The serial is commonly regarded as one of the most successful BBC television dramas of the 1990s, described by "The Daily Telegraph" as "a production where all ... worked to serve a writer's vision. We are not likely to look upon its like again". It has been named by the British Film Institute as one of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century, by "The Guardian" as the third greatest television drama of all time and by "Radio Times" as one of the 40 greatest television programmes. It was awarded three British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs), two Royal Television Society Awards, four Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, and a Certificate of Merit from the San Francisco International Film Festival.