This contemporary reworking of Geoffrey Chaucer’s late medieval book of tales has received mixed reactions from viewers. Having read some of the original (mainly) poems in Middle English, I can say they make fantastic literature. They are written with such mastery that each poem is a prime example of one of various genres around at the time of writing. So yes, I like the originals. But I’m not one of those people who bemoan the adaptation and transition of these texts into the world of modern TV. I actually like the idea. And these six episodes (The Miller's Tale, The Pardoner's Tales, The Man of Law's Tale, The Sea Captain's Tale, The Knight's Tale and The Wife of Bath) have maintained the generic spirit of the originals, which is all I would ask of any adaptation. 

The episodes also make exciting and engrossing viewing—just look at The Pardoner’s Tale with its dramatic meditation of judgment and retribution! I don’t want to discuss the plots of each of the stories because that is a bit pointless here. Chaucer was bawdy, and that cheeky mood makes it across into this BBC production. 

This is definitely one worth having for lovers of good drama and Chaucer fans alike—except of course the pretentious textual purists who think TV is not worth watching: but good are they to anyone anyway? 

There are no extras on the disc and the subtitles only come in English. The user menu is also slightly cumbersome, but beside that I think it would be a good buy. Billie Piper in The Miller’s Tale as the lusty young wife worth winning is good too. 

Felix Staica