''The Edwardian Country House'' is a British

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historic uniforms or costumes and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a historical event or ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

miniseries produced by

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

. First aired weekly in the UK beginning in April 2002, it was later broadcast in the United States on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

stations as ''Manor House'' in 2003, where extra footage was added. It is third in a series of historical reality shows produced by Channel 4, preceded by '' The 1900 House'' and ''

The 1940s House ''The 1940s House'' is a British historical reenactment reality television series made by Wall to Wall/Channel 4 in 2001 about a modern family that tries to live as a typical middle-class family in London during The Blitz of World War II.Cooper, ...

''.

Synopsis

In the series the Olliff-Cooper family are given the identities of turn-of-the-century

aristocrats Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word' ...

and housed in

Manderston Manderston House, Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland, is the home of The Rt Hon. The 4th Baron Palmer. It was completely rebuilt between 1901 and 1903 and has sumptuous interiors with a silver-plated staircase. The proprietor, Sir James Miller, ...

, an opulent Scottish country house, where they live for three months in the

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

style. Mr. and Dr Olliff-Cooper become Sir John Olliff-Cooper and Lady Olliff-Cooper. Interest and conflict is provided by the 15

servants A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...

, portrayed by individuals from several paths of life. Chief among these was Hugh Edgar, an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

from Surrey, who was cast in the

role A role (also rôle or social role) is a set of connected behaviors, rights, moral obligation, obligations, beliefs, and social norm, norms as conceptualized by people in a social situation. It is an expected or free or continuously changing behavi ...

of the butler. Participants received instruction and a set of rules by which they were expected to abide for the duration of the experiment. Most of the "upstairs" participants enjoy their time in the house, which is meant to represent the years 1905–1914. Those "below stairs" have a different experience; for those in the lowest ranks, particularly the successive scullery maids, life appears to be intolerable.

Cast

The narrator is

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. He has appeared in various stage productions of William Shakespeare such as ''Hamlet'', ''Much Ado About Nothing'', '' Macbeth'', ''Twelfth Night'', '' The Tempest'', ''Kin ...

Upstairs

Downstairs

Senior Staff

Junior staff

Episodes

Home media

This VHS and DVD were released 27 May 2003 from PBS Home Video.

References

External links

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The Edwardian Country House
at Acorn TV (Streaming available) {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwardian Country House 2002 British television series debuts 2002 British television series endings 2000s British reality television series Channel 4 reality television shows Historical reality television series Films shot in the Scottish Borders Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios English-language television shows Works set in country houses