''Belgravia'' is a

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

, set in the 19th century, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of se ...

—both named after

Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of both the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dang ...

, an affluent district of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The limited series, a co-production between Carnival Films and American cable network

Epix Epix (pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as P) is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the Epix Entertainment LLC subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a subsidiary of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. The channel's pr ...

, is adapted by Fellowes from his novel, and reunites the production team behind ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' with

Gareth Neame Gareth Elwin Neame (born 8 March 1967) is a British television producer and executive. As an executive at the BBC, Neame presided over the development of the dramas '' Spooks'', '' State of Play'', '' Bodies'', '' Hustle'', ''New Tricks'' and '' ...

and Nigel Marchant executive producing alongside Liz Trubridge and Fellowes. ''Belgravia'' is directed by John Alexander, and produced by Colin Wratten. The series premiered in the UK on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

on 15 March 2020 and in the U.S. on 12 April 2020 on Epix. A follow-up series to be written and developed by Helen Edmundson was announced in September 2022.

Premise

''Belgravia'' begins at the

Duchess of Richmond's ball The Duchess of Richmond's ball was a ball hosted by Charlotte, Duchess of Richmond in Brussels on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras. Charlotte's husband Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, was in command of a reserve ...

(night of 15/16 June 1815), which was held in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

for the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish soldier and Tories (British political party), Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of Uni ...

on the eve of the Battle of Quatre Bras, two days before the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...

Cast

The Trenchard family *

Philip Glenister Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William ...

as James Trenchard *

Tamsin Greig Tamsin Margaret Mary Greig (; born 12 July 1966) is an English actress, narrator and comedian. She played Fran Katzenjammer in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Black Books'', Dr Caroline Todd in the Channel 4 sitcom '' Green Wing'', Beverly Lincoln in ...

as Anne Trenchard *

Richard Goulding Richard Goulding (born 1980/1981) is a British actor, best known for playing Prince Harry in the 2014 stage play ''King Charles III'', and its 2017 BBC TV adaptation, as well as in 2016 television series ''The Windsors''. Education Goulding wa ...

as Oliver Trenchard, son of James and Anne *

Emily Reid Emilie Reid (born September 1997/1998) is a British-American actress. She is known for her roles in the ITV series ''Belgravia'' (2020) and ''The Trouble with Maggie Cole'' (2020). Early life and education Reid is from West London. She attende ...

as Sophia Trenchard, daughter of James and Anne *

Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born ) is a British actress. Her movie career includes roles in ''She's Out of My League'', ''Men in Black 3'', ''Star Trek Into Darkness'', and '' Before We Go''. She has had recurring roles on the TV series ''Entourage'' and ...

as Susan Trenchard, wife of Oliver The Trenchard servants *

Paul Ritter Simon Paul Adams (20 December 1966 – 5 April 2021), known professionally as Paul Ritter, was an English actor. He had roles in films including ''Son of Rambow'' (2007), '' Quantum of Solace'' (2008), ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' ...

as Turton, butler to the Trenchards *

Saskia Reeves Saskia Reeves (born 16 August 1961) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films '' Close My Eyes'' (1991) and ''I.D.'' (1995), the 2000 miniseries ''Frank Herbert's Dune'' and the 2016 film '' Our Kind of Traitor''. Early lif ...

as Ellis, lady's maid to Anne Trenchard *

Bronagh Gallagher Bronagh Gallagher (born 26 April 1972) is an Irish singer and actress from Northern Ireland. Gallagher had her first acting role in the 1989 television movie '' Dear Sarah''. In 2020, she was listed at number 33 on ''The Irish Times'' list of I ...

as Speer, lady's maid to Susan Trenchard The Bellasis family *

Tom Wilkinson Thomas Geoffrey Wilkinson (born 5 February 1948)Born January–March 1948, according to the ''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com is an English actor of film, television, and stage. He has rece ...

as Peregrine Bellasis, Earl of Brockenhurst *

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter (born 24 September 1950) is a British actress. She has received a Laurence Olivier Award as well as numerous nominations including for a Tony Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011 ...

as Caroline Bellasis, Countess of Brockenhurst *

Jeremy Neumark Jones Jeremy Barrington Neumark Jones (born 1989 in Enfield) is an English actor who has taken lead roles on the BBC television series '' The Last Post'' (2017) and on the ITV drama series ''Belgravia'' (2020). His grandparents were German Jews who ...

as Edmund, Viscount Bellasis, only son of the Earl and Countess of Brockenhurst and heir apparent to the title *

James Fleet James Edward Fleet (born 11 March 1952) is an English actor of theatre, radio and screen. He is most famous for his roles as the bumbling and well-meaning Tom in the 1994 British romantic comedy film '' Four Weddings and a Funeral'' and the dim- ...

as Reverend Stephen Bellasis, younger brother of the Earl of Brockenhurst and heir presumptive to his elder brother *

Diana Hardcastle Diana Hardcastle Wilkinson is an English actress who has appeared largely in television roles. Career Hardcastle has appeared in episodes of ''Midsomer Murders'', '' Inspector Lynley'' and '' Taggart''. She played recurring roles in the series ' ...

as Grace Bellasis, wife of Stephen Bellasis * Adam James as John Bellasis, son of Stephen Bellasis and Grace Bellasis and heir to his father The Grey family *

Tara Fitzgerald Tara Anne Cassandra Fitzgerald (born 18 September 1967) is an English actress who has appeared in feature films, television, radio and the stage. She won the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play in 1995 as Opheli ...

