Another weekend, another post about the Masterpiece series on PBS. This week the spotlight is on contemporary British author Bernard Cornwell, who writes several different historical fiction series. Masterpiece Classic is airing a two-part series, Sharpe’s Challenge, based on Cornwell’s Colonel Sharpe series. Former naval hero Richard Sharpe is sent to India in the early 1800s in search of a missing British agent. It’s a tumultuous time for the country, to say the least, and during the course of his search, Sharpe faces Indians who are less than happy with their English colonizers—as well as the seductive wiles of Top Chef‘s Padma Lakshmi.
Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe; Lakshmi as Madhuvanthi
The first episode airs Sunday night. Will you watch, or are you more a classic, “bonnets and breeches” costume drama fan? As much as I love series set in the English countryside, those bright saris might be a welcome change of pace. Read more about the Sharpe’s Challenge adaptation here.
You can also check out the BookPage review of Cornwell’s latest historical novel, The Burning Land.
I love Top Chef, but Padma is the WORST! I mean, she is always so monotone and robotic that I can’t imagine her acting (seductively or otherwise). Unless of course she’s actually really intelligent and not always stoned during filming of Top Chef and that is in fact an act. In which case I say: give that woman an Emmy!
I want to watch this! I haven’t read any of the Sharpe novels, but I love his Saxon Chronicles.
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