Watched the first two episodes. It has the same writer Julian Fellowes and executive producer Gareth Neame as Downton Abbey, but I never expected or wanted it to be another Downton Abbey. I enjoyed Downton and I'm enjoying Belgravia.
It's a period piece but Belgravia is set a century earlier when English society was different, more formal than Downton which begins at the sinking of the Titanic. Downton was set in Yorkshire and the house was a major character, Belgravia is set in London in newer non-descript looking houses in a very posh neighborhood bordering Buckingham Palace. The Brockenhurst's have a country home as do the Trenchards, just like the Crawley family had Grantham House in London and we'll see how country houses play out in this series.
Mr Trenchard is wealthy gentry, but he's made his money as opposed to Lord Grantham who inherited his wealth and married an American heiress who brought money to their marriage. Mrs Trenchard was the daughter of a school master so she was probably well educated for a woman of her time, it's unlikely though she brought money to the marriage. Harriet Walter is a formidable Countess of Brockenhurst like Maggie Smith was a formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham, both dames with long acting careers.
Two problems stand out, one Anne Trenchard seems to wear the same gray dress in different scenes, the Trenchards weren't poor. And the actress playing Lady Maria Grey looks like she just walked off of a beach in the Riviera with her sun tan. Ladies of that day had very fair skin, the only people with tanned skin were day laborers. And the actress plays that part like it's set in the 1920s, not 1840s.
The Duchess of Richmond's Ball was a real event and Thomas Cubitt (partner of Trenchard) was a real person.
I look forward to the watching the rest of the series.
It's a period piece but Belgravia is set a century earlier when English society was different, more formal than Downton which begins at the sinking of the Titanic. Downton was set in Yorkshire and the house was a major character, Belgravia is set in London in newer non-descript looking houses in a very posh neighborhood bordering Buckingham Palace. The Brockenhurst's have a country home as do the Trenchards, just like the Crawley family had Grantham House in London and we'll see how country houses play out in this series.
Mr Trenchard is wealthy gentry, but he's made his money as opposed to Lord Grantham who inherited his wealth and married an American heiress who brought money to their marriage. Mrs Trenchard was the daughter of a school master so she was probably well educated for a woman of her time, it's unlikely though she brought money to the marriage. Harriet Walter is a formidable Countess of Brockenhurst like Maggie Smith was a formidable Dowager Countess of Grantham, both dames with long acting careers.
Two problems stand out, one Anne Trenchard seems to wear the same gray dress in different scenes, the Trenchards weren't poor. And the actress playing Lady Maria Grey looks like she just walked off of a beach in the Riviera with her sun tan. Ladies of that day had very fair skin, the only people with tanned skin were day laborers. And the actress plays that part like it's set in the 1920s, not 1840s.
The Duchess of Richmond's Ball was a real event and Thomas Cubitt (partner of Trenchard) was a real person.
I look forward to the watching the rest of the series.