I definitely need to re-read it again. Someday, someday…!
A very short teaser: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/12/first-trailer-for-bbcs-jonathan-strange-a-mr-norrell
What about the Duke of Wellington? Both David Troughton and Hugh Fraser played him in Sharpe – too old now?
Could be. Here’s a well-known Goya portrait of the Duke from around that era: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Duke_of_Wellington_2.jpg
Slightly OT but can someone settle an argument for me? Is it pronounced NORRell (NORRuhl) or NorrELL?
The first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo9Iz8H8COU
Thank you, and thank you for the supporting evidence – I feel righteously smug now. 
Big news! British premiere to be on May 17; in the U.S. on June 13:
http://www.bbcamerica.com/jonathan-strange-and-mr-norrell/
http://www.feelfilms.co.uk/empire-magazine-strange-norrell-feature/
And it was REALLY GOOD. Seriously, while all adaptations have their quirks and compromises they’ve really done a lot to get the tone of this right. Heck, the locations alone are stellar - York is as much a star of the show as the cast are.
I’m afraid I have to disagree. I’ve read the book and the pictures in my head are so much better - as they usually are. The talking statues in York Minster were like something out of Dr Who - and that’s not a compliment. Marc Warren looks like someone from a David Bowie video. It’s not working for me.
I did go back and forth on whether I liked Marc Warren but I think they were trying to convey a weird oppressive otherworldliness in his look, sound and demeanour. He wasn’t just a Goblin King-wannabe with tights and a lot of backcombing; he was supposed to be genuinely alien and subtly menacing. Whether it continues to work remains to be seen.
I enjoyed episode 1 but thought the 2nd episode was much better.
Here’s the trailer for the miniseries, to start this Sat. on BBC America:
I swear to God when I read the title of the thread I thought you meant these guys.
Shame on you!
I’ve got the DVR all set!
I like it, though I imagined quite a bit more creepy evil grinning.
I’ve started a new thread for discussion of the miniseries as it airs on BBC America. Please join us there: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell on BBC America - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board