PBS Masterpiece brings a reimagined version of John Galsworthy’s ‘Forsyte’ novels from the U.K. to U.S. viewers. This costume drama about the complicated lives of an upper-class family, The Forsytes (2025-), features costumes designed by Nic Ede. Check out our recaps of season one on Mondays after new episodes drop on PBS each Sunday.
Since I rather enjoyed the 2002-03 adaption of The Forsyte Saga, I figured I’d watch the new one — also, I’m a PBS addict and supporter, so I’m bound to watch anything they put out! Even better, Masterpiece offered us streamers so we could recap this series alongside it airing in the U.S., so let’s dive in!
The first episode opens with a title card, “London 1877,” but don’t get comfortable, this is just scene-setting. This is the wedding of Jolyon Forsyte Jr. (Danny Griffin), heir to the moneyed Forsyte family, and Frances (Tuppence Middleton), a widowed socialite and mother to 8-year-old June. Presiding over matters is Jolyon’s grandmother, Ann (Francesca Annis), matriarch of the clan who also provides the series voiceover.
In the press pack, Francesca Annis said about this series:
“English period dramas have a great eye for authenticity and detail which I think really appeals to American audiences. The Forsytes are not aristocracy or even born into the wealth they now enjoy. They were a self-made family that has made good and are now struggling to hold on to everything they have. I think that’s something that the Americans appreciate, understand, and are interested in.”
We shall see!
Frances wears a a simple, pale, not-quite-white dress for the wedding (it’s her second, after all). June is a cute little girl here.
Writer and executive producer Debbie Horsfield makes a point of bringing more of the novels’ characters, especially women, to life (sometimes literally, like Frances, who is Jolyon’s deceased first wife in the book) and giving them fuller stories. In the press pack, Hornsfield noted:
“It’s about giving them equal space to the men, because the men dominate the novels, and we don’t really get to learn as much about the women. It’s simply exploring them, their motivations, passions, secrets and obviously how they interact with the male characters. It’s creating a hinterland for them.”
After this brief scene, the story jumps forward 10 years to 1887 for June’s 18th birthday, and I’m pleased that June (Justine Moore) actually looks 18, not like a 30-year-old playing a teenager. The costume designer Nic Ede noted in the press pack that June’s costumes emphasize her youth:
“In the beginning and as per her character I wanted to dress Justine in young, fresh clothes. It was important to show that she has been brought up pampered in the lap of luxury but also been given a certain amount of leeway in not having to dress formally.”
In contrast, her mother is always dressed formally, although sometimes they two are in sympathetic styles, like this teal stripe ensemble Frances wears in the same scene and at breakfast.
Frances takes her daughter to be fitted for a ballgown to wear at her big fancy birthday party. The dressmaker, Louisa Byrne (Eleanor Tomlinson), is a noticeably freaked out by her new client. We’ll find out why shortly…
Eleanor Tomlinson got tips on playing Louisa from the costume designer, as she described in the press pack:
“I rang him [Nic Ede] at the beginning of the show to ask for his help because I didn’t know the first thing about dressmaking. He invited me to the costume workroom, and I was able to learn so much from just watching how they worked. I learned a lot about the style of the period. … In terms of the detail of her costume, she would have had a small chatelaine of tools on her costume and a pincushion on her wrist which would have been true to the period.”
That chatelaine is a good touch, definitely, but c’mon the HAIR? Just as a hobbyist sewist, I need my hair pinned UP and out of my way when I’m bending over a cutting table, draping fabric on a dress form, or crouching down to pin hems. It would be incredibly annoying, not to mention rather unprofessional, to have long hair flailing around like that in the 19th century.
Nic Ede also noted about Louisa’s costumes:
“We’ve dressed her in printed cotton from India and focused on beautiful silhouettes. The pure simplicity of that look really appealed, and she wears them so well. We haven’t romanticised her because she’s a seamstress who has no money and two children to look after.”
One thing I’m liking about this series adaption is that it’s giving equal time to both storylines — the romances of both cousins Jolyon Jr. and Soames are allowed to play out in detail, back and forth. The 2002-03 version was all Soames, all the time, though while I haven’t seen it, it looks like the 1967 version was more balanced. Here, Soames (Joshua Orpin) finally meets Irene Heron (Millie Gibson) midway through ep 1 as they’re each walking through the park. Soames falls in love at first sight, and helps out when Irene’s father becomes sick (which leads to his death).
