Grantchester fans, we’ve got some news for you. Long before star James Norton stepped foot in the Cambridgeshire village, the actor flexed his acting chops in a period drama of a different kind – and it’s a must-watch for anyone wanting a taste of one of his greatest, yet seemingly forgotten, roles. Life in Squares is the 2015 series that sees James step into the shoes of a member of the renowned Bloomsbury group and you can binge the entire 5-star series on Prime Video tonight.
The story of the group of British writers, artists and thinkers, who were united by a desire for freedom in the early 20th century, makes for a series in which there’s rarely a dull moment. The drama explores the often tumultuous relationship between painter Vanessa Bell and her sister Virginia Woolf, as well as Vanessa’s sexually complicated alliance with gay artist Duncan Grant and the escapades of many other members of the group, including Duncan Grant (James Norton) and Lytton Strachey (Ed Birch). Think a heady mix of sexual radicalism and creative passion and you’re getting warm.
Intrigued? Before you tune in, here’s everything you need to know about Life in Squares, including the full plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Life in Squares about?
Ecosse Films
Penned by BAFTA award-winning writer Amanda Coe (Apple Tree Yard, The Trial of Christine Keeler), the three-part series tells the story of the Bloomsbury group – a collection of friends and lovers who were pioneers of artistic and sexual freedom – over 40 years. Spanning the period from the death of Queen Victoria to the Second World War, the drama explores the relationship between painter Vanessa Bell and her sister Virginia Woolf, alongside Vanessa’s complicated alliance with gay artist Duncan Grant.
The series delves into how they, and their like-minded friends, navigated their way through love, sex and artistic life in the first half of the 20th century, a time in which they legendarily “lived in squares, painted in circles and loved in triangles.” We meet the sisters in 1905, as Vanessa (Phoebe Fox) and Virginia (Lydia Leonard), struggle to escape the confines of Victorian England. The duo begin to forge a life of bohemian freedom, in which their friendship with Bloomsbury contemporaries Duncan Grant (James Norton), Lytton Strachey (Ed Birch), Clive Bell (Sam Hoare) and John Maynard Keynes (Edmund Kingsley) looms large.
Ecosse Films
In the 1930s, the drama follows an older Vanessa and Virginia (Eve Best and Catherine McCormack), as they settle into marriage and creative success. Vanessa creates a beautiful life at Charleston farmhouse, yet Bloomsbury’s legacy to the next generation – and in particular to Vanessa and Duncan’s daughter Angelica (Lucy Boynton) – is a turbulent one. And as war looms once again, Virginia’s own mental anguish returns/ Vanessa is forced to confront, through the pain of many losses, the success or failure of her extraordinary experiments in living.
Lucy Richer, Commissioning Editor and Executive Producer, has described the series as “intimate”, explaining that “Amanda’s writing and Simon’s directing is an exciting modern take on a story which is timelessly fascinating.”
Ecosse Films
Lucy Bedford, executive producer, added: “The Bloomsbury group exerts an enduring fascination and Amanda’s brilliant scripts deliver an engrossing portrait of a visually gorgeous, emotionally intense world. At heart Life In Squares is a family drama, about the families we try to escape, the ones we end up creating, and the different kinds of damage love can do.”
Who’s in the cast of Life in Squares?
Ecosse Films
The main cast of Life in Squares includes:
James Norton (Grantchester, Happy Valley) as Duncan GrantPhoebe Fox (The Great, Task) as Vanessa BellLydia Leonard (Absentia, Ten Percent) as Virginia WoolfSam Hoare (Dark Angel) as Clive BellEdmund Kingsley (Capsule, The Carrier) as Maynard KeynesEd Birch (The Hurricane Heist) as Lytton StracheyRob Heaps (Imposters) as Thoby StephensIs Life in Squares any good?
Ecosse Films
Yes – it’s an oldie but a goodie. The series is a fascinating insight into the lives of the Bloomsbury group and, with much of the filming taking place at Charleston, we get to see where key scenes actually happened in real-life. We should also mention that James Norton is nothing short of stunning in it – in case you needed another reason to watch it.
Is there a trailer for Life in Squares?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Life in Squares below.
How can I watch Life in Squares?
All three episodes of Life in Squares are available to watch now on Prime Video. You can also watch the series on YouTube.
What other James Norton dramas can I watch now?
HBO
For another masterclass in period dramas, we’d recommend The Nevers. The drama is set in Victorian London and follows a group of women known as the Touched, who have “unusual” abilities. James is the charming, morally ambiguous, wealthy aristocrat who’s fascinated by them – but he also wants to exploit them for a profit. You can watch The Nevers on ITVX. If you enjoy a bit of family drama, you’ll find plenty of it in House of Guinness, which is available to watch on Netflix. The Succession-esque show from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight tells the story the famous Guinness family and the power struggle that ensued when the man behind its extraordinary success died. For more great James Norton dramas, you can check out our pick of his best roles here.
READ MORE TV NEWS HERE