Period drama 'as satisfying as a warm cup of tea' now streaming for free

Produced by ITV, Home Fires is a British period drama spanning across two seasons. Created by Simon Block and co-directed by Robert Quinn and Bruce Goodinson, the 2015 historical television drama follows the lives of members of the Great Paxford Women's Institute on the Home Front during World War II.

Based on Julie Summers’ book Jambusters, Home Fires is set in Great Paxford, a fictional rural Cheshire community, and focuses on the women's lives as they confront wartime hardship, scarce resources, and personal crises during the war and come up with ingenious ways to find strength and purpose through community efforts.

The show’s first season is set between September 1939 and early 1940, while its second season kicks off in the summer of 1940. With a stellar cast largely featuring women including Francesca Annis, Samantha Bond, Leanne Best, Fenella Woolgar, and Claire Rushbrook, Home Fires had an average viewership of 6.2 million across its first season. The second series of the show was also met with similar success.

Currently available to stream for free on UKTV, the period drama boasts a perfect 100 per cent critics approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, where it received high praise, with one critic writing: “Home Fires offers British drama that's as satisfying as a warm cup of tea.”

Another critic said of the series: “It's more uplifting and affirming than challenging or surprising, and it is handsomely made with convincing period detail and a fine cast delivering top notch performances.”

While a third reviewer simply stated: “This series is spoonful after spoonful of splendid jam.”

Audience reviews of the period drama were also glowing, with one fan writing: “The name being Home Fires on Masterpiece, it doesn't lie about the Masterpiece part.”

While another viewer commented: “Loved, loved, loved this series!! Just heard they are doing a second season, hurray! Just good, clean TV about regular people dealing with irregular circumstances. Please continue the series.”

A third viewer said: “The show follows several women and the challenges they face in supporting the war effort. Some of the story lines are more soap opera than others, but I am enjoying every minute.”

While one fan wrote: “One of the many really good shows from England, Australia and New Zealand. Honest look at how life was during the Second World War. Shows the effect on the families and those left behind when the 'boys' go off to war.”

Mere days after the broadcast of the show’s series two finale, ITV announced that the show would not be returning for a third season — despite the show’s success and much to the dismay of fans, who took to Change.org and started a petition to bring the series back, which amassed over 50,000 signatures.

A spokesperson for ITV said in a statement: “The ITV commissioning team continues to refresh the channel's drama portfolio, hence the decision not to commission a further new series.”

The campaign ultimately proved to be unsuccessful, with the show’s definitive cancellation in 2016.

Home Fires is available to stream for free on UKTV or available to buy on Amazon Prime Video.