Very well acted and moving at times, William And Mary is one of those TV mini-series that ITV1 is so good at turning out these days. Martin Clunes as a dissatisfied undertaker is particularly good, acting his way through so many emotional troughs and peaks that you're surprised his character doesn't end up in an asylum. The only let-down is the ending, which is rather too neat and unrealistic for my taste.
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MartPol5 May 2003
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besmithtx3 January 2014I just watched all episodes of Series 1, 2 and 3 on Acorn TV in the USA. While this series is billed there as a comedy, I thought it to be more of a drama despite the occasional interruptions of humor. I got the feeling that it was a bit of a British soap opera for all of the cliff-hanger endings. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the series. I thought the acting of the main characters was excellent and the chemistry between them seemed real. The direction was superb. The careers and history of the main characters is something I have not seen in American TV or movies. but I watch very little of that commercial driven drivel. It hooked me after the second episode and I am glad that I spent the time to see it all.
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matt_N_vicki25 March 2020Funny realistic life situations. Very entertaining. Enjoy Martin Clunes work.
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jamn68 November 2006Came upon this series by accident. I purchase many British TV DVDs from Amazon.co.UK and this complete series was going cheap and being a great fan of men behaving badly, i thought lets give it a go.
We sat down one rainy afternoon and nine episodes later, said we must go to bed. This is a brilliant series, certainly not a comedy as some might think, there are many heart rendering moments. William (Martin Clunes) is an undertaker by default and Mary (Julie Graham) is a midwife so you can imagine death is around them but there is also so much joy. What a premise to a series, one partner brings new life in to the world and the other gently takes it away.
The writer and directors from the very first episode have built a tight and wonderful story based on the characters rather than the plot. Each character and there are many in each episode are acted perfectly. There are many twists and funny/sad moments especially in episode four.
I'm glad this show did not get under the radar, do yourself a favour and buy the entire series and then pass it on, but make sure you get it back , you will watch it again.
Thank goodness for British television - from Australia, we thank you. -
mgrant-317 July 2005I am in the middle of this series now and am already dreading it's end. If anyone can tell me where I can buy this entire series on DVD, I would love to do so. The characters are engaging, everyday people with everyday problems and you find yourself inwardly cheering them on and feeling as if you've known them forever. Each episode is directly relative to some portion of your own life - everything about the series is completely believable from the individual characters to the continuity and story lines of each episode. What one of us cannot find a character to relate to, believe in or dislike has not lived life at all, from the deadbeat ex to the interfering mother to the rude stepchildren. But what wins us over every time is the way William absolutely champions his love for Mary with a single twinkle in his beautiful eyes. When Mary finally told William she was in love with him, I was in tears. I, myself, am totally in love with Martin Clunes and will wait for him forever!
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ianlouisiana10 February 2014Don't be deceived by the presence of that fine comic actor Mr M.Clunes in "William and Mary",this is not a comedy series although it does have its wry moments. Mr Clunes plays Wm. Shawcross,a widowed undertaker with two teenage daughters.A sweet - natured and perhaps slightly ingenuous man who meets Mary,a midwife,through an internet dating agency.Mary has two teenage sons and a clinging mother living with her. So,in fact,the series has all the ingredients of a typical British TV sitcom,but manages to confound and exceed such expectations by some distance. This is due not only to the performances by Mr Clunes and Miss J.Graham as the eponymous pair,but the refusal of the writers to don rose - coloured spectacles and present the path of true love as running so smoothly. Mary is a proudly independent woman,and,although she may love William,she does not envisage a future of cosy domesticity with both families blending into one happy unit. She is as brilliant and unorthodox at her job as William is at his. Bringing new life into the world with the same care and compassion as he deals with the other end of the spectrum. It may be a case of opposites attracting,but compromise does not seem to be in Mary's lexicon.Frankly if I were her I'd jump at the chance of a new life with such a really nice,loving guy - but what do I know? Whatever happens,I am involved enough in "William and Mary" to care about what happens to both of them,and that is something that doesn't happen to often in my experience.
