''Let Them Eat Cake'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

that aired on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in 1999. Starring Dawn French and

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School of ...

, it is one of the few programmes in which

French and Saunders ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is a ...

have both appeared which they did not create themselves.

Plot

It is 1782, seven years before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. The most reviled woman in France is the ambitious and immoral Comtesse de Vache, who stalks the halls of the Palace of Versailles, spreading terror into the hearts of her fellow aristocrats by gathering their darkest and most intimate secrets. The Comtesse's servants are her maid, former sex worker Lisette, and her flamboyantly gay couturier, Bouffant. Her constant rival is Madame de Plonge, who is accompanied by her naïve yet sharp-witted daughter, Eveline.

Cast

as Colombine, Comtesse de Vache * Dawn French as Lisette * Adrian Scarborough as Monsieur Bouffant *

Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film '' Life Is Sweet'' and the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for her role as M ...

as Madame de Plonge (episodes 1, 2, 4, 6) * Lucy Punch as Eveline de Plonge (episodes 1, 2, 4, 6) *

Elizabeth Berrington Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English actress and graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art; she is best known for her roles as Ruby Fry in '' Waterloo Road'', Paula Kosh in '' Stella'', Mel Debrou in ''Moving Wall ...

as Marie Antoinette (episodes 1, 4, 6) *

Julian Rhind-Tutt Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt (born 20 July 1967) is an English actor, best known for playing Dr "Mac" Macartney in the comedy television series ''Green Wing'' (2004–2006). Early life Rhind-Tutt was born in West Drayton, Middlesex, the youngest o ...

as Marie Antoinette's Advisor (episodes 1, 4, 6) *Linda Spurrier as 1st Aristocratic Woman (episodes 2, 3, 6) * Maggie Whiting as 2nd Aristocratic Woman (episodes 2, 3, 6) Steadman was credited as a "special guest star" despite appearing in four of the six episodes.

Guest stars

* James Greene as the Comte de Vache (episodes 1 & 4) * Adam James as the Marquis de Bonvie (episode 1) *

Philip Voss Philip James Voss (20 August 1936 – 13 November 2020) was a British stage, radio, film and television actor. Early life Voss was born in Leicester, the elder son of James Voss, a pharmacist, and his wife, Viola (née Walmsley). He had a yo ...

as Physician (episode 1) * Richard E. Grant as Monsieur Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) *

Maggie Steed Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret. Maggie may refer to: People Women * Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician * Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist * Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...

as Madame Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) *

Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...

as Cecile (episode 5) * Louisa Lytton as Little Girl (episode 5)

Episodes

DVD releases

''Let Them Eat Cake'' was released in Region 2 (UK) and Region 4 (Australia) on 5 March 2007.

References

Mark Lewisohn Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Let Them Eat Cake 1999 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms BBC television sitcoms French Revolution films Period television series English-language television shows Television series by Endemol Television shows set in France Television series set in the 1780s Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette