Dench and Staunton to return to BBC’s Cranford

Published Monday 31 March 2008 at 12:45 by Matthew Hemley

Judi Dench and Imelda Staunton are set to reprise their roles in the BBC1 drama Cranford for a two-part Christmas special.

The pair will be joined by Francesca Annis, Julia McKenzie and Jim Carter in the special, which will pick up the story in 1844, a year after the town of Cranford has celebrated the wedding of Sophy and Dr Harrison, played by Kimberley Nixon and Simon Woods.

BBC head of series and serials Kate Harwood, who is also executive producer of Cranford, said: “Cranford captured the hearts of the nation last year as every week, nearly 8 million viewers tuned in to catch up with Miss Matty and her fellow villagers. I am delighted that we are able to bring these much-loved characters back to life for a Christmas special in 2009 and are once again uniting an unprecedented pool of talent to thrill and entertain our audiences.”

Cranford has recently picked up four nominations for the Bafta Television Awards and seven nominations for the Bafta Craft Awards.

The Christmas special will film in and around Wiltshire and London and will be written by Heidi Thomas. It was recommissioned by controller of BBC fiction Jane Tranter.