'Masterpiece' wartime period drama set in quaint village branded 'must watch'

One "masterpiece" British drama on BBC iPlayer has been hailed as a "must watch" by fans enamoured by the wartime story. Barry Delvin's 2016 series My Mother and Other Strangers is set in a small village in Northern Ireland in 1943,during World War II.

There is a lot to sink your teeth into with each episode running at 60 minutes long. Filmed mostly in Ballycranbeg Rubane, and Kearney, County Down the story is set in the fictional village of Moybeg. The series centres on the Coyne family reckoning with the influx of troops from over the pond. Delvin, who is Irish, said he wanted to create an "exotic love story". Rose Coyne (Hattie Morahan), Michael Coyne (Owen McDonnell), and the Coynes' three children: sixteen-year-old Emma (Eileen O'Higgins).

With an impressive 7.4/10 rating on IMDb, fans and critics alike were impressed by this series that first aired almost a decade ago.

One viewer said: "This story is a slow burn with subtle innuendo, not the brash in your face romance that typifies too many contemporary pieces. For a magical experience, hang in there and find a sensitive portrayal of the power and complication of love and compatibility.

"The best series I have watched for a very long time - I was captivated and glued to the screen, drawn into every small subtlety. Only genuine talent could create this from the screenplay, to the production to the acting. So wished there was a season 2 to find out what happened from here."

However another said that the only "masterpiece" to the series was the set design. They wrote: "The only thing good about this 5 x 60 mini-series is the typical production values we find in modern BBC Masterpiece productions. This looks and feels like Northern Ireland in the 40s during WW2 and that is commendable. Beyond that everything else is downright horrid!"

One viewer was particularly impressed by Hattie Morahan's portrayal of of Rose Coyne. They wrote: "I have watched this many times and I always walk away stunned. Hattie Morgan's performance is absolutely brilliant. I can feel her emotions overcome me as I watch the performance. For a few hours I am completely lost to today as I am transported to WWII-era Northern Ireland. I am trapped in these beautiful, loving surroundings but ache for more.

"The characters and story lines couldn't be any more absorbing than the are. This series is a treasure of both talent and emotion. I am a connoisseur of British wartime dramas and this is one of the very best I've seen. The production value is on par with Foyle's War. If you like that you will love this too."

The full series is available to stream on iPlayer now.