Like me, several of my friends and co-workers are into the Downton Abbey craze that is sweeping the PBS nation. Downton is one of the most popular series to hit PBS in years. It reminds me of when I was young (!) and Masterpiece Theatre was showing gems like “Poldark” that had you anxiously waiting for each week’s installment. If you like Downton try:
Duchess of Duke Street is the fictionalized account of the real Rosa Lewis, a mistress of Edward VII and 
owner of a famous hotel in London. Here she is Louisa Trotter, and like Rosa, she is a famous cook and proud of her cockney accent. It’s fun to see the food prepared in that elaborate Edwardian style and to follow the ups and downs of Louisa’s life.
Upstairs Downstairs Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins created this wonderful Edwardian period piece in the 1970s. 
It revolves around the Bellamy family upstairs and their servants downstairs. Marsh and Atkins were miffed that Downton seems to borrow from them, but both series are wonderful in their own ways. Frankly I would skip the 2011 sequel and go for the original series.
Daniel Deronda has Downton’s Hugh Bonneville as one 
of the characters. He is nothing like Lord Grantham and is deliciously EVIL in this series. Fun to see an actor with a great range. This is based on the novel by George Eliott about Daniel’s journey to discover his true heritage. In a subplot, Hugh steals the show as Henleigh Grandcourt.
The Way We Live Now is based on the novel by 
Anthony Trollope. It stars the wonderful David Suchet in a scene-chewing role as Augustus Melmotte, a shady European financier who descends onto 1870s London and takes no prisoners. Very different from his role as Poirot!
To see other Masterpiece favorites go to Find Movies and enter: Masterpiece Theatre.
-Anne R., CADL Reference Librarian
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