The series also features future Oscar nominee Pauline Collins and soon-to-be Hollywood starlet Lesley Anne-Down.Īnd with five full series, it’ll keep you going for a while! And if that’s not enough, you can even seek out the continuation of the series that ran for two seasons from 2010. The show was co-created by actress Jean Marsh, who won an Emmy for her role as Sarah the parlourmaid - just one of a cabinet full of gongs the show grabbed on both sides of the Atlantic. Spanning three decades from the early 1900s, it follows the Bellamys and their servants through the first world war and beyond, as the residents of the house are forced to adapt to a rapidly changing world. However, it’s fair to say that the characters and quite a few of the stories will be reassuringly familiar to fans of Downton.

The show is set in a swish London townhouse rather than Downton’s country pile. The series formula of master and servant tales told in tandem was undoubtedly the inspiration for Downton. The classic 1970s UK series was a huge hit both at home and in the US. Number of seasons: 1 (season 2 due in 2022)

Let’s just say we wouldn’t like to be Sally sat at home watching our daughter doing all that Daphne does in episode six… Word of warning, the series quickly grows far racier with its bedroom antics than we ever saw with the Crawleys and co.

She is the daughter of Coronation Street legend Sally Dynevor, who has played Sally in the soap opera for four decades, fact fans. Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne was the other breakout star. The show caused a sensation when it launched, with leading man Regé-Jean Page as the Duke of Hastings fast becoming the country’s number one heart throb. She hopes to find a suitable husband for Daphne, although the spirited girl has plans of her own. Set in the regency era, it sees widowed Violet Bridgerton presenting her daughter during debutante season.

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