Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
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based on child development research. How do we rate?
Historical drama about British classism has mature themes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
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Belgravia
What's the Story?
Based on the 2016 novel by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, BELGRAVIA is a fictional historical drama about the tensions between Britain's nouveau riche, London's long-established upper class, and the secrets between them. It's the eve before the Battle of Waterloo, and military supplier James Trenchard (Philip Glenister) is attending the Duchess of Richmond's ball with his wife Anne (Tasmin Greig) and daughter Sophia (Emily Reid), who happens to be in love with Officer Edmund Ballasis (Jeremy Neumark Jones), the son of Earl and Lady Brockenhurst (Tom Wilkinson and Harriet Walter). Twenty-six years later, details about that connection are revealed, the implications of which affect both sides of the class divide.
Is It Any Good?
This smart and charming limited series presents a complicated story world in which the class prejudices of Victorian England are challenged by love. The narrowing separation between the country's established aristocracy and the wealthy middle class (the fortunes of which grew thanks to the Industrial Revolution), is personified by the awkward association between the wealthy, but middle-class, Trenchards and the aristocratic Brockenhursts, whose lives and extended family are now intertwined in various ways due to questionable decisions made nearly three decades prior.
The consistent pressure of each family to hold on to their place in upper society -- and to ensure that their heirs will do the same -- creates the necessary room for strife, illicit affairs, and potential scandals. Among the lower working class, it's also a chance to take advantage of their employers' troubles in order to improve their station in life. But these plot lines also give way to a series of strong relationships, some of which challenge the status quo in their own way. In the end, Belgravia is a solid drama, but also serves as a sharp social commentary about British classism.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Belgravia portrays life in Victorian England. Why is class such an integral part of these family's lives? How did the divisions between the rising middle class and the aristocracy impact economics or politics during that time period?
TV and movie writers and producers of period dramas often change historical details, or offer alternative interpretations of historical events, in order to tell a good story. But when does this go too far? Would these dramas be better if they are historically accurate?
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 12, 2020
- Cast : Tasmin Greig , Philip Glenister , Harriet Walter
- Network : Epix
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : History
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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