The project as a whole will be necessary viewing for anyone interested in the fate of modern drama.

ECONOMIST: Modern drama

In this modern-day drama, however, the differentiator is not race .

FORBES: Are State-Run Universities Gaming Admissions?

And it's that drama that keeps the public interested, explains Castro, who likens the ups and downs of A-list couplings to a modern-day version of the 1980s TV drama Dynasty.

FORBES: Hollywood's Most Influential Couples

"A Separation" is a family drama, a mystery and an exploration of modern Iranian society.

CNN: Review: 'A Separation' is a great family drama

The action has been moved from ancient Rome to a modern republic at war, revealing the play as a contemporary battle drama and political thriller.

ECONOMIST: New film

The incorporation of dramatic allusions to aspects of modern life as well as to ethnic communities, groups and individuals has established the drama as a vivid example of cultural diversity.

UNESCO: Culture

Broadcaster, actor and writer Stephen Fry, who is a big fan of the series, described the drama on the Archers website as depicting "a 21st-Century village, with all the pressures of modern rural life".

BBC: Archers editor Vanessa Whitburn to leave after 22 years