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sueque-5802026 March 2015I loved Martin Clunes in William and Mary and was hooked from the first episode! It didn't take me long to purchase all three seasons from iTunes and I regret that the actors chose to stop at three seasons. There was so much potential there. The interplay between William, the undertaker, and Mary, the midwife, was so well performed. Truly great writing and acting. The supporting cast were all extremely convincing in their roles and I was, at times, moved to tears by the touching story lines or laughing out loud from the outrageous behaviour!! Special mention must be made of the outstanding music selection chosen over the course of these seasons. From the hymns to the R & B to the contemporary, the viewer is moved by these choices. I believe that a compilation of the music from the three seasons of William and Mary would be a tremendous success especially here in North America where Martin Clunes has a huge fan base known as the Clunatics. If I were to choose just one song, it would be Clunes' rendition of "When did you get down from heaven". It would be an instant hit on iTunes!!
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tamarabelland31 July 2018I watched the first season of this series about 10 years ago and loved it then. To my delight, I recently found that there were two more seasons that I hadn't been aware of. What a joy to watch the contrasts, the fascinating characters, to get involved with the storyline, and groove with the great music. I couldn't recommend Willian and Mary highly enough.
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amaranthann23 April 2016I was first (and still am) addicted to Doc Martin, watched the "movies" of Doc Martin, then watched Dirty Tricks, and Man Who lost his Head. Naturally, when I came across William and Mary I was sure I was going to like it. I am so enthralled with this series that I am compelled to write a review. NEVER have I seen life and death treated with such clarity and savvy. The poignancy that both are handled with amazes me, and as each episode unfolds, I am overwhelmed with the tenderness of the characters, especially William and Mary, as they greet death and life in their own perspective way. This series is not sad as I have read, but joyful in the sense of their caring of 1). each other and 2). of the lives that they touch. The subjects that are handled and touched, are done so with such compassion that I am more deeply entwined in this series with each episode (I am in the midst of series 3). I feel a great reverence for the writers of this series and am deeply dismayed that there are no further seasons of this show. The talent of Martin Clunes and Julie Graham is fine tuned to perfection in this series. I weep with them and for them in their joy and in any sorrows that they befall. Life/birth is treated with such panache that it is unparalleled in anything I have seen before or since. Death can not be more reverently approached as it is in this story of William and Mary. William/Martin Clunes is at his best in this series. The compassion that his character emanates is so beautifully portrayed, that I am humbled and hopeful that such a person actually does exists. Hail and accolades to this William and Mary.
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gacks_200011 October 2020Mary's character is a pain, but still fun to watch. Love the contrast between birth and death situations.
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leschwend6 April 2014The series William and Mary starts out quite promising. An undertaker and mid-wife find love and merge their families, in a pleasing and interesting combination, which crosses socioeconomic and racial borders. Both individually and as a couple, our two main characters are thrown into a variety of situations that highlight these differences while showing the connections between them. Julie Graham and Martin Clunes are both wonderful actors and a pleasure to watch and the writing is often touching. However, right from the start of the second season, things go terribly awry in the writing and without giving anything away, I can say that the series becomes more of a soap opera than a modern, smart drama. By the end of the series, one of our two protagonists has become such a loathsome character, that one is left with a sense of dismay at the consistency of the unkindness, which is heaped on the other character. The only rational reason in the real word for such behavior is mental illness, yet in this artificial world, nearly all is forgiven because of love. This is only cursorily referenced in two or three truncated conversations, each one cut off before friends and family are able to say to the offending character "you are acting like a jerk, wake up or you will lose the love of your life!" This viewer enjoyed Martin Clunes far more in the Reggie Perren and Doc Martin. At least in Doc Martin there is a sense from the other characters in the series that Martin's behavior is irrational and perhaps borderline Asperger's. However, I'm afraid this viewer found most of the last two seasons of William and Mary infuriatingly busy, overwrought and frustrating.
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In the first series, the ups and downs of William, the undertaker, and Mary, the midwife, were fascinating viewing. Each episode involved a death and a birth; I was so involved, I cried at least once each episode. It was satisfying drama, that left you each week with the feeling that the story had wrapped up and balanced, yet you wanted another one, right then, right there, because it was so good.
Then in the second series, the characters were replaced by aliens from a parallel universe, where women throw diamond rings away in hospital corridors, and men throw diamond rings away out the window into the garden. All the women went haywire in some way or another (except the forgotten middle daughter who never gets a look in), with Mary becoming so hateful, illogical, cruel and unreasoning that she almost became unwatchable, while William metamorphosed into a saint, who tolerated all. The female partner in William's business behaved like a spoiled teenager, and a sex-crazed female solicitor won't take 'no' for an answer.
