A luxury London hotel during the Second World War: that is the confined setting in which The Halcyon unfolds, a series that combines glamour, intrigue and the Blitz bombings.
Are you a fan of period dramas? Then this one may well appeal to you. First broadcast in 2017, this British drama takes viewers behind the scenes of a grand London hotel at the very beginning of the Second World War. Its name: The Halcyon. Balancing refined luxury with an atmosphere of looming danger, the series portrays a privileged world desperately trying to keep up appearances while the Blitz rains down upon the capital. Enough to intrigue even the most sceptical viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gThhAxO3ZFs
London between luxury and chaos
Let us travel back to London in 1940. As bombing raids become part of everyday life for the city’s inhabitants, life continues — almost normally — within the prestigious Halcyon Hotel. Aristocrats, diplomats and wealthy guests mingle with a staff determined to maintain an illusion of calm at all costs.
Yet behind the scenes, the hotel reveals a very different side. Richard Garland, the trusted right-hand man of the owner, Lord Hamilton, also hosts unofficial diplomatic meetings and guards closely kept secrets. Love affairs, mysterious guests, schemes and personal tragedies: no one staying at the Halcyon will escape untouched.
A promising but uneven series
As with any historical drama, comparisons with Downton Abbey were inevitable. Although the series does not quite reach the same standard of writing and occasionally lacks subtlety, it remains highly entertaining, if only for its visual appeal. From the lavish sets and period costumes to the meticulous recreation of the era, viewers are immersed from the very first moments in the glamorous London of the 1940s.
Broadcast on ITV in 2017, the series unfortunately failed to win over a large audience. As a result, it was cancelled after just one season of eight episodes. Now available on Prime Video, it nevertheless promises several hours of escapist entertainment.
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