as Corinne Grey, Dowager Countess of Templemore *

Ella Purnell Ella Summer Purnell (born 17 September 1996) is an English actress best known for her roles as Jackie in the Showtime drama series ''Yellowjackets,'' Jinx in the Netflix animated television series ''Arcane'', and Gwyn in the Paramount+/Nickelod ...

as Lady Maria Grey, daughter of the Dowager Countess of Templemore The Pope family *

Serena Evans Serena Evans (born 2 December 1959 in London, England) is a British actress who is best known for playing Police Sergeant Patricia Dawkins in the sitcom '' The Thin Blue Line'' which was shown on BBC1 from 1995 to 1996. She also had a regular r ...

as Mrs Pope, foster mother to Charles Pope * Jack Bardoe as Charles Pope Characters at the

* Nicholas Rowe as Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington * James Chalmers as

Sir William Ponsonby Major-General Hon. Sir William Ponsonby (13 October 177218 June 1815) was an Anglo-Irish politician and British Army officer who served in the Peninsular War and was killed at the Battle of Waterloo. Early life and education He was the secon ...

* Gunnar DeYoung as the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

Diana Kent Diana Kent is an English actress known for ''Heavenly Creatures ''Heavenly Creatures'' is a 1994 New Zealand biographical psychological drama film directed by Peter Jackson, from a screenplay he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, and ...

as the Duchess of Richmond *

Robert Portal Robert Portal is an English actor. Portal is known for his role as Paul Critchley on the BBC television series ''The Amazing Mrs Pritchard'' (2006) and as the King in the film '' The Huntsman: Winter's War'' (2016). He is also known for his rol ...

as the Duke of Richmond Miscellaneous * Naomi Frederick as

Duchess of Bedford {{Notability, date=September 2022 Duchess of Bedford is a title given to the wife of the Duke of Bedford, an extant title in the peerage of England which was first created in 1414. Duchesses of Bedford ;1st creation (1414) * Anne of Burgundy (140 ...

Penny Layden Penny Layden (born 1969) is a British actress and narrator. She has performed at the National Theatre, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic Theatre, with Shared Experience and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Her television credits includ ...

as Mrs Babbage *

Jack Shalloo Jack Shalloo is an English actor and singer. He has acted in musical theatre as Lewis in '' Our House'', Hamlet in ''Hamlet The Musical'' and Pete in ''Departure Lounge''. As a singer, Shalloo released the album ''London Soul'' in 2011. Life ...

as Morris * Nigel Allen as Robert * Stevee Davies as Brodsworth

Episodes

Production

On 14 January 2019, it was announced that

had given a series order consisting of six episodes to a television adaptation of

' 2016 novel ''Belgravia''. The series was expected to be written by Fellowes and directed by John Alexander. Executive producers were set to include

, Nigel Marchant, and Liz Trubridge with Colin Wratten serving as a producer. Production companies involved with the series were slated to consist of Carnival Films. On 8 February 2019, it was reported that American premium cable network

had joined the production as a co-producer. Principal photography took place in the summer of 2019. Many of the exteriors were shot in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, with parts of the New Town standing in for Belgravia. Other locations included

Edinburgh City Chambers Edinburgh City Chambers in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the meeting place of the City of Edinburgh Council and its predecessors, Edinburgh Corporation and Edinburgh District Council. It is a Category A listed building. History The current building ...

and

Hopetoun House Hopetoun House is a country house near South Queensferry owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, a charity established in 1974 to preserve the house and grounds as a national monument, to protect and improve their amenities, and to pr ...

. The scenes that take place in Brussels were filmed at

in West Lothian, Wrest Park in

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

(chapel scenes) and the Bath Assembly Hall (ballroom scenes). The exterior of the Trenchard townhouse were filmed on Moray Place, in Edinburgh; most of the interiors were filmed at a mansion in

Berwickshire Berwickshire ( gd, Siorrachd Bhearaig) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. Berwickshire County Council existed from 1890 until 1975, when the area became part of t ...

, and also at a mansion in Basildon Park and Syon House in London. Some scenes take place at the Duchess of Bedford’s London townhouse; those were filmed in West Wycombe House in Buckinghamshire. Anne Trenchard's manor house is fictional, so filming was done at the manor house

Loseley Park Loseley Park is a large Tudor manor house with later additions and modifications south-west of Guildford, Surrey, England, in Artington close to the hamlet of Littleton. The estate was acquired by the direct ancestors of the current owners, t ...

, in Guildford. The production visited The Historic Chatham Dockyard and filmed on Anchor Wharf quayside, the Tarred Yarn Store as Pimm’s Chop House and the streets around the Ropery to stand in for both a

market and the streets around Girton’s Mill. Other shooting locations included the gardens at

Hampton Court Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chie ...

Palace, the Athenaeum Club in London, and

Quarry Bank Mill Quarry Bank Mill (also known as Styal Mill) in Styal, Cheshire, England, is one of the best preserved textile factories of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1784, the cotton mill is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a ...

in Cheshire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Belgravia (TV series) 2020 American television series debuts 2020 American television series endings 2020s American drama television series 2020 British television series debuts 2020 British television series endings 2020s British drama television series 2020s American television miniseries 2020s British television miniseries English-language television shows ITV television dramas MGM+ original programming Television series created by Julian Fellowes Television series set in the 1810s Fiction set in 1815 Television shows based on British novels Television series set in the 1840s Fiction set in 1841