad either.

A number of people have noted the extraordinary number of hanging threads at the end of the novel (and the series) which is very probably a result of the book being 12 years in the writing. Nevertheless it is an enjoyable read (well, I liked it anyway). Susanna Clarke has done incredibly well from the book, receiving a £1,000,000 advance from Bloomsbury and at least that much again for the film rights. Since the average income for a full-time author in the UK is presently below £13,000, this is quite something. Apparently she has been working on a sequel for nearly 14 years, but I wouldn't hold your breath. But then again, you never know.

Interesting. I can't imagine a feature film (even @ ~2-hrs) being any more than a 'coles notes' rendition (or maybe they have it in mind to do LOTR stylee).

Yeah that would make sense. But by the time I end up realising I like it, it's usually a bit late.

We get the DVD from the library and binge-watch. Problem solved (except for scratchy bits we have to skip over).

That only works if you both decide to watch something together. If one is watching something while someone else is in work, or out, or whatever, then you catch up with it and decide you rather like it too, it might be too late by then.

Probably helps if you've got the DVDs to go back and watch the first episodes though I guess.

I want a second series of Gilbert and Johnathan.

I started reading the book, a huge tome that I will probably never finish, even though it is very well written and enjoyable. Concurrently we re-watched the series and yes, it is a coles -ish skate through, but the cast manages to bring depth and lustre to the vignettes.

Sadly it features Eddie Marson as Mr Norrell. I have no issue with his acting skill, but I find it hard to watch him these days because of his political views and activities.

He's excellent in this, and everything else I've ever seen him in. Sounds pretty reasonable here, though I'm on the opposite side of the fence, and I'm pretty sure he's not in possession of all the facts ... what am I missing?

There's plenty I'd agree with him on in politics, but he's one of a small number of actors, comedians, media figures on the right of the British labour party who not only dislike the left of the party (the FAR left or HARD left as they usually refer to them) but have actively attempted to disown, lie about, expel and otherwise deny them any say in a party that historically grew from the left. It's a long and painful story, and not one I'll bore you with. Suffice it to say that within certain sectors of the party, including probably a majority of the staff and MPs (which is one reason Corbyn had such a nightmare keeping the organisation running) the left are good for delivering leaflets, doing the shitty door-to-door stuff at elections, and paying subscriptions. If they want more they can just fuck off.

Edit: also, that's a Guardian interview. They're hardly going to give him a hard time in an interview, having worked hard as dedicated fellow anti-Corbynists while he led the party.

As a compleat outsider, I can only say it looks like that side of the party consider Corbyn and his ilk inimical to their ascension, because The Man would never allow those dirty pinkos near power.