Some of my favourite dramas are those set in centuries long gone. A prerequisite for such films is normally amazingly extravagant costumes constructed from yards of silk and taffeta, make-up to rival Photoshop’s airbrushing and hairpieces that seem to defy gravity.

You know it’s a good film when it makes you want to invent a time machine and go back to those days, just so you can wear unsuitably large evening gowns and squeeze into a corset daily.

I normally have an irky relationship with Keira Knightley films, sometimes I think she is an amazing actress and other times she comes across as a frozen dummy! Anyway, her 2008 film The Duchess did not disappoint. It is set in the 18th century and follows the personal misfortunes of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, tormented by the duke who is eager for a male heir. It was a heart-wrenching film, where Georgiana turns to the future prime minister Charles Grey, maddened by the repression of her loveless marriage. The emotional turmoil is most evident in the scene where Georgiana must give up the baby produced during her affair. While not historically faithful in all cases, it excels in entertainment and escapism.

I love the luxury of period dramas, the opulent costumes, the expensive cinematography and did I mention the costumes?! While the female protagonists of such films have no control over their fate, hey, at least they have gorgeous clothes!