The problems piled on and on, and while some made sense (Mary's fellow-midwife becoming pregnant and finding her boyfriend is married), some didn't (Mary's mother getting cancer and going, in the space of 5 or 6 episodes, from diagnosis to chemo (oops! didn't work) to radiation (oops! didn't work) to stem cell treatment (does that even exist yet?) to cure (with predictable scene of weeping where the viewing is padded as the main characters ask whether the news is good or bad)).
There seems to be a TV maxim that good relationships don't make good viewing, but that is rubbish. William and Mary's good relationship was a delight in the first series; the dramatic tension came from the external world, and it was wonderful to see the safe haven they had with each other. That made it make sense that William could surf the problems the way he did.
I tried to hang in there, but I'm sorry, they lost me with the rings. The only people who throw valuable diamond rings away are spoiled impossibly-rich kids under the age of 25. Why do they think we want to watch William behave that way?
I'm just so disappointed. Did they change writers or something? Can we have the old William and Mary back? -
elderberryhess5 June 2020What a wonderful endearing, life story, love story, with all the family dynamics ...and best aches. We really did laugh along and cry along. I wish it hadn't ended. Highly recommend , especially if you're from a blended family. You'll get it
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rachelquarrell-5282016 September 2021I find William & Mary to be a lovely, beautiful and heartwarming show. I love it and am glad to own it on DVD.
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obird-6-66800320 May 2014The series is interesting and entertaining with many wonderful characters, but unfortunately Mary is an impossible b---ch. She's rude, and vulgar. She wants another child but never spends any time with her little boy. At a rare dinner with her husband she spends the whole time on her cellphone. She is more respectful of the panting women she attends than all the rest of her family. (And such a fuss over childbirth. Thank God I did not have these women pawing and patting me while I was giving birth.) She is riddled with class hatred. She thinks she knows better than anyone.
I find these kind of women are taking over television. Always ranting at others. I stopped watching Coronation St. because the women were all know-it-alls and always shouting at the men. Who is writing these characters and why? -
david-thor14 April 2018All characters are fine on this show - that is already running out of new ideas in the middle of series 2 - except, in my opinion, Mary. She seems so abrasive, crude and out-of-place with her line of work, and the themes that have been present in every episode are being used too often and often in too heavy-handed a fashion.. I am beginning to see why it lasted only three series. Nevertheless, there are enough pleasant surprises and good dialogue to keep it watchable and I'll watch all the episodes. I never thought I'd like Rueben, but he's quite a study in a conflicted man. My criticisms are not towards the actors, they are all very good actors; it's just that Mary is a scene-stealer for me...and not in a good way.
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Scotslad_00715 November 2018Big fan of UK dramas, and the characters here started with great tension and moments of skilled writing. But by season 2, continuing down in 3 Mary's character became a distraction and ultimately poisoned the dynamics. I read in another review and would agree it also most likely she has a mental illness, but its never really addressed. William has the patience of Job but my patience with her in the end is what caused the stars to go down.
As a actress Mary is great just the writing let her down. -
Mary turns into an ungrateful b!tch. None of the kids are likable, except for Thomas. The other 4 should be sent off to boarding school.
The wedding that didn't happen was beyond ridiculous.
This series lost it's way to the point that I cannot watch it. Although I adore the William character. -
yardbirdsraveup-758-58339126 February 2013Don't get me wrong; I love Martin Clunes! He is a phenomenal actor and I wouldn't pass up watching anything he has done. However, this program drips with too much grief. I was spoiled on the Doc Martin series and was hoping that this one would be just as good; it isn't. For one thing, William seems to always be a victim of circumstances. The supporting characters seem to "attack" him in an indirect way; there's Kate, his daughter, who appears to buck him at every turn. Her tryst with a married man and her fear of being pregnant is just one example of the ever-increasing weight of worry that piles up on William. The ever ubiquitous Ruben who increasingly becomes a bigger pest (and an irritant) every time he turns up, Mary's two sons, one of which gets knifed and sent to the hospital, Mary's mother, who has cancer. These incidents and more are just too much drama for one man to withstand.
