If you watch as many period dramas as I do, it’s inevitable that you will start to have favourites. Favourite actors, that is. Or as I like to call them: period drama boyfriends. Period dramas are the reason I am utterly susceptible to men with English (and Scottish and Irish) accents, and over the years, I have racked up quite a few beaux. The thing you need to know about me is that I will trawl through a favourite actor’s filmography entry on Wikipedia and watch absolutely every minute of screentime that I can track down – good, bad, or indifferent. I have watched plenty of the latter two, let me tell you. As such, I consider myself well-qualified to provide a comprehensive guide to the best (and worst) performances of my fave period drama boyfriends, which I now offer to you in the spirit of sisterhood. Period drama lovers, unite! So, if you’re looking for some pleasant diversion, with a side of eye candy, this blog series is for you.

(Why yes, of course it will be series; the title should have given that away ;))

I’m going to kick things off with my number one Period Drama Boyfriend^TM: Richard Armitage. Who earned that title, forevermore, on the strength of one, single performance … oh, but what a performance it is. Let’s break it all down!

We’ll begin with a bit of personal trivia, because why not.

Birthday: August 22 (a cusp baby, but we are claiming him as a fellow Leo)

Middle name: Crispin

Posh?: Despite the middle name, no. Armitage often talks about coming from a working class family, originally from Leicester. Fun fact: at 18, he joined the circus in Budapest in order to get his Equity card (necessary to work as an actor back in Britain). Further fun fact: in addition to acting and voiceover/audiobook narration (which I cannot recommend enough, he is fantastic), Armitage also writes fiction; his first book was published last year.

Height: 6’2 or 6’3, the internet cannot seem to agree. Regardless, a tall drink of water, if you know what I mean.

Now, let’s get down to (period drama) business!

Favourite period drama: North & South, which also happens to be one of my favourite period dramas, period. His John Thornton is one of my favourite romantic heroes, which is saying a lot because I was an Austen girlie for most of my adult life. I first watched N&S in 2020, and it changed my life. OK, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. By rights, it’s not a story I should enjoy that much; most of it takes place in a (fictional) industrial town that looks depressingly drab, where mostly depressing things happen. I prefer my period dramas light and fluffy and nicely costumed. But all of those considerations are more than balanced out by the presence of John Thornton, who is a wonderful, complex hero. Thorton, a self-made mill owner, is flawed but, at heart, decent and steadfast; his slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers romance with Margaret, the female protagonist, provides some moments of exquisite angst and one of the most swooningly romantic kisses captured on film, imo. I re-watch the train scene at the end of North & South at least 2 or 3 times a year, and it never fails to give me butterflies.

Sexiest period drama role: North & South is very PG13, but if you want to see Armitage in head-to-toe “medieval” black leather and some sexy guyliner, try to dig up whatever bits of Robin Hood (the 2006 BBC series) you can find and enjoy the visual feast that is Guy of Gisborne, a bad boy who eventually gets something of a redemption arc though, sadly, never the girl.

Austen adaptations: none (sadly). If I had to fan-cast him for an Austen hero (and the year was 2010), I would probably go with Captain Wentworth. I think Armitage could have delivered an interesting version of stoic, repressed devotion.

Favourite contemporary role: The Vicar of Dibley’s last Christmas Special is one of my fave comfort watches; I throw it on any time I need cheering up. Armitage plays Harry Kennedy, the (not so boring) accountant from London who moves into the village and sweeps the Vicar (Dawn French) off her feet. Harry is such a delightful blend of dorky and charming – and, of course, looks like Richard Armitage, which doesn’t hurt – and his banter with the Vicar is wonderful. One of the things I love most about this 2-part special is that it features a plus-size woman as an object of desire for a conventionally attractive man, presenting it as a fact that requires no special commentary. Imagine this scenario in a North American sitcom, and think of how many lines of self-deprecating dialogue the heroine would be required to deliver. [In case you think this sort of attitude is a thing of the past, consider the media commentary around the most recent season of Bridgerton, calling it a “mixed weight” romance because the lead actress was, heaven forfend, not a size 4. And I’m not letting the show itself off the hook, considering how much focus was placed on Penelope’s “glow up” as a precursor to her HEA.] Anyway, back to the Vicar of Dibley: another great thing about it is that it’s a comedy – and an extremely funny one, at that – so Armitage gets to show off his comedic chops; they’re not half bad, which makes it all the more disappointing that he never had more of a run with rom-coms.

