Belgravia

Belgravia

2020 - United Kingdom

Soapy and sumptuous, Belgravia is the spiritual successor to Downton Abbey

Review by Jennifer AJ

Romance, tragedy, and a shocking revelation decades in the making unfold between high-society families residing in Belgravia, an affluent neighbourhood in London. From the mind behind Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes, here comes another lavish period drama about the English upper crust. 

Belgravia is a 6-part series released in 2020 on ITV. The 19th-century set drama follows the travails of multiple families as they grapple with the consequence of a past mishap. In 1815, Sophia Trenchard, the young daughter of a merchant family, falls in love with Viscount Edmund Bellasis, the son of Earl and Countess of Brockenhurst, one of the most powerful families in England. Against her mother’s warning, Sophia agrees to elope with Edmund, which she belatedly realizes is a farce. Soon after, Edmund is killed on the battlefield and Sophia discovers she’s pregnant. She dies during childbirth and to spare her reputation, the Trenchards give her baby away to the care of an acquaintance. 26 years later, the Trenchards and the Brockhursts cross paths again in Belgravia. Their unwitting reunion unveils the long-hidden secret that transpires after tragedies befell their children. 

Belgravia

Soapy and sumptuous, Belgravia is the spiritual successor to Downton Abbey in many ways. Despite being set in different time periods in English history, the two shows bear the trademarks of a Fellowes production. There is an inheritance matter involved, for one. The upstairs-downstairs dynamic is also present; though Belgravia seems to treat the servants as afterthoughts almost, perhaps just to give viewers enough reminder of Downton Abbey. The depiction of high society is also central to both series, as with their American counterpart The Gilded Age. After witnessing the grandeurs of the Edwardian era and the Gilded Age through Fellowes’ lens, we are now treated to the drama surrounding the Victorian era’s most affluent families. Expect to see the same attention to detail that brings to life the time period’s archaic lifestyle.

Belgravia tv show

Based on Fellowes’ 2016 novel of the same name, Belgravia’s main conceit - a secret love child who stands to inherit a massive fortune he never knew he has - definitely calls to mind those old-fashioned melodramas from the 1980s-1990s. It’s been a while since such plotlines receive a high-end production like this. Some may see it as too contrite or old-fashioned, but Fellowes has stuffed in intriguing characters and fresh angles to keep audiences engaged. At the centre of the series are the matriarchs, Anne Trenchard (Tamsin Greig - Friday Night Dinner) and Caroline, Countess of Brockhurst (Harriet Walter - Killing Eve) who both lost their children and are now in the twilight of their years. Older mothers are typically positioned as supporting characters in dramas like these, either offering unwavering support or becoming an obstacle to their children’s happiness. It’s nice to see them as the drivers of the story for a change, navigating a repressive world for women of their age and station with grace and dignity. Anchored by strong performances, the two lead the charge against stuffy restrictions placed on them by society, in so doing giving the next generation a better fate.    

Belgravia offers a sincere soap opera that comes with all the juicy drama you can expect from the genre, glazed in old-world glamour. Beautiful to look at and briskly plotted, it’s a great selection if you miss Downton Abbey-esque antics. 

Published on August 1st, 2023. Written by Jennifer Ariesta for Television Heaven.

Read Next...

Black Books

Bafta-winning sitcom about the antics of a foul tempered and eccentric bookshop owner, his long-suffering assistant, and his one single friend

Also starring Tamsin Greig

Chernobyl mini series

In April 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant became one of the world's worst man-made catastrophes. "This is one of those programmes everyone, absolutely everyone, should see at least once"

Also starring Paul Ritter

The Great TV series

Satirical comedic drama about the rise of Catherine the Great from outsider to the longest reigning female ruler in Russia's history.

Also released in 2020

Inheritance

Drama starring John Thaw which revolved around the fortunes of the Oldroyds of Annotsfield, a Yorkshire mill-owning family, through five generations.

Also tagged Period Drama

Emma BBC TV series

A four-part BBC television drama serial adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel which follows the story of the "handsome, clever and rich" Emma Woodhouse

Also starring Tamsin Greig

Covington Cross

In 14th century England, the Grey family deal with romance, political intrigue, and war. This much maligned and heavily criticised series, cancelled during its first run, is deserving of a reappraisal

Also starring Philip Glenister

Cranford

Elizabeth Gaskell’s charming tale of a fictional Cheshire town and its eccentric characters has been adapted for TV three times by the BBC. In this review, we take a look at all three productions

Also starring Philip Glenister

Dickens of London

The excellent scriptwriter Wolf Mankowitz has surpassed himself in 'Dickens of London', a miniseries recounting the life of Charles Dickens from early boyhood till his death.

Also tagged Period Drama

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

How many post-apocalyptic science fiction stories are both tremendously heartwarming and uplifting, and perfect viewing for the whole family?

Also released in 2020