At least Doc Martin has a great blend of good humor with some drama and I'll admit that I expected about the same with this series. Such is not the case. William and Mary has very little humor and too much drama. It, at times, is too overwhelming. -
pilot100921 February 20201st series really good, second series not bad, third series Mary becomes insane an frankly impossible to live with. Any rasonable guy would have 'ejected' writing was abysmal, what a shame. Acting was good but what can you do with a script this bad,
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mcjensen-0592430 August 2023Here we have yet another series that starts out strong with unlimited potential. The viewer has hope for a few episodes, then sadly is forced to watch it fizzle out into increasingly unbelievable actions by increasingly unlikeable people. Mid way through episode 3 I noticed the decline creeping in, and by the end of episode 4 all was lost. The chemistry between the two leads in nonexistent. Whenever they kissed I had to look away. It was simply revolting. And their fights were so contrived and out of the blue that all one could do was roll their eyes. Manufactured drama for drama's sake to push this dud along. Not that the acting wasn't grand, because it certainly was. The failure is in the script, unfortunately. As with Doc Martin, there's moments of deep and sincere emotion, and some of the conversations are very moving. It's difficult to articulate why it lost me so early on, but it's likely a sum of many things that made me hit the wall. When the father of Mary's kids shows up it's over. He's just an overacting buffoon it made me ill. Absolutely horrible. The British equivalent of Chris Tucker. Just some token added color to a series that didn't need or benefit from it in the least. Cliches, silly behavior and dialogue that just didn't ring true. It's a slow descent and remains watchable for the first season anyway., but just barely. The soundtrack is dull and distracting, which never helps. And the mother! A meddling clueless annoying idiot. Her entire role isn't necessary at all, and the same goes for her relationship with that young handyman/loser. There's some occasionally choppy editing and shaky camera work that really gets on the nerves too. Anyway, don't bother. All it does is set you up for disappointment. In the end you will despise everyone involved except maybe 2 or 3 of the kids.
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sllmilehi28 June 2005I was living in New Zealand last year, and got hooked on William and Mary. Can it be seen in the United States at all? Last episode had Mary pregnant, William moving to a new location, and the kids on the edge of trouble.
It was well written for the most part, and the characters were diverse and entertaining. Interesting with her bringing babies into the world, and him helping usher people out!
I especially enjoyed Mary's mother, and the relationship between Mary and her mother. The intermingling of the kids was of interest, and I'd love to see how the plot continued with respect to that. -
He's too fat, she is horrible, and they are in love..she has a horribly meddling mother who drags her ex boyfriend around and mooches from her daughter and never goes away.
I was ticked off most of the series..these dumb low class people, why should I care about this show -
Jayashrii26 October 2011Public television in my area is showing 3 series starring Martin Clunes. I've watched 3 episodes each of William and Mary and The Fall and Rise of Reggie Perrin and all of the first two seasons of Doc Martin. Although my opinion may change when I've finished watching all the episodes, at this point I am struck by the way all three have characteristics in common which make them both endearing and in some way admirable and override their obnoxious aspects.
(1) They need to value what they do for a living in order for them to be happy. William's ability to be empathetic makes him, in a real sense, a "community worker." Doc Martin lacks the ability to pick up on the feelings and viewpoints of others, as would someone with Asperger's Syndrome, but he is unshakably dedicated to serving the health needs of his community and responds to situations with alacrity and persistence, undeterred by distressing and inconvenient elements. The feckless but lucky Reggie Perrin has been rendered punchy because of his inability to either reconcile himself to or escape a job he despises.
(2) They may flirt with infidelity but are generally restrained by their monogamous dispositions.
(3) They are emotionally vulnerable.
(4) Reggie and Doc Martin do not suffer fools gladly. The latter insults the good as well as the foolish. Reggie says the things we would like to be able to say to people we wouldn't like either and generally defies people in authority, breaks stupid regulations, and largely ignores assignments from which he can't escape. He's a bit like an out-of- control and luckier. Dilbert. In this regard William so far has only maintained benevolent parental authority over his disrespectful teenage daughters.
All this is validated by the people in their environment who respond to them with affection, often partly due to their own tolerance as well as their appreciation of their good qualities. The love Mary's sons openly show towards her is especially endearing.