The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)

Genre

drama

Country

United Kingdom

Length

2 seasons, 31 episodes

Rated

12

Rating

8.0 of 10 from 14 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young woman rises from kitchen maid to owner of a distinguished London hotel between 1900 and 1925. The series follows her struggles and relationships as she builds a new life in high society.

leisurelyelegantbittersweetaspirationalgroundedemotionally warmslow-burncharacter-driven

What happens

The Duchess of Duke Street is a BBC television drama series set in London between 1900 and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It starred Gemma Jones as Louisa Leyton Trotter, the eponymous "Duchess" who works her way up from servant to renowned cook to proprietor of the upper-class Bentinck Hotel in Duke Street, St James's in London. The story is loosely based on the real-life career of Rosa Lewis (née Ovenden), the "Duchess of Jermyn Street", who ran the Cavendish Hotel in London, at the corner of Duke St, St. James's. When the show first aired, there were many people who still remembered her, as she lived until 1952. According to census returns, she was born in Leyton, Essex, to a watchmaker. In the series, Louisa's family name is Leyton, and her father is a clockmaker. Daphne Fielding wrote The Duchess of Jermyn Street (1964) about Rosa Lewis, but was not formally credited in the BBC production. The programme lasted for two series totalling 31 episodes, shown in 1976 and 1977. The Duchess of Duke Street began to air in the United States on October 22, 1978, on the PBS series Masterpiece Theatre. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980. The theme music was composed by Alexander Faris. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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