I have read and re-read many favourite books but never before have I found myself imagining the characters as the actors who played them on screen - especially having read the books at least twice over before seeing any production of them.
Sullivan sticks very closely to the original book and all the characters, from the central ones right down to those we hardly ever see, such as silly Ruby Gillis and spiteful Josie Pye, are superbly and sensitively observed by the actors portraying them. This Kevin Sullivan production is the only one that has come up to scratch, which isn't surprising as earlier attempts have failed abysmally (one even had Diana played by an insipid blonde!).But with faithful scripting, inspired casting, excellent direction and beautiful camera work, there is simply nothing negative to be said about this show. Montgomery's books as both children and adults every depiction of them is very closely scrutinised.
