User Reviews

This series is well produced, and filled with great acting from some relative unknowns, and some old favourites. From the start this period piece is right on the mark, the people all act as though they are from that time, and in that time, and the props are all new as they should be it is to be real so it should all be new at the start, and as we progress things will loose their luster, and crispness as the edges of the characters are worn down as well. I was hoping for a bit more, though the leads have won me over, and I Enjoyed it enough that I will try sticking with this show. I recommend this to nurses, and fans of heavy dramas, but there is no action to be had, just tension, and backbiting.

Jesse of Jesse.ca

This vital time in history is continually overlooked in television and movies. With "The Crimson Field", there is an accurate depiction of the trauma and life of World War I soldiers and nurses. Expertly crafted by the writers and directors, the accuracy of the production is also worth noting. The show both draws you in with the poignancy of stories and repels you with the brutality of war. Important to note the work of Oona Chaplin as our heroine Kitty Trevelyan, who holds mysteries within that seem to prevent her from opening up to others. Her behavior is intriguing and perplexing. Another character of note is Suranne Jones as Sister Joan Livesey. I wish Sister Joan had been given more of her story sooner than the last few episodes. Her work is really quite extraordinary and the resonance of action and character work would have been nice to see earlier. Her story comes to fruition quite abruptly and then dominates the end of the season. Lastly, Richard Rankin as Capt Thomas Gillan is the moral compass and voice of reason in the chaos of war. He silence is golden and emotes every possible thought and feeling, communicating with the audience on another level. His tet-a-tet with Kitty is playful, sensual, emotional, and freeing. There a lot of wonderful work here.

It is too bad that BBC didn't choose to renew the show for another season. There was a lot of story and character to be developed. That might have been the issue some would have with the show later, they wrote it with a need to discover more, but there has to be more "pay-off" sooner for viewers. Overall, an interesting and important show that won't disappoint with a very minimal commitment. Beautiful, warm, and lovely, "The Crimson Field" doesn't disappoint.

I came to the show late (2019) via Amazon because I was fed up with US television offerings. What a gem of a show; it's a pity it didn't go more than one season. The overarching theme and concept of focusing on a WWI field hospital is a welcome departure from most war films/TV shows, especially the focus on the women nurses and VADs. I've learned quite a bit and it's given me a new appreciation and curiosity about that time in history. The writing is good and the cast is stellar giving a nuanced and grounded realism to their stories. I don't at all understand the reviewer who talks about doctors and nurses hooking up -- it doesn't happen once in the entire series.Which isn't to say there isn't a little romance in there, but it's the slow burn (Kitty/Thomas) and innocent kind (Flora/Charlie). On the whole, the focus is on the day-to-day of being in a field hospital in what must have been a brutal time by modern medicine standards. Shout-outs to Harris and Doyle for wonderful portrayals of leaders doing the best they can under the circumstances. All in all a wonderful reminder of those who came before and the sacrifices they made as well as entertaining and thoughtful.

Well - meaning and worthy might be two terms to describe "The Crimson Field",which has gradually improved as the series has progressed. Episode 5 on Sunday night has been the best so far,less soapy in feel and giving the excellent Miss S.Jones a chance to stretch her acting chops which had previously been confined to a lot of desperate grinning and kissing her German fiancé's engagement ring which she keeps on a chain round her neck.Oh,and riding her motor - bike with a most un - nurse - like disregard for the patients stumbling round the Field Hospital. However,Miss H.Norris is the undoubted star of the show as Matron Carter,a woman with a lot of secrets. The cast of Other Ranks is as usual filled with chirpy cockneys,canny Geordies,dour Northerners etc that could have been drawn from any war film from the last 100 years. The junior officers are no more interesting,and only Mr K.Doyle as the Lt.Colonel I/c makes any impact. But mainly this is a study of women at war at a time when smoking a cigarette was considered by many a step too far for "The Ladies - bless 'em". Miss Jones is the only working - class representative amongst them,the rest being comfortably middle - class and above. The junior nurses are well - meaning but totally inexperienced,as reflects the actuality of the time. Necessarily the true bloody picture of the horrific experience it must have been for them all has been watered down,but "The Crimson Field" succeeds in its remit to present such of the appalling reality of life for both the soldiers and the medical staff dedicated to looking after them in 1915. Some of it struggles to escape from the tried and true formula seen on our screens since "Emergency - Ward 10" nearly fifty years ago and currently perpetuated by such as "Casualty"(suffered brainstem death about 15 years ago but kept going by audience - figure incubation). But on balance it should inform a wider audience that The Hippocratic Oath does not include a clause that demands that every doctor should have sex at least once every 60 minute episode and that nurses' uniforms are more than an aid to jaded lovers.

