Product Description

This four-disc set includes the hit romantic dramas Reckless and Reckless: The Sequel, starring Francesca Annis (Wives and Daughters), Robson Green (Touching Evil), and Michael Kitchen (Mrs. Dalloway). Watch romance try to stay on track through trysts, treachery, and trouble, and follow the complex and emotional decisions of the three who are involved in one very complicated love triangle.

In Reckless, Owen Springer (Robson Green) is a young doctor who has just moved to Manchester to take care of his demanding, hypochondriac father. The last thing he is looking for is an affair...until he meets Anna (Francesca Annis). However, there are two obstacles on Owen’s path to happiness with Anna--she is several years older, and she is married. Undaunted, Owen sets out to charm her, and just when he’s beginning to get somewhere, he’s hit with a bombshell. Anna’s husband is his new boss at the hospital.

In Reckless: The Sequel, Anna has divorced her husband, Richard (Michael Kitchen), and Anna and Owen have made an impetuous decision to marry--at the end of the week. The idea is to have the ceremony while Richard is out of the country, but he hears of their plans and flies back to England. Still in love with Anna, he is determined to save her from what he sees as a potentially disastrous marriage. Will Anna actually marry Owen?

Special DVD features include: link to the Masterpiece Theatre Web site; scene selections; and closed captions.

On four DVD5 discs. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18047 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-06-01
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 480 minutes

Amazon.com
When introducing Reckless, Russell Baker (as host of Masterpiece Theatre) warns the audience that what's to come has no literary merit; it's just entertainment. Entertainment, of course, is no small thing, and Reckless does a pretty good job of it. Owen (Robson Green), a young doctor heading for a new job in Manchester, first meets Anna (the magnetic Francesca Annis) on the train when he borrows her mobile phone (a very clunky piece of technology that places the show firmly in the late 1990s). As their paths continue to cross, Owen finds himself falling for Anna, even though she's at least 10 years older than he is. But Owen's hopes of love run into a serious obstacle when he discovers Anna is married to his boss, the imperious Dr. Richard Crane (Michael Kitchen).

Reckless charts the shifts and upsets of this love triangle--the tone ranges from light comedy to something bordering on Fatal Attraction. It starts slowly, but the second and third parts grow steadily more intricate, suspenseful, and torrid. Bad behavior is on ample display, acted with verve by the cast. The sequel is actually more fun than the original six-hour series; it's only a single two-hour episode, but it takes a more full-bodied satirical approach that doesn't prevent some heart-wrenching turns. Almost all of the original cast return, with a variety of new characters--including Geoffrey Palmer (As Time Goes By) as Richard's father. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Funny, touching, captivating!
I recently purchased this DVD set on a whim and was absolutely captivated by it. It was funny, romantic, touching, sad, suspenseful. All the actors were magnificent, especially the 3 leads. I tried to drag it out 3 nights but found I just couldn't. I finally gave in - it was like devouring a guilty pleasure in one sitting. Surfed the web and found Reckless, the Sequel, and ordered it sent 2-day priority mail. Get them both at the same time - the sequel is just as wonderful. This series reminded me what a joy good entertainment can be.

A British Valentine
This series, first shown on Masterpiece Theatre, has everything, including romance, comedy and sex, sometimes at the same time. All of the actors are wonderful, displaying perfect comic timing. The dramatic scenes are often poignant.
The love story may be central to the plot, but the adventures of Anna and Owen touch the lives of their relatives, friends and business associates in unexpected ways. The settings range from city, to lush countryside to a working man's neighborhood and pub, to a bustling hospital. There's lots of action as well as some incredibly steamy love scenes.
Reckless is a series to watch more than once. I never tire of revisiting Anna and Owen and all the other characters.

Great Writing!
I just bought the DVD of this series and it's great! The acting and writing are excellent. Writer Paul Abbott also wrote "State of Play" --another great series on BBC America.

And FYI, all of the episodes ARE included in the DVD set. The set includes 4, 2-hour DVDs (3 of the series and 1 of the sequel).