The knives are out over period details in Howards End
Spreading jam with a spoon and men wearing hats indoors prompt backlash at BBC blunders
IT IS one of the BBC’S most hotly anticipated programmes this year, with a bumper cast and storyline.
But the new adaptation of Howards End has caught the attention of experts for a different reason: its historical inaccuracy.
Hallie Rubenhold, a historical consultant who has worked on dramas including the BBC’S Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, has questioned a number of scenes from the first episode, including one where a character was shown applying jam to a piece of toast using a spoon.
In the early 20th century, ladies and gentlemen would have used a knife to apply jam, she claimed.
In another apparent faux pas, gentlemen in the production were constantly shown to don hats indoors, which would have been a big “no, no” in the day, she said.
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, she said she noticed the inaccuracy “straight away”. She said: “This is just a case of the ac- tress picking up the wrong piece of cutlery and those on set not being aware the jam wasn’t spread with a spoon. I think that is a slip because a knife would have been used at the time of day.”
Ms Rubenhold, who has not worked on Howards End, said the error could be down to a lack of judgment.
Speaking about hats being worn indoors, she said: “Generally speaking men would remove their hats when indoors, so keeping them on in the production is a big no, no.
“We seem to have a real problem getting hats right in period drama – or even getting them on the heads of characters at all.
“All men and women of all classes wore hats in the past – we tend to forget this. However, to be honest, these little things don’t bother me as larger things.”
She added that her larger concern was the “desire to demonstrate that the Schlegel sisters, for all their progressive ideas, were as comfortable with racial difference as we are [today]”. The errors were also noticed by viewer Kate Forrester, who told the Telegraph in a letter that the current production “betrays an irritating lack of attention to detail”.
“At the beginning of the 20th century, no one like Aunt Juley would have held a piece of toast in her hand at the table and spread it with jam direct from the spoon,” he said. “Nor would any gentlemen have failed to remove his hat indoors.”
Another viewer, Malcolm Chase, complained that characters had mispronounced Heidelberg as “Heydelberg”.
The first episode of the drama, a four-part adaptation of E M Forster’s 1910 novel, which focuses on two sisters and the men in their lives, was watched by 6.8 million viewers.
The series has been adapted by Oscar winner Kenneth Lonergan and stars Matthew Macfadyen and Hayley Atwell, whose Hollywood roles include Peggy Carter in Captain America.
Greg Jenner, the historian who presented Inside Versailles for the BBC after the success of its Versailles drama, has previously defended historical inaccuracy in an article on the BBC website. He wrote: “Firstly, let’s be clear that historical dramas don’t need to be accurate. It’s nice when they are, but it’s not their purpose – drama is entertainment, not educational programming.
“Representing the past with careful verisimilitude, while also making watchable telly, is a rare and difficult feat. The past was messy. Stories, however, require rigid structure.” The new series was also hit by complaints from viewers labelling the background music too loud. Some called it “intrusive” and “excessive”, while others said they spent the entire hour trying to change the sound levels on their televisions.
Viewers’ complaints on the music follow numerous other BBC sound problems, with programmes including Jamaica Inn, SS-GB, Brian Cox’s Wonders of the Universe and a range of natural history programmes suffering poor dialogue and noisy background music.
When approached for comment, the BBC referred the Telegraph to the production company, which has not yet responded.
‘We seem to have a real problem getting hats right in period drama’
SIR – Not only did Aunt Juley in the BBC’S Howards End display the most appalling table manners by spreading jam on her toast when it was in her hand (Letters, November 18) – but it was also sliced bread.
Surely that did not exist at the time. Charlotte Barker
Tetbury, Gloucestershire