I heard about this drama before it had even aired, this is because my brother, Travis Booth-Millard, was acting as an extra, and it was originally going to be titled The Ark, and me and my Mum were looking forward to watching it, both to spot my brother and because it sounded interesting. As part of the BBC World War I centenary season, a series of radio and television programmes, documentaries and dramas commemorating the one hundredth anniversary of the great war, there was this one. The series shows the lives or medical staff, doctors and nurses, and patients and visitors, including war commanders and officers, of a fictional field hospital in France during the Second World War, all going through their own personal happy times, traumas, dilemmas, heartbreaks and duties, many of which are caused and affected by the war. Starring Hermione Norris as Matron Grace Carter, Oona Chaplin (Charlie's granddaughter) as Kitty Trevelyan, Richard Rankin as Capt Thomas Gillan, Marianne Oldham as Rosalie Berwick, Alice St. Clair as Flora Marshall, Kevin Doyle as Lt Col Roland Brett, Suranne Jones as Sister Joan Livesey, Alex Wyndham as Capt Miles Hesketh-Thorne, Jack Gordon as Cpl Peter Foley, Jeremy Swift as QMS Reggie Soper, Kerry Fox as Sister Margaret Quayle, Simon Wilson as Padre, Daniel Betts as Jaco Tillens, Abigail Eames as Mathilde Tillens, Stephan Luca as Anton Erhlich, Adam James as Col Charles Purbright and Karl Davies as Cpl Lawrence Prentiss. The series did have some interesting moments, the cast all do very, and it looks and feels very authentic, and of course spotting my brother Travis in particular scenes was good fun (wearing a head bandage being fed soup, sitting on a deck chair in a blue dressing gown, being escorted by nurses on crutches wearing a blue dressing gown). It sort of does not surprise me that there will not be a second series, it was good, but it probably makes more sense not to continue, plus I got a little lost at times with what was going on in each individual character's story, overall however it was a pretty watchable period wartime drama. Good!

I was not sure what to expect from of drama based on a subject matter that involved at the very least, blood, guts and emotional devastation. The story of war can never be a rosy one. When in truth the subject of personal wartime experiences is often to painful to tell.

Sarah Phelps has done a marvelous job. Every episode of the six part series has had me on the edge of my seat. Each episode being as good as the last. The writing never failing. The casting is perfect and the set is a triumph

The story centers around the lives of three lady volunteers in an army field hospital during the first world war. And how the lives of both staff and patients in the hospital inevitably become interwoven. Throughout the series we learn more and more of the back story of these ladies. Yet is does not take away from the topic of the field hospital

At times leaving the viewer wanting to. Shake, kiss, shout at, cry for or feel desperate for the characters. As the series gathers pace, so does the viewers eagerness to get to know the characters. Resulting in expectations of where you'd like to see the series end. And your hopes and aspirations for the characters. There are several sub plots that keep the viewer gripped.

I'm watching this show on PBS TV in Canada. I've just finished watching ep. 4. Can't say enough how much I enjoy it. On PBS just now they are showing the third series of Last Tango in Halifax followed by Poldark and then Crimson Field on Sunday nights. SUBLIME!!!!!!!!!!

The only problem I have with it, is the nurses all look much too clean. But I imagine if Florence Nightingale could see this, she'd be happy! I don't know how "real" it all is (the hospital setting) but it works for me.

Loved the beautiful teapots and cups in the hotel where Joan meets up with her husband to sign divorce papers. Love the beach scenes. Truly a fantastic show.

Love the story lines, the characters, everything. Sad that there's only 6 eps in total and I read one review on here saying it is not to be renewed for a second series which just breaks my heart.