‘A rare and special bond'

Stars Lily James and Emily Beecham on their period drama with a distinctly modern edge

- CAREN CLARK

Vivacious Linda Radlett and her sensible cousin Fanny Logan are two of literature’s most endearing heroines, having enchanted readers since the publication of Nancy Mitford’s classic 1945 novel, The Pursuit of Love.

Set in Europe between the two World Wars, the touching but barbed tale charts the best friends’ search for romance and the perfect husband, and now BBC1 is giving the story a modern twist in a star-spangled three-part adaptation with Lily James (Downton Abbey) and Emily Beecham (The Village) playing Linda and Fanny.

Written and directed by actor and screenwriter Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns), who costars as Fanny’s disreputable mother known as ‘The Bolter’, the saga sees the girls fall for a range of suitors.

Meanwhile, Linda also dreams of escaping her family’s country estate, Alconleigh, where her domineering father Matthew (Dominic West) rules the roost. But heartache and high drama are just around the corner as war approaches.

TV Times caught up with stars Lily, 32, and Emily, who turns 37 on 12 May, for a video chat to find out more...

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