- Seaside Hotel is a Danish period drama set in the 1920s to 1940s, now fully available on Channel 4.
- The series combines intrigue, romance, and historical context, appealing to fans of Downton Abbey.
- Praised as nostalgic and captivating, the show has received glowing reviews from viewers online.
What better time to escape to the seaside – obviously not a British one, so how about Danish?
This wouldn’t be the regular sand and sea, but the luxurious setting of the Seaside Hotel, all ten seasons of which are now on Channel 4 after the final two were added this week, with English subtitles.
Set as the roaring 1920s come to an end, this small Danish hotel on the North Sea coast is a microcosm of the upstairs-downstairs divide.
It will be catnip for fans of Downton Abbey, with a similarly rose-tinted trip down memory lane, leading up to the Second World War in a lavish, sumptuous blockbuster series about the end of an era.
This latest addition to Channel 4’s ongoing Walter Presents slate tracks the lives of the hotel’s well-monied regulars as well as the uniformed staff who live locally, to create what the broadcaster has dubbed ‘a regular hotbed of intrigue’.
The first season sees the arrival of new kitchen maid Fie, who is quickly promoted to chambermaid over a more experienced staff member, on account of her good looks.
But as the seasons move along, so do the decades, and storm clouds begin to gather over Europe as war looms.
It’s no surprise that the show has so many seasons in the bag and a glut of rave reviews from viewers online, since it was the most-watched fictional series on Danish television for several years.
‘I’d give this 100 stars if I could!’ gushed @gobi-57488 in their IMDb write-up. ‘A fantastic escape from the weird world we are living in. I highly recommend this series. It does have subtitles. No violence. One of the best series I’ve watched in decades. Love it!!!’
What other period dramas can I stream?
- Little Women. This coming-of-age TV adaptation of the classic novel follows four attached-at-the-hip sisters living through the Civil War and its aftermath.
- All the Light We Cannot See. The story of a blind French teenager and a German soldier who attempt to weather the devastation of World War II together
- Harlots. The show is set on the streets and in the brothels of Georgian England in the 1760s, as two warring madams battle it out.
There were plenty of appeals to Downton fans in the reviews, with @bobbiekostos describing it as ‘one of the most delightful, beautifully done shows!’
They added: ‘A total work of art!! Only downside is reading the subtitles as you don’t want to miss any scene. You will find yourself bingeing on this one.’
@john_francis_s dubbed the show ‘the perfect antidote to Scandi noir’.
Bask in that warm glow of nostalgia and the long-gone summer sun over on Channel 4.
Is Seaside Hotel one to add to your watch list?
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Definitely
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Not my cup of tea
All ten seasons of Seaside Hotel are available to stream on Channel 4.
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