CRANFORD

About the show

Welcome to Cranford: a small town where gossip travels fast and traditions run deep. But in the 1840s, change is coming – whether anyone likes it or not. Tamsin Greig (Black Books, Green Wing, Friday Night Dinner, Episodes) leads an ensemble cast as Matty Jenkyns, who lives at the centre of a close-knit community of formidable women. Their lives are governed by a web of peculiar customs and unspoken rules. But as the outside world rushes in, the residents of Cranford must navigate troubled friendships, lost love, and the challenge of holding on to what matters most. Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1853 novel celebrates the complexities of everyday life with humour, heart, and extraordinary insight. It stands alongside her North and South and Wives and Daughters as a masterpiece of Victorian fiction. Director Josh Roche reunites with writers Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna following their ‘masterpiece’ adaptation of The Forsyte Saga at the RSC.