History Series / Cranford

* BechdelTest: Passes with ''flying'' colours -- and in the first five minutes, as the first episode opens with Miss Matty and her sister Deborah discussing their impending houseguest Miss Mary Smith while frantically making beds and removing dust covers. In fact, the primary focus of the programme is on the women of Cranford and their relationships with each other. It's interesting to note that it also passes the inversed test.[[note]]Lots of works that pass the Bechdel Test fail because focusing on women, they might lack compelling male characters, or its men only ever talk about women.[[/note]] ''Cranford'' has several well-defined male characters whose presence is not defined strictly by their relationship to ladies. For instance, Drs. Harrison and Morgan discuss medical procedures, or Mr Carter and Harry Gregson talk about school and education.

** In the second series, William Buxton. He has at least one loose shirt scene... He's played by the very attractive Creator/TomHiddleston.

** In the second series, William Buxton. He has at least one loose shirt scene...
*** It doesn't help at all that he's played by TomHiddleston.

* FlowerMotifs: In episode 2, Jessie Brown receives a bouquet of anemones from Major Gordon, whose proposal of marriage she had to turn down years ago in order to care for her ill sister. In the Victorian language of flowers, anemones mean "love ever steadfast." Well played, Major Gordon. Well played. [[spoiler:He wins her in the end.]]

* EnglishRose: Sophy Hutton is pretty, fair-haired and pale-skinned, and is very helpful to her widowed father. She's always very lady-like and an in-universe LustObject for Doctor Harrison.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Septimus. He lives in Italy and never comes home, the excuse being his poor health. His mother says she still hopes he will find a bride and produce an hair for their family estate. Miss Galindo and Sir Charles nod thoughtfully and say she shouldn't hope too much. In ''Return to Cranford'', Septimus does show up with a whiny man who acts more like his significant other than a mere intimate friend. It's strongly implied that he's gay but argument could be made against it as well.

* UndyingLoyalty: Martha, to Miss Matty.

* SpiritedYoungLady: Erminia. She's very opinionated and outspoken. Don't you try dictate her what to do or who to marry.

** Averted with Miss Mary Smith. She appears to be in her mid-twenties, though her age is never stated. She says about herself that she's young and has no reason to feel dissatisfied with her lot. Her young step-mother desperately wants to marry her off, but Mary has no desire to and feels embarrassed. She never says never, but it would have to feel right, and she also says she hasn't yet felt a desire to have children of her own. In ''Return to Cranford'', she gets engaged, but breaks it off and decides to [[spoiler:move to London to pursue a career as a writer.]]

* AmbiguouslyGay: Septimus. He lives in Italy and never comes home, the excuse being his poor health. His mother says she still hopes he will find a bride and produce an hair for their family estate. Miss Galindo and Sir Charles nod thoughtfully and say she should hope too much. In ''Return to Cranford'', Septimus does show up with a whiny man who acts more like his significant other than a mere intimate friend. It's strongly implied that he's gay but argument could be made against it as well.
* AudienceSurrogate: Mary Smith acts as one. Her mother came from Cranford, but she comes from Manchester herself. She ships Sophy and Dr. Harrison, is helpful to Dr Harrison or Misses Jenkyns, investigates the incident with Valentine cards, and then as an guardian angel, she solves most problems by writing letters to appropriate places.

* AnyoneCanDie: ''No one'' is safe. ''Ever''. Children, young people, old people, ill ones as well as healthy ones. And they are characters you care about, or if they are secondary characters, their death cause major distress to the prominent ones.

* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Mary Smith's half-siblings. There is seven of them, and Mrs Smith is either chubby or expecting another child.

* AFriendToAllChildren: Miss Matty says she has been always very fond of little children, and we see her entertaining a bunch of them at Lady Ludlow's garden party. She has a repetitive dream about a little girl who goes to her to hug her. When her servant and friend Martha has a baby girl Tilly, Miss Matty couldn't be happier.

