South Riding

Life, love and politics in an English landscape
In the long aftermath of the First World War, Sarah Burton comes home from London to South Riding in Yorkshire. Having lost her chance of marriage and motherhood with her fiance's death in the trenches, Sarah has become a very modern career woman. Now in her thirties, she takes up the position of headmistress at a struggling high school for girls. Full of ambition, passion and fire, she's ready to take her life into her own hands and live it to the very limit of her strength. But could that all change when she collides with haunted, financially ruined, gentleman farmer Robert Carne? As Britain emerges from the Great Depression, Sarah and Carne are not the only ones with troubles. Political corruption, recession and poverty are very recognisable struggles facing those living in the community. Visually rich, compassionate and very much for our times, South Riding tells the story of a small community on the brink of change, and in the end, shows the indestructibility of the human spirit.

Directed by Diarmuid Lawrence
Written by Winifred Holtby, Andrew Davies
Produced by Lisa Osbourne
Executive Produced by Anne Pivcevic, Hilary Martin

Partly based on Holtby's experiences as a teacher and her childhood memories of growing up in the East Riding,
South Riding was a classic feminist novel that offered a view of English society which took in all social levels from lords to labourers, demonstrating the ways in which they were affected by decisions taken by local government.

"What appealed to me most about South Riding is how fresh and relevant it feels, even though it was written and set in the Thirties. It's also full of rich comedy, with some wonderful minor characters, splendidly cast. I feel as if we've rediscovered a forgotten masterpiece"
Writer, Andrew Davies