Les Misérables (British TV series)

Les Misérables is a British television series based on the 1862 French historical novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. Adapted by Andrew Davies and directed by Tom Shankland, it stars Dominic West, David Oyelowo, and Lily Collins.

The series was produced by the BBC with support from PBS member station WGBH Boston's Masterpiece series. BBC Studios handles the distribution for the series. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom between 30 December 2018 and 3 February 2019. In Canada, the series started broadcasting on 10 January 2021 on CBC and CBC Gem.

Cast

 * Dominic West as Jean Valjean
 * David Oyelowo as Javert
 * Lily Collins as Fantine Thibault
 * Adeel Akhtar as Monsieur Thénardier
 * Johnny Flynn as Felix Tholomyès
 * Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Col. Pontmercy
 * David Bradley as Monsieur Gillenormand
 * Derek Jacobi as Bishop Myriel


 * Ron Cook as Hair and Teeth Dealer
 * Alan David as the Scribe
 * Kathryn Hunter as Madame Victurnien
 * Olivia Colman as Madame Rosalie Thénardier


 * Enzo Cilenti as Rivette


 * Josh O'Connor as Marius Pontmercy
 * Raphael Bishop and Woody Norman as young Marius
 * Ellie Bamber as Cosette
 * Mailow Defoy and Lia Giovanelli as young Cosette
 * Erin Kellyman as Éponine Thénardier
 * Sienna Barnes and Tiarna Williams as young Eponine
 * Joseph Quinn as Enjolras
 * Donald Sumpter as Monsieur Mabeuf


 * Turlough Convery as Grantaire
 * Archie Madekwe as Courfeyrac
 * Alex Jarrett as Azelma Thénardier
 * Amani Johnson and Isabelle Lewis as young Azelma
 * Reece Yates as Gavroche
 * Emmanuel Goffin as young Gavroche
 * Emma Fielding as Nicolette
 * Charlotte Dylan as Favourite
 * Ayoola Smart as Zéphine
 * Hayley Carmichael as Madame Magloire
 * Liz Carr as Fantine's Concierge
 * Ashley Artus as Gendarme
 * Matthew Steer as Blachevelle
 * Lorcan Cranitch as Chief Inspector
 * Georgie Glen as Abbess
 * Anna Calder-Marshall as Madame Rully
 * Natalie Simpson as Sister Simplice
 * Angela Wynter as Toussaint
 * Lily Newmark as Sophie

Development
The Weinstein Company was initially set to co-produce the series and serve as its distributor in the U.S. and China. The studio was dropped, however, following the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations. PBS member station WGBH Boston, through their television series Masterpiece, replaced The Weinstein Company as a co-producer of the series.

Filming
Filming for the series began in February 2018 in Belgium and Northern France.

Release
BBC Studios handles distribution for the series. The drama, which consists of six episodes, premiered on 30 December 2018. In New Zealand, the series was released on TVNZ 1 and its free streaming service TVNZ OnDemand.

In the US, the series was aired on PBS, starting 21 April 2019, to end on 19 May 2019.

Reception
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 79 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Collins' performance as Fantine received praise from critics. Alexandra Pollard of The Independent praised her performance, writing "she plays the tragic Fantine with steeliness and grace", and described it as "magnificent." West's performance as Valjean in the final episode also received critical praise. Gabriel Tate of The Telegraph praised his performance, writing "Dominic West steals the show in a stirring finale."

The television mini-series on PBS was described as "an engrossing treat, featuring a vibrant cast and taking its time to unspool the melodrama and offer loving looks at 19th century France." It "hews closely to the source material without skipping too much plot or character motivations", the source material being the 19th century novel by Victor Hugo. The casting is commended, with many strong performances. The plot cannot carry all the detail of Hugo's novel of his characters in a tumultuous time in France, but "when all the cannons are fired and last stands are taken, the sacrifices given do not feel insignificant.". The story is told keeping "the narrative clear and allowing character-driven scenes to breathe."

Allison Keene of Collider wrote, "Emotional, engrossing" with 5 stars.