Missed the first episode somehow, but then watched the next two... only to get an odd feeling it was almost like a strange, start of the war, prequel to the BBC's recent "Close to the Enemy" i.e. Close to the Enemy - Wikipedia Even down to the matching cast, characters and some of the associated story lines. It's interesting reading the growing wiki on "the Halcyon" though... The Halcyon - Wikipedia "The series focuses on examining World War II London from 'a new perspective',[5] and is set in 1940 at a five-star hotel " at the centre of London Society and a world at war,[6] aiming to show London life through the prism of war and the impact it has on families, politics, relationships and work across every social strata."[7] The first episode was broadcast on 2 January 2017.[8] The Halcyon is reportedly "a similar beast" to Downton Abbey,[4] although Left Bank Pictures founder and managing director Marigo Kehoe explained that the show had been in development "for a long time",[4] and the development of the show came at a time when "new ideas were needed".[4] Producer Chris Croucher added that "Downton has a serenity to it, but the modern world is arriving in The Halcyon"[9] as well as revealing The Halcyon's dialogue "is more punchy" and that the show "has more energy".[9] Radio Times revealed that The Halcyon has a "little bit of Downton Abbey and a little bit of Mr Selfridge in the mix" " With only 8 episodes (this series) however I assume that they will have a lot to try to cover if they have to have about a year of the war for each series/season, and there will be some more dark, and even darker days ahead. I haven't really been picking through the series to see how accurate it is, as I expect one day the wiki will be exhaustive about that bit even so, the episodes are lacking the usual wiki-synopsis-es at the mo. The Halcyon - Wikipedia Matching a year to a series, might keep it going for a while.... i.e. like Downton's 6 series and with stories (and passing trade) such as, as in... Savoy Hotel - Wikipedia Though if people like Churchill, Mountbatten, and de Gaulle turned up in "the Halcyon" people might scoff and start to say it was stretching credulity a bit.... Despite the.... bit in the above... about the Savoy... "During World War II, Wontner and his staff had to cope with bomb damage, food rationing, manpower shortage and a serious decline in the number of foreign visitors. After the US entered the war, business picked up as the Savoy Hotel became a favourite of American officers, diplomats, journalists and others.[33] The hotel became a meeting place for war leaders: Winston Churchill often took his cabinet to lunch at the hotel, Lord Mountbatten, Charles de Gaulle, Jan Masaryk and General Wavell were among the regular Grill Room diners, and the hotel's air-raid shelters were "the smartest in London".[1] Wontner cooperated fully with the government's wartime restrictions, helping to draw up an order imposing a five-shilling limit on the price of a restaurant meal" etc. Which is what it almost feels like they are modelling it on... Rm.
