Love in a Cold Climate (1980)

Bestselling author Nancy Mitford's novels "The Pursuit of Love" and "Love in a Cold Climate" draw on her own experiences as a child of Britain's aristocracy between the two world wars. Adapted by Simon Raven (The Pallisers, Edward & Mrs. Simpson), this eight-part Masterpiece Theatre presentation stars Oscar winner Dame Judi Dench (Iris), Michael Williams (A Fine Romance), Michael Aldridge (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), and Vivian Pickles (Harold and Maude). Linda Radlett (Lucy Gutteridge, A Christmas Carol), daughter of Lord and Lady Alconleigh, follows her heart in and out of adventures, marriages, and dalliances, much to the dismay of her parents. Her dear friend Polly Hampton (Rosalyn Landor) maintains a cooler head (and some say, a colder heart) in her romantic entanglements. Seamlessly weaving together the two women's tangled love affairs, this "literate...and entertaining" (People) drama is set against a backdrop of the English nobility's golden age, and a looming world conflict that would alter that life forever.