'Briskly paced' glamorous WW2 drama is a 'must watch'

Viewers have hailed an ITV drama exploring the glamorous lives of guests staying a five-star hotel in London in the middle of World War II. Directed by Stephen Woolfenden, who also directed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, this drama stars Annabelle Apsion (Call The Midwife), Mark Benton (Eddie the Eagle),Jamie Blackley (If I stay) and Edward Blumel (Sex Education).

Amongst a plethora of ITV wartime dramas, The Halycon stands out for viewers who are hailing this "briskly paced" show as a must watch. The show endeavours to portray the show from a new perspective. It was produced by Chris Croucher, who ambitiously called The Halcyon "a similar beast" to Downton Abbey. Set in the outset of the war in 1940, the series examines everything from politics to music and society and how the war changed the shape of everything. With a 7.4/10 rating onIMDb, viewers have sung the praises of this programme.

One fan called it a "lush soaper" saying, "I find it interesting that, while the overall rating for this series is near 7, almost everyone who bothered to review it didn't like it. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the series. The sets are nice, the characters are appealing, and it's all briskly paced.

"Certainly, I could pick at things. The plotting is at times not quite logical and at others unrealistically tidy. The band music is not especially true to the period; they sound more like a neo-Swing band from the '90s. Characters are likable enough, but there wasn't anyone I liked to the level of almost any character from Downton Abbey. But I (and my girlfriend) enjoyed it all the same."

Another, rating the series 8/10, said "The Halcyon proves how fickle the producers of TV series must be." They continued: "The Halcyon starts off in a fairly average way I must say, but as it develops it becomes something totally engaging, and rather excellent.

"Beautifully acted by all concerned, great performances from Steven Mackintosh, Olivia Williams, Liz White etc, but it was the constant brilliance from Hermione Corfield that I enjoyed most of all, she was superb as Emma.

"Lavish production values, the Hotel in particular looked fabulous, gorgeous costumes, and a true sense of realism during the bombing scenes. The series got better as it went on, the last few episodes in particular were excellent, I hope the petition that's going around encourages someone to take the series on, there are so many more stories to tell."

The series was axed after just one season in 2017, with ITV saying that although it was "proud" of "what the series achieved", it would not be returning.

"ITV regularly considers the range of dramas we commission to ensure the right balance and range, together with the best mix of returning series and new dramas," it said in a statement. "It does mean on occasions we have to take tough decisions, and not all drama can be recommissioned."