Customer Reviews

Number 10

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

You need not be British to enjoy this drama depicting a personal and political mixture of living as a Prime Minister at #10 Downing Street, London. Each of the 7 (50 minutes each) episodes considers a different PM as well as different political eras for the famous home and office. Each new #10 Downing Street occupant is as individual as the Presidents of the USA. Each has a public image to uphold, a personal life (some good, some less), and each with enough drama to hold the interest of the viewer. If the historical relevance in not of interest, the dramatic and engaging stories of the individuals are worthy of a purchase.

SDH SUBTITLES HAVE BEEN SUPPLIED BY ACORN MEDIA. Biographies of each of the 7 prime ministers are included as bonus material. Award winning British actors play the roles of the men living at Number 10.

1...Gladstone's privately attempts to rehabilitate harlots--witnessing to his faith inside brothels--or is he really about something less pious and righteous. It's an honest view of the political elite in the 1880s.

2...1924; MacDonald takes office as a widower of 14 years with 3 children and meager income. PM MacDonald takes on countries and political parties--even his own Labor party--to make necessary changes. His speech and practice is often less than politically correct.

3...1911; David Lloyd George, Wales, age 48, hires a beautiful 23-year-old tutor to help his daughter Megan. There is mutual admiration, to say the least, between the PM and tutor and at summer's end, she continues as Lloyd George's private secretary. Wife, Margaret, has her own plan.

4...1828; Arthur Wellesley, popular military leader turned Prime Minister, must face the sword and hatred of his nephew. Then he takes on the Catholics of Ireland and O'Connell. Later he supports the Catholic emancipation bill and risks fighting a duel.

5...1908; Henry Asquith moves into #10 with his wife Margot. She is fully taking charge of the abode and all that enters. The House of Lords opposes Asquith as he sides with the House of Commons.

6...Lord Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli (Dizzy) age 73, decides to, after abandoned use for two decades, revive the use of Number 10's living quarters. He does it with quality (expensive) refurbishing. He pursues 3 ladies while keeping Russia and Russian allies from the Turks. His lady desires are Queen Victoria, Lady Selina Bradford (married, age 58), and Selina's sister, Lady Anne Chesterfield, a countess and widow.

7...1773 to 1797; William Pitt the Younger grows to power and influence, pushed by Pitt the Senior (Yes, Pittsburgh is named after him). Young Pitt desires Eleanor Eden. Eden's an interesting name for the damsel. Will Pitt's hereditary condition interfere in politics and/or love?

Historical documentation was expected with "Number 10" but the surprise is the hugely captivating British drama aspect of this set of DVDs.
It's intellectual. It's entertaining. It's educational. It's excellent.

I waited for the series for so many years, sadly as I watched my favourite episode "Bloodline" (with Jeremy Brett as William Pitt the Younger), I noticed that an entire scene was missing.

The picture quality is not the best and the bonus features only contains short biographies of the prime ministers on each disc, they are not as informative as you might think or hope.

I can only hope that they might release the series again with the missing bits!

I loved the whole series.I learned a lot about english history and had a very good time with each episode . The DVD is provided with english subtitles which are very helpful for foreigners like me. I enjoyed particularly "William Pitt the younger", with Jeremy Brett as Pitt. A real treat! In this episode, Brett display all his acting skills which are remarkable He expresses with incredible efficiency Pitt's various and strong feelings an emotions. One wonders why this actor was underrated by the british establishment and never won a Bafta Award. There is currently a petition to get him awarded a posthumous one, see facebook:"posthumous BAFTA for Jeremy Brett". In any case, French love his performance.He increased the prestige of english culture...

Entertaining as well as informative... could live on a diet of British Series... Need to import more

Although filled with marvelous actors who do a very fine job of creating their roles, I found these productions lacking in writing skills and at times without a clear understanding of what was going on. It was a pleasure to see many actors in their beginning stages and I have no fault that these productions were dated. It was all about the story line or lack thereof. It almost seemed that the writer had a "bone to pick" with some of the former Prime Ministers and this was his opportunity to make his point.
The entire series was a huge disappointment and after sharing it with some friends, whose opinions were the same as mine after viewing, I consider it to be the worse dvd purchase of the year.

There are seven distinct episodes on this three DVD set that gives a limited glimpse of the personal lives of seven British Prime Ministers. Although two well-known British actors appear in the series--Ian Richardson and Jeremy Britt, this was made in 1983 and is a Yorkshire Television Production that does not have the quality I have come to expect from watching several decades of BBC Productions. It is disjointed and lacks cohesiveness, i.e. it jumps from an early prime minister to one much later and then back to another early one with no apparent rhyme nor reason rather than presenting the prime ministers in their actual chronological order. It seemed to portray dysfunctional aspects of the personalities and never achieved making the people "real". Casting, sets, directing and the screenwriting were deficient and this seemed to be a very low-budget television series that really did not enlighten the viewer about the prime ministers as multidimensional, human people. Later BBC productions that were presented in the States on the PBS Masterpiece Theater have spoiled me and I was expecting the same quality. I intend to sell this series and regret buying it in the first place. (The description on the DVD covers is just hype and does not reflect the lack of quality of this production.)