'Masterpiece' BBC drama based on 'best book of 2000s' compared to Saltburn

A BBC drama that fans have claimed "inspired Saltburn" has received rave reviews after viewers of the miniseries became "addicted" to the programme. Released in 2006 and based on a beloved novel by Alan Hollinghurst, the three-part series stars Hayley Atwell, Dan Stevens, Tim McInnerny and Alex Wyndham.

Entitled The Line of Beauty, it follows Oxford graduate Nick Guest, who is invited to stay in the home of his former best friend Toby - son of a Conservative MP - while the family are on holiday. Nick has to keep an eye on Cat, Toby's bipolar sister, and quickly becomes her close friend and confidant. Taking place at the height of the AIDS crisis in the 80s, the show deals with family drama, young love and politics.

Reviews for the show were overwhelmingly positive, with some even comparing it to The Great Gatsby. One wrote: "Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beaut' is, at least in this adaptation, a version of 'The Great Gatsby' fitted to 1980s Britain, the story of a young man from an ordinary background who mistakenly harbours too many illusions about the beautiful people of the smart set."

Somebody else said the show has "all the makings of a classic", writing: "What I found so extraordinary about this adaptation (or at least the first episode) is how cleverly Davies has mined the novel for humour, social commentary and romance.

"On-screen representations of the upper-middle-classes tend to show us the wholly implausible world of PG Wodehouse, but without Wodehouse's wit, or stick the knife in with bitter class hatred. The Line of Beauty does neither; showing us the Fedden family warts and all."

Another echoed: "It's very reminiscent of such things as Brideshead Revisited, The Talented Mr Ripley and the more recent Saltburn."

While somebody else posted on IMDb that it is a "highly underrated masterpiece", writing: "It not only offers us a mesmerising tale of class, love, sexuality, politics and personal struggles but also introduces us to the hidden treasure that is Dan Stevens' acting prowess."