However, one thing I’m not liking is how the rest of the family is pushed to the shadows so far! I guess that’s the trade-off, but I did like how the 2002 adaption contrasted the love-lives of Soames with his sister Winifred, which will become more important later in the story. Right now, Winifred Dartie (Eleanor Jackson) is already married to Monty, and there’s just the tiniest hint that he may be a spendthrift. At least Winifred gets some of the best costumes, IMO, like this dinner gown:
In the press pack, costume designer Nic Ede said:
“I really wanted to loosen up the period costumes a little. I’ve achieved this is by relaxing the rigidity of the period and introducing elements which aren’t strictly of that time but that make it fresher and more exciting. … I cut out all bustles but kept the shapes and loosened the men’s and women’s costumes a little.”
Which is a weird thing to say, because I’m not seeing the costumes as “loose” overall. Only June, Louisa, and Irene have slightly lightweight dresses, and that makes sense for their characters. June is young, Louisa is a working woman, and Irene is a bohemian free-spirit. The Forsyte women stand rigidly apart in their fitted styles as they are nouveau riche and attempting to look like society’s best. Frances actually describes herself and June as “assets” repeatedly, emphasizing the family’s focus on money and social climbing.
I guess what he’s trying to say is the show doesn’t use the aggressive bustle that’s shown in the fashion plates of the mid-to-late 1880s (when the series is supposed to be set). So not this:
But still like these next fashion plates that skew earlier — though it’s just the difference of a few years.
The late 1870s to 1880s dress shape changed A LOT in size from big and wide to narrow to slim front with sharply extended back. So far, I’m seeing more of the early ’80s natural-form shape and also a few princess-line dresses (the 1880s being when princess seams are correct!). Compare Winifred’s evening gown to this:
Ann Forsyte seems to wear a few princess-line gowns, like this gorgeous plum trimmed with black lace.
This looks like a princess-line gown that was first made popular in late 1870s and continued through the early 1880s, so a bit early for when the show’s events are happening. Maybe they’re trying to show this older character as wearing older fashions?
Describing Ann Forsyte’s wardrobe, the costume designer said:
“I decided to keep her palette within a widow’s colour scheme and went for half-mourning colours, which are mauves, purples and dove grey. Francesca was great to work with because she knows her body so well. We actually created clothes on her, we’d start off with the basic costume and then we added and added until she became the matriarch.”
And hair and make-up designer Magi Vaughan added:
“I wanted Ann to have an iconic look that wouldn’t have changed over the course of the last 30 years. Francesca and I spent a lot of time discussing Ann’s look which was incredibly productive. Her hair design is both structured and sophisticated.”
The night of June’s birthday party arrives, and her mother wants to see June in her new dress. But Frances is an idiot because she’s strolling around the house holding a glass of RED WINE, which gets spilled on June’s new ballgown.
C’mon, who does that??? Oh right, it’s a plot-point excuse so they have to call the dressmaker to the house so she can replace the dress panel whomp whomp.
Also, I find Frances’ ballgown hideous, though it may well be perfectly historically accurate because there are tons of 1880s fashion plates in super fugly color combos with overdone trims like this. The birds on the fabric seem better suited to furniture upholstery.
June’s ballgown is lovely and appropriate for a young girl’s first ball.
Justine Moore talked about her costumes in the press pack:
“A lot of my evening wear has been made from this incredible silk from India that’s been dyed in the most perfect colour palette. Nic has got an amazing ability to know exactly what colour is going to suit me. It’s such a privilege.”
Guess who’s invited to the party? Susan Hampshire, who played Fleur Forsyte in the 1967 TV adaption, is playing Lady Carteret, a society matron. She was also at the dressmaker’s shop, and Frances is angling to make a match between the Carteret’s son and June.
But the big meeting at the party is between Jolyon and Louisa, dun dun dunnnnn! This is why she was all nervous when Frances came into her shop. Louisa and Jolyon had been lovers in Venice, about 10 years ago, back when she was a lady’s maid.
Of course, Frances sees them and gets suspicious. So she goes to the dressmaker shop the next day to confront Louisa, plus finds out Louisa has two kids that Jolyon doesn’t (yet) know are his. And thus, all the exposition and soap opera hijinx have been set up for the series…
On a final note, executive producer and head of scripted content for Masterpiece, Susanne Simpson, said in the press pack that they’re aiming for historical accuracy with this series particularly because American audiences expect it from them:
“Watching costume drama for our audience is about experiencing that time period, so authenticity is essential. Our audience knows a lot about British history so Costume Designer, Nic Ede, Production Designer Dafydd Shurmer, and Hair and Makeup Designer, Magi Vaughan, had a major task to create the series. They were so committed to the authenticity of the period, and it was such a pleasure to watch their vision realised on the screen.”