Honourable mention to MI5 as another contemporary performance worth watching – especially season 7 (Armitage’s first). The series as a whole is quite good (though it gets progressively less so over time, the writing being primarily to blame for that) and features an excellent cast overall. In the US, the show was called Spooks for reasons that escape me. As the name suggests, it’s a thriller about British spies running around and trying to foil various nefarious plots. Armitage plays Lucas North, one of the said spies, who harbours some dark secrets of his own. I will confess that I didn’t love the direction that his character started to take after a couple of seasons, and gave up watching, but that’s not a comment on his performance. Armitage can do broody, sexy, and conflicted in his sleep.

Least romantic role: Francis Dolarhyde (aka Red Dragon) in Hannibal. One of the best shows ever, but not for the faint of heart. Armitage delivers a very good (and extremely creepy) performance, but his character is second banana – basically a MacGuffin that serves to bring Hannibal and Will Graham back together for one (last? more?) glorious set piece. I will say this: Armitage definitely worked out a LOT for this role and … well, let’s just say, the show doesn’t hide it.

Murder mystery cameos: For someone who has been acting since the early 2000s, Armitage has a surprisingly small number of cameos in murder mystery shows – a staple of many a British actor’s filmography. He did appear in an episode of The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, playing a broody, sexy suspect, as well as the episode “Ordeal by Innocence” in Agatha Christie’s Marple (the 2007 version, not to be confused with the recent BritBox adaptation) in which he plays a rather sh*tty husband who may or may not also be a murderer.

Watch at your own risk: Armitage has made some questionable choices over the years – what actor hasn’t – and I’ve watched a few of them because I’m a glutton for punishment sucker for a tall, dark, blue-eyed hottie with a baritone voice that makes my toes tingle. Ahem. I might put the Harlan Coben adaptations from Netflix on this list but, while they’re pretty trashy, they’re generally entertaining in a lowest-common-denominator kind of way. There are a few other options, but I’m going to single out Brain on Fire which was essentially a made-for-TV movie that, inexplicably, managed to attract some actually decent actors who, despite their best efforts, were not able to transcend the soap opera-ness of the plot (something to do with a young, pretty, blonde girl who becomes afflicted with a mysterious illness). Armitage plays the protagonist’s concerned father, which marked something of a watershed moment for me personally. When your Period Drama Boyfriend starts playing dad roles, you know you’re getting old. Sigh.

Here’s a photo to make you me feel better:

Join the Armitage fan club in the comments, and stay tuned for the next installment of my Favourite Period Drama Boyfriends.

Details: Tommy Hilfiger sweater, Kate Hewko skirt, Ralph Lauren coat, Coach bag, Ann Marino shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I thrifted this amazing blazer-coat in 2021, back when vintage Ralph Lauren wasn’t yet as rare as hen’s teeth at the thrifts. I paid $13 for it *cries in 2024 thrift prices* I will admit that it’s a piece I have struggled to style over the years, but I am glad that those struggles didn’t push me to get rid of it. Sometimes, inspiration needs some time to mature; if a garment is special enough, it’s worth putting aside for a while until its moment arrives. I think we can say that the moment for this coat has arrived. This outfit was 10/10 for me, no notes.

Details: Alfred Sung blouse, Heritage House skirt, Le Chateau belt (all thrifted)

Thoughts: I am equally note-less about this outfit because, well, what is there to say. It’s pretty dang perfect for me. The skirt was a fabulous thrift find from earlier this year; it’s wool and lined and worth every penny of the $17 I paid for it. This shade of green is very high on my fave list at the moment. Also, that silhouette. The length is just a tad longer than I would normally consider ideal for my proportions, but the silhouette makes it work, so the skirt doesn’t visually “swamp” me.

Details: Laurel shirt, Donna Karan belt, United Colours of Benetton pants (all thrifted), J. Crew shoes (retail)

Thoughts: This vintage Laurel shirt is a very apropos for a medieval history nerd like me, don’t we think? I’ve never seen a pattern like this before, nor can I find this exact blouse online (even with a reverse image search) which I am choosing to take as a sign that this shirt was made specially for me … 30 years ago in Slovenia, from whence it slowly made its way to me via, ultimately, the local Value Village. Please do not challenge my delulu, thanksverymuch. Anyway, I paired it with these vintage, lightweight wool pants for a very punchy outfit. (Mildly punny, though I expect knights on horses to be more stabby than punchy. But I digress.) I finished it off with a cream belt, as it seemed to me that a darker coloured version would look “muddled” with this colour scheme. This is not a unique case, either; this belt has turned out to be a super versatile item — lots of outfits seem to benefit from a light neutral accessory like this.

