Robert Donat won an Oscar for best actor in the 1939 film version of this story and set a hard mark to beat in his gentle portrayal of a dedicated English public (meaning private) school teacher. There was an unsuccessful musical version with Peter O'Toole in 1969 and a TV miniseries with Roy Marsden in 1984 which disappeared without trace. But James Hilton's novella (of only 17,000 words) tells a good story and Martin Clunes, a remarkably versatile actor, with the aid of some great make-up rises to the challenge of portraying the same character convincingly over 50 years or so.

The early scenes have an idyllic feel to them, reflecting Hilton's nostalgia for the Victorian age. Things become nastier at the onset of the First World War with a new headmaster (played by the excellent Patrick Malahide) who wants to teach "practical" subjects and attract the nouveau riche, while cutting out scholarships for the poor. Chips, the shy but strong-minded Latin master, with the aid of the board of governors (most of whom he has taught), has little trouble in ousting this upstart, and, though in his sixties, he becomes the headmaster. But his triumph is blighted in two respects; his much loved wife (Victoria Hamilton) is not around to share it, having died in childbirth many years previously, and the steadily rising toll from the battlefields of France cuts a swath through the school's younger alumni. In fact it is a pretty sombre story, but Chips consoles himself with the thought that he has been a father to hundreds of boys.

All of us have been to school (with the exception of Mrs Chips who was "privately educated") and most of us can remember at least one teacher who had a positive effect, even in a harsh environment. Perhaps we feel if we were taught by someone with Mr Chip's values we might have been better people. His is a story with a powerful resonance not confined to the draughty corridors of English boys' schools Apart from Martin Clunes, there are a number of other good performances including that of Conleth Hill as Max Staefel, the avuncular German master, John Wood as the old headmaster, and from several of the pupils. Victoria Hamilton lights up the screen for the short time she is on it and Patrick Malahide as the new headmaster gets us to dislike him from his opening lines.

The bullying and fagging are exposed of course, and the superiority of Chip's more gentle disciplinary methods demonstrated. Hilton, whose own father was a headmaster, was not anti-public school but clearly thought the system could do with some reform. As if to show their support, both Harrow and Winchester College provided shooting locations for the film.

Considering how brilliant, regardless of how sentimental it is, the 1939 Robert Donat film was, this 2002 TV adaptation had a lot to live up to. What a wonderful surprise! I loved this version from beginning to end, it isn't as good as the Donat version, but as a TV drama it is almost perfect. The production values are excellent, elegant in style and gorgeous to look at. The music had a lovely sense of whimsy about it, and gave a gentle and relaxing feel. There were parts that made me laugh, such as the classroom scenes, but others that were very poignant, the ending especially. The scripting was mature and subtle and also I loved the simplicity of the story. The acting was exceptional from all involved. Martin Clunes is brilliant as Chips, maybe just lacking Donat's superiority, but it was still a performance of subtlety and made me smile and cry. Not to mention that his transition from an idealistic 20-something year old teacher to a wiser and gentler headmaster was very believable. Victoria Hamilton is positively luminous as Kathie, Patrick Malahide is excellent as Ralston and the boy actors also give surprisingly good performances if careful not to overshadow Clunes in what I consider one of his better performances. Of course the drama doesn't quite explore what made Chips such a great and inspirational teacher, yet it has a greater emphasis on the progressive aspects of education, that I found most appreciative. Overall, I loved it, just a joy to watch in general. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is a modern adaptation of a much-loved and revered story - it will understandably be compared by some to the classic 1939 film and found wanting on the basis of sentimentality and familiarity etc. However time has moved on and when I first saw this new production advertised I looked forward to seeing the story dramatised in a fresh new light, combined with the trepidation that the producers might really stuff up and ruin the whole thing as sometimes happens with classic tales (we all know that feeling, don't we?). Hooray, no disappointment here: Martin Clunes was a wonderful, believable Mr Chips; all other acting was superb; and this film was deeply moving and incredibly uplifting in age-old Mr Chips fashion. My only complaint is that it was all over too quickly but even so the difficulties of portraying an eventful lifetime in under two hours were handled well. If the epic tale of Mr Chipping is one you've revered since childhood, don't be afraid to watch this film: you won't be disappointed.