The Country House Revealed
BBC2, Tuesday 10 May 9:00pm - 10:00pm
South Wraxall - 1/6, series 1 Dan Cruickshank rummages around six important British country houses that - and this is the crucial point - aren't open to the public, in order to tell their stories. For the most part his investigations into "the hidden gem" of South Wraxall Manor revolve less around architectural furbelows and embellishments than the history of the Longs, the disreputable nouveau riche family that built the place. That said, South Wraxall in Wiltshire does have magnificent fireplaces, the last word in interior design during Tudor times. Sadly, Cruickshank's Famous Five-style enthusiasm (all golly and gosh exclamations), interspersed with whispered reverence and agitated hand movements, can be a real distraction. I kept missing what he was actually saying.
Radio Times reviewer - Jane Rackham
VIDEO Plus+: 2497
Subtitled, Widescreen
Directed by: Ian MacmillanRadiotimes
