Little Women (1970 TV series)


Little Women was a BBC television series in 1970, based on the 1868-69 two-volume novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. It was the third BBC adaptation of the novel.
It starred Angela Down as Jo, Jo Rowbottom as Meg, Janina Faye as Amy, Sarah Craze as Beth, and Patrick Troughton as Father.
It was shown on the Sunday tea-time slot on BBC1, where the BBC often showed fairly faithful adaptations of classic novels aimed at a family audience. It consisted of nine episodes.
It is not one of the better-remembered adaptations of Little Women, possibly because it was made on a relatively low budget and nearly all shot in the studio. There were also comments about the actresses playing the March sisters being too old for the part, and some of the cast struggling with an American accent. However it did have some merits e.g. the character of Laurie was more developed than in some versions, and it may have stuck to the original novel more closely than most adaptations e.g. by showing the March sisters often quarrelling.