By Lacy Baugher for Drama on April 13th, 2017

Period Drama 'Home Fires' Will Live on in Novel Form

Some of the ladies of "Home Fires" (Photo: Courtesy of © ITV Studios for MASTERPIECE)

The second season of period drama Home Fires is currently airing on PBS’ Masterpiece. Unfortunately, the series’ second season is also its last, as it was canceled back in 2016 by UK network ITV just after Season 2 aired. As a result of this surprise move, the drama ends on something of a cliffhanger, apparently, and fans in the UK (and likely soon to be the US) were devastated.

Following Home Fires’ cancellation, fans mobilized to try and save the show. They organized an online petition and started a targeted hashtag campaign to encourage ITV to reconsider their decision. While it was ultimately unsuccessful, it garnered over 38,000 signatures and significant media attention. And it may be partly responsible for the fact that fans will finally get a little bit of closure on the story of the Great Paxton Women’s Institute.

Series creator Simon Block will continue the story of Home Fires in three new novels. The first, called Keep the Home Fires Burning, will be released as a four-part e-book serial this summer. (Don’t worry, it’ll be available later as a complete paperback in the Fall.) The novel will pick up directly from where the shocking Season 2 finale leaves off, which should be a comfort to fans waiting to know what happens next.

“When ITV chose not to re-commission the series I was all set to take my characters through the next few months of their lives on the homefront. Their stories were all planned, yet I was left with little choice but to accept the channel’s decision,” Block said in a statement. 

The UK release schedule for the four-part "Keep the Home Fires Burning" e-book (Photo: Bonnier Zaffre)
The UK release schedule for the four-part "Keep the Home Fires Burning" e-book  (Photo: Bonnier Zaffre)

"But suddenly I saw the remarkable and totally unexpected reaction of fans of the show on social media. It was as extraordinary as it was moving. They began tweeting furiously,” Block said. “Within a few days 20,000 people had signed a petition asking for the decision to be reversed. It rose by thousands every day, despite the fact that the news wasn’t widely known."

No details are known as yet about the other two novels in the series just yet. But Block seems extremely excited about the prospect of moving the Home Fires story forward.

“The aim is that those familiar with the TV show will be able to seamlessly continue with the books; while those new to the world of Home Fires will swiftly find themselves brought up to speed and immersed in the stories of the women of Great Paxford,” he explained. “Without the incredible support and desire of the show’s fans to have the story continue this would not have happened. I can’t thank them enough for their passion, humour, and determination to see Home Fires continue. I can’t wait for them to embark on the next part of the story with the characters they have so brilliantly taken to their hearts, and kept alive in their imaginations. It’s extremely exciting to be going forward together in this way.”

Pre-order for the Keep the Home Fires Burning e-book is only currently available in the UK. But according to the official Save Home Fires site, international fans can expect more info on this issue in the coming months.

What do you think of this, Home Fires fans? Do you like the idea of the story continuing in novel form? 

By Lacy Baugher for Drama on April 13th, 2017
Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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