Social media was buzzing with reviews of the BBC’s adaption of Laurie Lee’s classic novel Cider with Rosie after it aired on Sunday.

The coming-of-age story stars newcomer Archie Cox from Cirencester who plays protagonist Laurie.

Stroud’s Shine On Stage pupil Isabella Polkinghorne also graced our screens playing the young Jo as did seven-year-old Dylan Turland from Bussage primary school, who plays Laurie’s older brother Jack.

To review the new BBC drama the SNJ asked people from Stroud, who have a unique connection with the story, what they thought.

STROUD'S Fred Hulls played Boney Harris in the 1998 adaptation of Cider with Rosie and had his 13th birthday on set.

He had originally been put forward to play the protagonist Laurie, but the casting department decided that he looked too old for the part.

Nevertheless he was picked to play Boney Harris and was over the moon at the news.

After watching the new film Fred said: “Despite a few discrepancies surrounding accents and locations, that only a local would notice, I enjoyed this new adaptation.

“For me, Samantha Morton's strong performance stole the show, but I found Timothy Spall's voice or accent both distracting and unconvincing.

“More than anything, I loved the movie's style and direction.

“It was shot beautifully, depicting life in the West Country and capturing Laurie Lee's timeless words.

“It's wonderful to see literary classics being brought to life with modern techniques, but in this instance a little more research into local landmarks and accents wouldn't have gone amiss.”

Adam Horovitz, who is a poet from Stroud, wrote A Thousand Laurie Lees published by The History Press in 2014 to coincide with Laurie Lee’s centenary celebrations.

"Cider with Rosie is such an intense, dreamlike book that it can make you feel as if you are experiencing Laurie Lee's memories firsthand," he said.

“No TV adaptation can do that given that one will always be on the outside, watching it.

“The BBC's adaptation did its best to draw the viewer in, succeeding most potently with Samantha Morton's exquisite portrayal of hopeful loneliness as Laurie's mother, with the two grannies and when music and landscape sang together.

“I just wish the film, beautiful as it was, had been a little less literal, a little more drunk on cider and poetry."

Set in Slad and based on Laurie Lee's childhood the film can be found at http://bbc.in/1iDkWdy