8.729 minSeason 1 • Episode 15
LatestRichard's obsession with Chancery has left him desperately ill. Ada is pregnant but worries Richard will not live to see the child. When Woodcourt proposes marriage, Esther is torn between her love for him and her commitment to Jarndyce. The impossible finally happens - a result in Chancery - but it's one that will astound everybody.
The generous John Jarndyce, struggling with his own past, and his two young wards Richard and Ada, are all caught up, like Lady Dedlock, in the infamous case of Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce, which will make one of them rich beyond imagination if it can ever be brought to a conclusion. As Tulkinghorn digs deeper into Lady Dedlock's past, he unearths a secret that will change their lives forever, and which is almost as astounding as the final outcome of the Jarndyce case.
Acting
Gillian Anderson's thousand-yard stare could end wars.
Production
BBC money actually showing for once—every cobblestone weeps.
Writing
Andrew Davies adapts Dickens like he owes him money.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This adaptation helped launch the 'Golden Age of BBC Costume Drama' that gave us Downton Abbey's entire career.
Charles Dance based Tulkinghorn's reptilian stillness on watching actual snakes at London Zoo.
GB