Details: Icone shirt (swap), American Eagle jeans, Ralph Lauren jacket, Brave belt, Ferragamo shoes, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: We can’t go too long without a Papa Ralph-inspired outfit, and by “we” I mean me. Canadian tuxedo with a preppy twist turned out even better than expected. I took a bit of a risk choosing 2 denim pieces of similar colour/wash; usually, when wearing head-to-toe denim, I would pick different washes. But I think the choice here paid off thanks to the contrasting jacket, which breaks up (and also complements, colour-wise) the column of denim.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Gap shirt, Auxiliary belt, Amaryllis jacket, American Eagle jeans, Ferragamo shoes, Tommy Hilfiger bag (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Can’t go wrong with brown and denim, and here is more proof. I’m obsessed with chocolate brown at the moment, and especially chocolate brown velvet, so you can guess how much I love this vintage Gap shirt. It’s good enough to make an outfit with a pair of basic jeans, but I added some leopard print for good measure because why not.

Details: Moschino x H&M sweatshirt, Levi’s jacket, Woolrich x Converse shoes (all secondhand), Calvin Klein jeans (retail)

Thoughts: These jeans have been through a lot. I bought them earlier this year for my daughter, mostly so she would stop stealing my jeans. She wore them once or twice, then randomly decided that she didn’t like them after all. I hate calling time on jeans, especially pairs bought at retail, because (a) they consume so many resources in production, and (b) there is so much supply of jeans at the thrifts, the vast majority of them don’t end up being bought and reused. So, I took this pair into custody and gave them the old college try. Made for a change, since the flow of clothes between my daughter’s closet and my closet has been very one-sided lately, and in the opposite direction. Anyway, after giving them a couple of wears, including this outfit, I came to the conclusion that, as much as I think they’re cool, they’re not quite my style. Before putting them in the donate pile, I decided to ask my daughter one more time if she was sure she didn’t want them. You’ll never guess what happened next. Well, unless you, too, have a tween daughter, in which case you’ll know exactly what happened next. She said omg mom thank god you kept these because they’re perfect and I was so sad because I thought we had donated them. Or words to that effect, in Gen Alpha translation. So: hello and goodbye jeans, we hardly knew ye.

Don’t quote me on this, but the last time I had a proper think about my wardrobe palette was back in 2018 or thereabouts. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and all that. And yet … here I am, fixing to change things up. In truth, the change has been a-coming for some time. It started when I ‘discovered’ brown (sometime in 2022, I think?). Since then, slowly but surely, brown has been replacing black as the core dark neutral in my closet. It’s not simply a question of my falling in love with it; I’ve also come to realize that it’s more flattering for my complexion than black, especially when worn near the face. I love black, but it does tend to wash me out – and I already look rather Corpse Bride-ish on my best days.

The introduction of brown into my wardrobe palette opened the door for a few other colours to sneak in and, at the end of the summer this year, I suddenly found myself thinking about my wardrobe palette again. Then I stumbled across some Reels discussing ‘hot’ colour combos for Fall 2024, and I sat up and started to take notes. Which I then took with me to the thrift stores – as one does, naturally. Long story short, I assembled an updated playbook for my fall wardrobe, incorporating some new (and new-ish) colours: the aforementioned brown (camel, whiskey, mahogany, and chocolate), white and cream, navy, dark green, and deep red. Along with blue – in various shades – these colours now form the backbone of my closet. Accent colours include poppy red, magenta, teal/turquoise, Kelly green, and yellow. And, of course, black.

There will always be black in my closet, though I prefer to use it in small doses, as a ‘grounding’ neutral when combining two or more bold colours. If I’m going for a more subdued colour scheme, I now tend to use either brown or navy as the core neutral, rather than black. While I still adore the drama of black-and-white outfits, it’s a vibe to which I’ve been feeling less drawn lately. This might change as we head into winter, which is usually the time when I’ve tended to wear those kinds of outfits in the past.

Meanwhile, here are some of the colour combos I’ve been loving this fall.

Navy and White

Monochromatic Brown and/or White

Navy and Dark Green

Brown and Blue

Navy and Red

Overall, this is a much more subdued palette than what I had been wearing around, say, 2020-2021. I do still enjoy wearing brightly coloured outfits from time to time – I love colour too much to ever tire of wearing it – but this palette aligns better with my current aesthetic, which is heavily leaning in a classic/preppy direction. The pendulum will swing again, I’m sure, because that’s what pendulums personal style does, but I am very much enjoying this moment. And, as always, thanking my thrifting lucky stars for the opportunity to follow my inspiration and my budget.