Is Belgravia the new Downton Abbey?

Julian Fellowes’ new big-budget period drama stars Tamsin Greig and Harriet Walter, but will it live up to expectations, asks Charlotte Cripps

Thursday 12 March 2020 07:42 GMT
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Alice Eve, Ella Purnell, Jack Bardoe, Harriet Walter, Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig and Tom Wilkinson in the new six-part series
Alice Eve, Ella Purnell, Jack Bardoe, Harriet Walter, Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig and Tom Wilkinson in the new six-part series

After six series of ITV’s Downton Abbey, followed by the 2019 feature film, fans of the aristocratic Crawley family have been left bereft. It’s true that there are other period dramas to tune into: Autumn de Wilde has reimagined Emma for the big screen; season five of Outlander is just finishing on Amazon Prime; and the fourth series of ITV’s Victoria is due out later this year. But nothing quite matches those tumultuous moments in Downton Abbey, such as when Lady Edith is jilted at the altar. So, will Belgravia fill the gap?

For a start, it has for the creator of Downton AbbeyJulian Fellowes – backed by the same award-winning creative team, Carnival Films. They have reunited to bring Fellowes’ 2016 bestselling novel of the same name to ITV as a big-budget period drama.

The six-part series is set in London’s poshest postcode, among the “upper echelon” of 19th-century society, so it’s bound to invite comparisons. But is Belgravia anything like the global hit?

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