Little Women

1 9 7 0 (UK)
9 x 25 minute episodes

Perhaps viewers were drawn to this nine-part Sunday teatime series from the BBC – set in Concord, Massachusetts during the 1880s and adapted from Louisa M Alcott’s classic two-volume novel – because of the clothes of the era: long, full dresses, high collars, hats, muffs, and scarves, all in demure styles that suited the Quakers of America.

Or perhaps they admired the beautiful manners of the March family and their friends, back in a time when gentlemen really were gentle men, and ladies behaved like ladies.

No doubt, many viewers watched Little Women to delight in the ever-changing moods of the March family: happy one day, encased in gloom the next.

But the most important aspect was surely the romance. Everyone loves love, and not least our Little Women.

Whether it was the happily-ever-after sort of love or the broken-hearted kind, how could there fail to be romance in a story about four young girls who lived next door to two gorgeous men – the cool, handsome Mr Brooke (Martin Jarvis), who fell under Meg’s spell, and gay, devil-may-care Laurie (Stephen Turner), who Jo called ‘Teddy’.

Most of the time, one or all of the six were in love.

Amy (Janina Faye), the youngest March girl, spent the early part of the series feeling hard done by, because she was the youngest and was often left out of the older girls’ fun. She was a little jealous of Jo (Angela Down) but wouldn’t admit it because of Jo and Laurie’s friendship.

Still, Amy was the youngest and could be forgiven her tantrums. But when Beth (Sarah Craze) died, all Amy’s wonderful sentimentality poured out and all her love went Laurie’s way. Deep down she had always been terribly fond of Laurie though she could never show it until Jo turned him down.

Then, happily, Laurie fell in love with Amy, and that was one pair we could tick off as living happily ever after.

Jo was somewhat like a race-horse: restless, slim, tall, eager, always bounding ahead – but perhaps a little less gracefully than a horse.

She was a tomboy and a girl who, on the surface, loved her independence. But she needed love like the other girls and couldn’t do without Laurie’s love and affection.

One warmed easily to Jo because she had faults, knew she had them, and did her best to do better.

Jo was in love with words writing and reading them. Her ambition was to become a writer and move to New York or Europe, and she made words her solace until she found real love.

For a long time it seemed that she never would, until lovable Professor Bhaer (Frederick Jaeger) came along.

Beth radiated love and goodwill. She was dying, and knew it, but didn’t wallow in self-pity. She never got the chance to fall in love and marry, but she was in love with life itself.

She loved music, playing the piano, animals, and birds. She also loved old Mr Laurence (John Welsh) from the big house next door, Laurie’s grandfather who seemed so gruff. But Beth melted his heart.

The oldest March sister, Meg (Jo Rowbottom), was also the prettiest.  She wanted to marry a rich man so that she could live in splendour, have lots of servants and plenty of leisure. She called it her “castle in the air”.

But in the end, it wasn’t money that won her heart, but John Brooke’s love.

In true BBC style for the period, there were very few exterior scenes (the series clearly had a small budget), and as a result, everything felt claustrophobic; there was no sense of the beauty and romance of New England.

Ex–Doctor Who Patrick Troughton was underused in the thankless role of Mr March.

Jo March
Angela Down
Meg March
Jo Rowbottom
Amy March
Janina Faye
Beth March
Sarah Craze
Mrs March
Stephanie Bidmead
Theodore Laurence (Laurie/Teddy)
Stephen Turner
John Brooke
Martin Jarvis
Hannah
Pat Nye
Mr James Laurence
John Welsh
Aunt March
Jean Anderson
Mr March
Patrick Troughton
Rodgers
Philip Ray
Professor Bhaer
Frederick Jaeger
Doctor
Brian Badcoe
Jack Scott
Richard Franklin
Mrs Kirke
Beth Ellis