Series 1
The Long Song
The Long Song refreshingly grounds its historical drama from the perspective of the oppressed, unblinkingly depicting the horror of slavery while simultaneously exploring the compelling inner worlds of those held captive by it.
90%
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Critic Ratings: 10No Score Yet
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User Ratings: 3Rate And Review
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Oof, that was Rotten.
Meh, it passed the time.
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Episodes
Drama set during the final days of slavery in 19th-century Jamaica. July is born to field slave Kitty at the Amity sugar cane plantation run by John Howarth and his younger sister Caroline. On a spoilt whim, Caroline decides she wants to train July as her personal maid.
The harvest at Amity is ready to be taken in or the crop will spoil, but tensions are brewing between the workers and Robert. Robert expects the workers to put in long hours, while the workers are now free to challenge his authority. With Robert feeling more and more humiliated with the 'ungrateful' former slaves, a dangerous stand-off develops between them. July can see Robert changing, and this scares her.
With the crop starting to spoil and Amity in ruins, Robert's sanity starts to unravel - with potentially devastating consequences for July and her child. Many years later as an old woman, July is in a desperate position and uncertain of her future. Arrested for stealing food, July appears in court - but an unexpected presence could help to save her life.
The Long Song: Series 1 Photos
Tv Season Info
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Genre:Drama
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Network:PBS
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Premiere Date:Jan 31, 2021
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Exec. Producers:
Cast & Crew

Old July

Elias

Molly

Robert

Dublin Hilton

Miss Rose

Miss Clara

Caroline Mortimer

Samuel Lewis

Lilian

Driver Jackson

Hannah

Byron

Nimrod

July

Kitty

Benjamin

Peggy Jump

James Richards

Mary Ellis



News & Interviews for The Long Song: Series 1
Episodes
Drama set during the final days of slavery in 19th-century Jamaica. July is born to field slave Kitty at the Amity sugar cane plantation run by John Howarth and his younger sister Caroline. On a spoilt whim, Caroline decides she wants to train July as her personal maid.
The harvest at Amity is ready to be taken in or the crop will spoil, but tensions are brewing between the workers and Robert. Robert expects the workers to put in long hours, while the workers are now free to challenge his authority. With Robert feeling more and more humiliated with the 'ungrateful' former slaves, a dangerous stand-off develops between them. July can see Robert changing, and this scares her.
With the crop starting to spoil and Amity in ruins, Robert's sanity starts to unravel - with potentially devastating consequences for July and her child. Many years later as an old woman, July is in a desperate position and uncertain of her future. Arrested for stealing food, July appears in court - but an unexpected presence could help to save her life.
Critic Reviews for The Long Song Series 1
All Critics (10) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (1)
A beautiful, moving, horrifying adaptation of her unsimple tale, that honours the source and its subject.
A grim tale for Christmas, with fun trimmings.
Tamara Lawrance combines fiery spirit and heart-wrenching pathos in the role of July, with Sharon Duncan-Brewster a magnificently indomitable Kitty.
This was a gripping, unflinching and unapologetic redress of the vague popular notion that Britain's eventual role in ending slavery should count for more than the untold misery caused by our enthusiastic participation beforehand.
The Long Song upholds that such moral outrage is not only possible, but imperative. Apologies are in order.
It's worth tuning in for Lawrance alone and the episode teaser promised that the arrival of a new plantation overseer might offer a little more light and shade in the story-telling. The subject deserves it.
Within it, though, are some riveting tangles: all the dispossessions, acquirements and, latterly, invigorating exchanges of postcolonial drama.
BBC1's new drama The Long Song is so finely-tuned and carefully-balanced that it'll break your heart - and make you laugh at the same time.
As stripped back there is actually a pretty great drama here just trying to get out.
A period drama that enjoys playing with convention and defying expectations, which is a welcome sight.
Audience Reviews for The Long Song: Series 1
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