Bramwell follows the fortunes of Dr. Eleanor Bramwell (Jemma Redgrave) in her pursuit of public health and private amours in Victorian-era London. Feisty and unconventional, her sights are set on becoming a leading surgeon, an ambition unheard of for women in Victorian society. Eleanor’s father Robert (David Calder) would like his daughter to join him in his respectable private practice, but his daughter has plans of her own which take her from the drawing rooms of the elite to the shocking deprivation of the slums of London’s East End.
This lavish period drama begins with Eleanor assisting at the East London Hospital of eminent surgeon Sir Herbert Hamilton. From the very beginning Eleanor’s strongly held opinions and desire to take the medical profession out of the dark ages draw her into conflict with Sir Hamilton’s old fashioned and often barbaric practices. But Eleanor’s energy and compassion also win her friends, including Lady Cora Peters who recognizes Eleanor’s talents and sets her up in a small charitable infirmary in the slums of the East End where she will encounter the difficulties and dangers of attending to the needs of both London’s poor and criminal underworld.
With extraordinary depth and vitality, Jemma Redgrave plays Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, an ambitious doctor intent on becoming a surgeon who struggles to make her mark in the medical world while mocked by her male counterparts. In the season opener, Eleanor works at East London hospital under the patronizing tutelage of Sir Herbert Hamilton until she no longer can tolerate his barbaric medical practices—especially toward women.
This well-written and skillfully acted period drama provides a provocative glimpse at turn-of-the-century women’s rights as well as social commentary on the culture of Victorian England. Redgrave gives an intelligent performance, developing her character at many levels, as a deeply compassionate, headstrong, flawed individual who remains true to her convictions. Not suitable for young children due to mature themes. –Lynn Gibson
Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.
Note: Four seasons were produced. Willow and Thatch just loved this series – except for the last season, which only contained two episodes and was uncharacteristic of the show and perhaps, better left unwatched.