* AudienceSurrogate: Mary Smith acts as one.
* AnyoneCanDie: ''No one'' is safe. ''Ever''.

-->"My age? ''My age''? How old do you think I am that you talk about ''my age''?"

** In the first episode Deborah Jenkyns comes across as prim and convention-obsessed to the point of coldness. But when the sister of her neighbour, Jessie Brown, dies, and their father (who would normally represent the family at the funeral) is away, Miss. Jenkyns defies convention by attending the funeral to support Miss Brown's decision to be the chief mourner.

* LetsDuet: Jessie Brown and Major Gordon. Their song is "On the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond", and it comes back in utterly heartwarming fashion in the fifth episode.

** Doctor Harrison, in-universe and among the viewership.

* SpiritedYoungLady: Erminia.

* ItsAllAboutMe

* BechdelTest: Passes with ''flying'' colours -- and in the first five minutes, as the first episode opens with Miss Matty and her sister Deborah discussing their impending houseguest Miss Mary Smith while frantically making beds and removing dust covers. In fact, the primary focus of the programme is on the women of Cranford and their relationships with each other. It's interesting to note that it also passes the inversed test.[[note]]Lots of work that pass the Bechdel Test fail because focusing on women, they might lack compelling male characters, or its men only ever talk about women.[[/note]] ''Cranford'' has several well-defined male characters whose presence is not defined strictly by their relationship to ladies. For instance, Drs. Harrison and Morgan discuss medical procedures, or Mr Carter and Harry Gregson talk about school and education.

* BechdelTest: Passes with ''flying'' colours -- and in the first five minutes, as the first episode opens with Miss Matty and her sister Deborah discussing their impending houseguest Miss Mary Smith while frantically making beds and removing dust covers. In fact, the primary focus of the programme is on the women of Cranford and their relationships with each other. It's interesting to note that it also passes the inversed test[[note]]which lots of work that pass the Bechdel Test fail because focusing on women, they might lack compelling male characters, or its men only ever talk about women.[[/note]] ''Cranford'' has several well-defined male characters whose presence is not defined strictly by their relationship to ladies. For instance, Drs. Harrison and Morgan discuss medical procedures, or Mr Carter and Harry Gregson talk about school and education.

* BechdelTest: Passes with ''flying'' colours -- and in the first five minutes, as the first episode opens with Miss Matty and her sister Deborah discussing their impending houseguest Miss Mary Smith while frantically making beds and removing dust covers. In fact, the primary focus of the programme is on the women of Cranford and their relationships with each other. It's interesting to note that it also passes the inverse[[note]]which lots of work that pass the Bechdel Test fail because focusing on women, they might lack compelling male characters, or its male characters only ever talk about women[[/note]]. ''Cranford'' has several well-defined male characters whose presence is not defined strictly by their relationship to ladies. For instance, Drs. Harrison and Morgan discuss medical procedures, or Mr Carter and Harry Gregson talk about school and education.

* BechdelTest: Passes with ''flying'' colours -- and in the first five minutes, as the first episode opens with Miss Matty and her sister Deborah discussing their impending houseguest Miss Mary Smith while frantically making beds and removing dust covers. In fact, the primary focus of the programme is on the women of Cranford and their relationships with each other.

** In the second series, William Buxton.

* StarCrossedLovers: Miss Matty and Thomas Holbrook. Nothing ever went right for them.
* ThemeTuneCameo: The music for the waltz at the end of ''Return to Cranford'' is the InstrumentalThemeTune of the series, albeit in 3/4 time (the original was in [[CommonTime 4/4]]).

** Sophy Hutton has blond curly hair and she's very good-hearted, taking care of her younger siblings after they lost their mother. Always caring and devoted, Sopphy is the Victorian ideal of "the angel in the house".

** Peggy Bell is a sweet girl; she's always nice to her overbearing family, and steady in supporting the love of her life.