A new drama about the Pre-Raphaelties for BBC Two (article link). Hopefully it will make its way across the pond. Fingers crossed!
Via BBC News: “The BBC says the six-part series will show the men striving to find fame, fortune and “quite a bit of sex along the way”.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood formed in 1848 as a reaction to what they saw as the historical painting of the Royal Academy.
Executive producer Kate Harwood said: “Desperate Romantics paints a modern, vivid and irreverent portrait of this group of painters whose attitude to the establishment makes them comparable to the punks a hundred years later.”
A BBC spokeswoman said the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood were like “the boy band of the 19th century”.”
Sounds exciting! I’m not surprised, though. The Pre-Raphaelites have definitely come back in fashion–and with their wild lives, they make perfect candidates for a tv drama.
So pleased you sent me this link to the advert about the series in Broadcast. I am the writer of POSSESSED the new musical play about the second wave of the PRB. I spoke to the producers of of Desperate Romantics this morning.
After having just given a lecture about the second wave of the PRB to students from EMORY UNIVERSITY, Atlanta, at University College Oxford I am certain there is mileage in this story in the States. I only hope that the series will be helpful for my new musical POSSESSED, which covers the next wave of the PRB.
Thank you for highlighting this news Stephanie. A few years ago there was something similar shown in the UK based on the French Impressionists that was really good.
I’m a bit worried about the PRB being compared to a boy band though………………..I think they were a bit more than that……………think they left a bit more of a legacy………….nothing against boy bands lol.
Paul,
The boy band comment bothered me as well. Because usually, boy bands seem to be packaged. They are marketed and represent the formulaic approach that the PRB rebelled against.
Teresa,
How exciting that you were able to speak with the producers! Anything you can share?
The producers said that the series only covers the creation of the PRB – the first year. This was good news for me because it does not encroach on the William Morris and Janey story. Morris won’t be in it at all. I was desperately worried that it would completely blow it for us – but no. They also told me that all the episodes have been written by one person – which is very unusual – Peter Bowker. Usually a TV drama series is written by a number of people. It is being shot in the new year and will be out either late 2009 or early 2010. The rest of the conversation was just schmoozing! They asked me to email them and looked at my website but I haven’t heard anything back.