Julian Fellowes' Belgravia - starts tonight, ITV1

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Anyone planning on watching? I loved Downton so I'm looking forward to this. It might be just the sort of escapist drama featuring posh people in nice frocks that we all need right now!

As it's only 4 episodes I shall watch until the end but I'm not enamoured by it. I shan't be sorry when it's over.

Didn't watch the original but loved the update of Upstairs Downstairs. Can't usually stand Keeley Hawse but she was good in that. And the servant who was once a lady in germany, I can still remember her knowing about furs. So sad.

Ok, now officially annoyed. I wear corsets - you don't lace it but you fasten it loose, do the front and then tighten the laces. If it was already tightened you can't fasten it.

And it didn't fit her.

To clarify: you don't need to lace it every time, that kind you leave laced. But you do need to tighten it.

There are types where you do need to lace them each time but it's the wrong era for that.

Given that he is such a man of the world, surely he would know how to do up a corset! Inevitably, if you have sex then you both have to get dressed again.

It’s like every man knowing how to undo a bra.

@ppeatfruit
The book is excellent and the Lewis/McKee version was quite true to it.

The whole point is that it is about the impact of secrets and mistakes on multiple generations i.e. the respective children of Soames and Irene

Unless you had a ladies' maid of course Bingle . I always thought that the maids who didn't have maids' corset laces were at the front because of that reason (you know when you see the barmaids in the 1700s they wear corset type things over their blouses\chemises).

I suppose later fashions changed so they could done up at the front and moved round to the back.

You dont need to turn it, the laces are at the back, you just do the busk at the front (as she did). They reach behind to pull the laces tight, they have bunny ears (big loops) so it's not hard.

Check out Prior Attire so you can see different eras. It's very rare she needs help. You will find you're still watching several hours later though!

Just struggling through last night's episode and I'm BORED!
DH had a look at the JF series on Netflix about the origins of football, which I thought would be excruciating, but he says it's much better than Belgravia. More like Downton in shorts

Yes I know maybe But it did get a bit stultifying towards the end. I must have a poor concentration span.

Ref. corsets men wore them too!

DH had a look at the JF series on Netflix about the origins of football, which I thought would be excruciating, but he says it's much better than Belgravia. More like Downton in shorts

I've watched a couple of episodes of that - it's a reasonable light bit of telly

I enjoyed the episode but do feel a bit concerned for the wellbeing of Mr Pope, at the rate he is making enemies!

Now surely the whole problem of Sophia's reputation could be solved by the parents going back to Brussels and tracking down whoever loaned them the church for the secret wedding. Or the 'priest', if he survived Waterloo.

He also wrote a record of the marriage in a book. Was it just any old book? Or perhaps it actually was the register?

Also, I can't think why they didn't pass off the baby boy as a baby of Mrs T's. She had a young child at the time so it was just about feasible. They are lacking gumption, these Trenchards.

Also, what's the betting that Mrs Oliver Trenchard will suddenly find herself with child?

I'm enjoying it reasonably well. But I do keep waiting for the Tranchard's butler to be overseeing dinner and ask Mrs Trenchard if she would like a lovely bit of squirrel.

I am enjoying it but feel the servant characters are very one dimensional. No idea who is who yet and can't decide if any are good guys or whether the lot of them are bad eggs .
Also feel the story line is moving so fast that it feels rushed.
Oh and my dh and I laughed at Susan's pathetic attempt at playing hard to get ! She was supposedly going to make him work for it!

Yep, corsets all round!

Seriously, do check out Prior Attire on YouTube. She does all the layers of dress for different times and it's fascinating.

"where that fake wedding plot device was used before"

Yes-I was thinking it's familiar.

A Thomas Hardy novel?

Or maybe it's just the Trenchard surname making me think of Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge.

alittleprivacy

I can’t quite decide if I like it or not. I don’t love it that’s for sure.

I don’t understand why the trenchards didn’t bring him up either. Unless Mrs T had already gone through the menopause which her maid would have known about?

A lot of it does seem very familiar though-

guy who has done well but not accepted into society

indolent son & nasty dil

girl becomes pregnant by upperclass chap who is then off the scene

Hmm I just watched a recording of the last ep. I'm not particularly impressed. The costumes are nice (damning with faint praise). It's as if Tamsin is in a totally different show, she can ACT fgs why is she is in it?

The blokes look quite similar. The grandson and the Lothario look similar, they're weren't much good. The daughter ain't a good actor.

It's lacking anything to grab me. At least it's had more money spent on it than that flop Sanditon.

Anyone think that it will all end "happily ever after"?

Pope & Maria together as the affair between Susan & Bellawotsit will be discovered so a lower class man with morals will be acceptable?

Oliver & Susan have to live quietly because her reputation is shot.

But then there was a proper marriage so hurrah- Charles is the heir so the son/GS of nobodies is the next Earl of wherever & Maria is married to a titled person afterall so Mummy is happy!

Have you read the book @diddl ?

No, just thinking it seems to be heading that way.

In the first episode the chap who married them was seen writing wasn't he?

Who was the dead woman that TG kissed in her memory , Was she a first daughter, the mother of their grandson? I haven't seen it all sorry

I should think so yes.

They only had the one daughter.

Alice Eve is the Dil.