Yes, yes we do have high expectations, so we’re watching closely.
Are you watching The Forsytes?
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I know these books, chapter and text. I am pretty sure I would find what they are now calling The Forsyte Saga to be too different from the actual stories, although it would probably be okay if they renamed it completely. I’ve watched the old b/w version again (on YouTube) which is old ‘stage set’ style of BBC production but stick with it because I feel it captures the character dynamics and tells the story about society that Galsworthy wanted told. Neat to see that still photo of Susan Hampshire now, though.
I am just an ‘ugh’ about the series. It’s ‘inspired’ so it is greatly changed, and I hope they do not change Winifred’s story line, as it is important to show what women have to deal with in late 19th c. England.
The men look buffed for Instagram. There are bustles at least.
However, it is the changes to the novels which bug me. Irene plays piano, which is respectable; here she is a dancer, which was one step up from being a prostitute in the time period. June is Jolyon’s daughter from his marriage to Frances, (and what is with that wedding bodice?) and not step-daughter; he leaves Frances for Louisa the nanny with whom he later has two children. Winifred’s marriage becomes a major plot point both reflecting women’s roles and rights within society.
The original from the 60s? still stands up, though it is stage’y; and Damien Lewis in the later version was a chilling Soames. This one is pretty to look at, but lacks the dramatic heft of the other versions, at least to me.
But I watch, because Sunday night is Masterpiece night.
Completely agree about the silliness of making Irene a dancer. Soames wouldn’t have sullied the Forsyte name by marrying a woman of such low social status! When he married the French waitress Annette he did so in Paris and pretended that they met in France.
I’m not even giving it a chance. The one with Damien Lewis and Rupert Graves, etc. is one of my favorites. Even Winifred and Dartie’s story was fun to watch. To be honest, this just looks awful and I am a huge Masterpiece and PBS fan.
Adaptations of “The Forsyte Saga” have to deal with the fact that the first book opens with June’s engagement party and much of the drama has already happened. Soames and Irene are married, as are Winifred and Monty, and the details of Young Jolyon’s early life aren’t made clear. Screenwriters are therefore forced to invent a fair amount of material, but some of the changes in the new adaptation sound absurd to me. For all its staginess the 1967 version is still my favourite, and Eric Porter has never been bettered as Soames!
I watched last night to give it a try, and I was not super impressed or engaged. I did see the Damian Lewis version and very much enjoyed it, but that was years ago, and because I have not read the novel, I was a bit lost with episode one. I may try again next week.
I was annoyed by the long and loose hair on the dressmaker. The red wine spill was easy to see coming. And the puffy hair on the two main gents, gah! Plus men ALWAYS wore a hat, especially when outdoors, and few of the leads are sporting them in this version.
I suppose becoming educated and reading these reviews, Frock Flicks has changed how I few historical productions. I’m much more critical and have a hard time looking past goofs or modern choices.
So far, so okay! Loved the 67 version, it treated Jo’s and Soames’ story lines equally and this one seems to be doing the same. But they are making Soames and his dad much blacker than any previous version did. I suppose it’s the difference between lawyers and stockbrokers!
Irene was a free-spirited bohemian?
Are they confusing her with June?! I suppose Irene’s affairs with Bossiney and Young Jolyon make her free-spirited, but I’d hardly call her a bohemian – unless helping “fallen women” after a prostitute saved her from suicide on the night she left Soames counts.
I have seen it, and am surprised that you give it such a good review so far. I thought it was prime material for Snark Week. Seriously, the men are so good looking it’s absurd. I found myself just laughing in parts. Also, as others have said, Irene being a dancer makes no sense.
I’m giving the costumes a good-ish review here & just giving the rest the benefit of the doubt since it’s ep 1. More to come…
Will watch for Francesca Annis, who in a roundabout way is responsible for my having found Frock Flicks! I love love love her as Emma in the 1975 BBC version of Madame Bovary, where her costumes were mostly on point as far as I can tell, except for a black sequined number she wore in the final episode. Anyway, as a Madame Bovary fan, I wanted to like the 2014 adaptation with Mia Wasikowska, which is not possible for many reasons, only one of which is that in a key scene the heroine rides her horse astride (gasp!). Both Frock Flicks* (and, ahem, a reread of the novel itself) confirmed for me that this character would absolutely have ridden sidesaddle, as was shown in the 1975 version.
