‘Bodice-ripping’ interval drama ‘like Downton Abbey’ primarily based on best-selling novel | Books | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Julian Fellowes and interval dramas look like completely inseparable.

From the mastermind behind Downton Abbey, Gosford Park, The English Game, and The Gilded Age comes yet one more fictionalised historic drama – Belgravia.

Set within the nineteenth century, Belgravia launches at a real historic occasion – the Duchess of Richmond’s ball in June 1815, which occurred simply two days earlier than the Battle of Waterloo.

Revolving across the fascinating lives of the Trenchard and Bellasis households, the collection swiftly ventures into traditional interval drama territory, brimming with scandals, intrigue, romance, class politics – the works.

Directed by John Alexander and penned by Julian Fellowes, Belgravia is tailored from his namesake 2016 novel and brings collectively the identical manufacturing crew liable for Downton Abbey.

Firmly established because the undisputed king of the interval drama, comparisons to Fellowes’ enormously profitable Downton Abbey are unavoidable.

Speaking to Town and Country, Fellowes addressed this immediately: “I think [Belgravia] it’s darker than Downton. The servants are working people; they’re doing their jobs because those are the jobs that were available. It’s not sentimental. It’s a sharper world.”

The restricted collection made its UK debut on ITV on March 15, 2020, earlier than arriving within the United States on April 12, 2020, through Epix.

A second, follow-up collection entitled Belgravia: The Next Chapter was shortly commissioned and confirmed in September 2022. Written and developed by Helen Edmundson, the programme launched in January 2024 on ITV.

Alice Eve, Ella Purnell, Tamsin Greig, Richard Goulding, and Emily Reid are accompanied by Tom Wilkinson, Harriet Walter, Philip Glenister, and Tara Fitzgerald to finish Belgravia’s completed ensemble.

Critics held divided opinions in regards to the programme, with one noting: “Belgravia has all the touchstones of a bodice-ripper. Great romance and thrilling revenge. And the usual coterie of leaching and sneering in-laws.”

While one other wrote: “Though billed as a showcase for state-of-the-art costume drama, the six-part bonnet-fest feels more like a one-stop shop for all the worst excesses and boredoms of a genre that has outlived its usefulness.”

Another evaluate mentioned: “Belgravia is gorgeously appointed, it’s romantic enough, it’s grounded in the manners of a far more delicate time when everyone stood six-feet apart lest they bump hands.”

And one critic added: “Belgravia errs on the wrong side of that divide, but it is so well-appointed that it is never less than beautiful to watch, just like “Downton.”

For some, the finery will win out over refinement.”

Audience opinions leaned firmly in direction of the optimistic, with one viewer saying: “Incredible show! Nothing was obvious, it kept the audience in suspense until the very last minute. Loved the complexity of the characters, the authenticity of the costumes and overall atmosphere. Highly recommend!”

While one other added: “Wonderful series!! The storyline is gripping from the very first episode. There is no woke political ideology that spoils so many films and series these days. Brilliant, authentic acting and casting in the excellent period production. So many movies and series try and fail to promote female empowerment; however, Belgravia delivers this message superbly.”