*search terms: “19th century france women sidesaddle”
Having re-watched the ’00s version, I’m kind of glad they’re doing some things differently here, because Damian Lewis is a hard act to follow (and Amanda Root, good old “Freddie”). But at the very least, I think I’ll enjoy this a lot more than Count of Monte Cristo.
Ok, so I’m watching it and so far it’s pretty ok. I’m not quite as drawn into the world as a whole, as I was to the ’00s one, but it’s still early days yet. It’s funny though, I keep mentally comparing it to The Gilded Age more than I do to the other Forsyte Saga, it feels like they’re highlighting the Francis and June dynamic because the Bertha and Gladys dynamic.
Also, is it me, or are these drama opening title sequences getting weirder and weirder?
Also: Dear Gentlemen, where are your HATS??
So they’ve transformed Old Jolyon’s unmarried sister Ann into his WIFE? I’m a huge fan of Francesca Annis but I won’t be watching this. For anyone who wants to compare the book timeline to the new TV version: Winifred and Monty marry in 1871, Soames and Irene marry in 1882, and June’s engagement party takes place in 1886.
I am currently on my fourth or fifth reread of the saga, and this review confirms my suspicion that I do not want to touch the new series with a barge pole. I am very fond of both the 1960s and 2000s versions, even though neither is entirely faithful to the books,* but I’m not willing to follow this adaptation into far greater “reimagining.” I like Francesca Annis a lot, but not even she will persuade me otherwise!
*I even thought Errol Flynn was a decent Soames in That Forsyte Woman.
I thought I was the only one who saw Errol Flynn as Soames! How grand! Flynn could actually act; he was rarely given the opportunity to do so.
I haven’t seen the film but Errol Flynn as Soames sounds more credible than Greer Garson as Irene.
I too have read most of the books and have seen the 1960’s and 2000 versions. While the actors in the 1960’s were too old for the age of their characters, I enjoyed that series. This series is very disappointing and an affront to the novels. No wonder it’s a it’s re-imagined! I feel sorry people who don’t know the novels.
The 60s version tried to cram far too much into the series, even though there were twenty episodes. I recently saw an excellent two-part stage version that managed to cover the story from June’s engagement party to Soames’ death with no invented backstories, but Winifred/Monty and Holly/Val were cut, as was Fleur’s action for libel.
I second (or third or fourth) all of the comments about hair and hats and other costume comments. A couple of other things bothered me not yet mentioned:
A meeting in the boardroom of Forsyte and Sons – all of the men are in shirts and vests (or waistcoats, to be technically correct!). I can’t imagine them in such a formal meeting without their suit coats.
Soames has stubble! It’s the late Victorian era, and every man has facial hair of some kind. But stubble isn’t facial hair; it’s a lower class look, not the look of the aspiring Forsyte men. However, Soames has a great mustache!
Yes, no hats, and yes, no bustles, and yes, hair down, but also— they did The Evil Corset Thing! Implying that June had been “allowed” to just not wear corsets, and “I’ve made your waist look smaller without having to use boning!” Yeah. We can tell. (And while some of the corseted silhouettes look very good, there are also a lot of “coffe can” ill-fitting corsets and a lack of petticoats and padding.) There’s also a weird smattering of full-on Edwardian in Episode 1. It’s certainly better than say, the latest Buccaneers, but I don’t know if I’d be bragging about authenticity just yet either.
Jolyon’s hair! He’s Princess Diana unless he’s dreaming about his former self when he has the long hair, which made he laugh out loud.
What’s with the tiara on June? You would think that English costume designers would know that English women did not wear tiaras for the first time until their wedding – not at their debuts. That’s one of my Bridgerton hates. A tiara was/is a signifier for a married woman, outside of the royal family. Blood princesses may wear tiaras before marriage; mortal women may not.
Was desperately hoping to hear mention of Irene’s weird “hair down” ballet rehearsal/class thingy. Aside from the fact that the actress is clearly not a trained ballerina (which is fine..) the fact that they have her wear her ridiculously long mermaid hair down is unheard of-even TODAY. I wonder who decides that such a blatant faux pas is preferable?