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The Duchess of Duke Street
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. Shown later on PBS in the United States, it was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980. The theme music was composed by Alexander Faris.
Beautiful but low-born Louisa Leyton has one driving ambition: to become a great cook. She finds employment as a cook in the household of Lord Henry Norton. His handsome, wealthy, aristocratic nephew, Charlie Tyrrell, attempts to seduce her, but she rebuffs him. Louisa manages to convince Lord Norton's sexist French chef, Monsieur Alex, into accepting her as his apprentice.
When Louisa is unexpectedly called upon to prepare a dinner by herself, she catches the eye of the guest of honour, Edward, the Prince of Wales, who admires both her cooking and her appearance. After the dinner, Louisa is pressured into becoming Edward's mistress. Against her own wishes, she agrees to marry Lord Norton's head butler, Augustus "Gus" Trotter, to maintain the appearance of respectability and to protect the royal reputation. Gus and Louisa are given a house, and her involvement with the prince commences. In time, Edward's mother, Queen Victoria, dies. Edward assumes the throne as King Edward VII, causing him to end his relationship with Louisa.
Louisa's shaky marriage to Gus becomes strained, both from her affair with the prince and her great success as a private chef. In an effort to help him recover his pride, Louisa purchases the Bentinck Hotel and talks a reluctant Gus into managing it. Before long, abetted by his sister, he lets the authority go to his head. His arrogance alienates the staff and the guests. Once Louisa discovers that he has lavishly entertained his friends and driven away the guests, she throws both him and his meddling sister out. Then she discovers, to her horror, the mountain of bills he has left unpaid.
With only Mary, one of Lord Norton's servants, to assist her, she sets to work to pay the debts, taking any and all cooking jobs, however humble, but finally she collapses from overwork in the street very early one morning. Charlie Tyrrell is passing by (leaving a late-night assignation) and takes her back to the Bentinck. Once he learns of Louisa's financial woes, he convinces her to allow him to help her by becoming a silent partner in the hotel.
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The Duchess of Duke Street
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. Shown later on PBS in the United States, it was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980. The theme music was composed by Alexander Faris.
Beautiful but low-born Louisa Leyton has one driving ambition: to become a great cook. She finds employment as a cook in the household of Lord Henry Norton. His handsome, wealthy, aristocratic nephew, Charlie Tyrrell, attempts to seduce her, but she rebuffs him. Louisa manages to convince Lord Norton's sexist French chef, Monsieur Alex, into accepting her as his apprentice.
When Louisa is unexpectedly called upon to prepare a dinner by herself, she catches the eye of the guest of honour, Edward, the Prince of Wales, who admires both her cooking and her appearance. After the dinner, Louisa is pressured into becoming Edward's mistress. Against her own wishes, she agrees to marry Lord Norton's head butler, Augustus "Gus" Trotter, to maintain the appearance of respectability and to protect the royal reputation. Gus and Louisa are given a house, and her involvement with the prince commences. In time, Edward's mother, Queen Victoria, dies. Edward assumes the throne as King Edward VII, causing him to end his relationship with Louisa.
Louisa's shaky marriage to Gus becomes strained, both from her affair with the prince and her great success as a private chef. In an effort to help him recover his pride, Louisa purchases the Bentinck Hotel and talks a reluctant Gus into managing it. Before long, abetted by his sister, he lets the authority go to his head. His arrogance alienates the staff and the guests. Once Louisa discovers that he has lavishly entertained his friends and driven away the guests, she throws both him and his meddling sister out. Then she discovers, to her horror, the mountain of bills he has left unpaid.
With only Mary, one of Lord Norton's servants, to assist her, she sets to work to pay the debts, taking any and all cooking jobs, however humble, but finally she collapses from overwork in the street very early one morning. Charlie Tyrrell is passing by (leaving a late-night assignation) and takes her back to the Bentinck. Once he learns of Louisa's financial woes, he convinces her to allow him to help her by becoming a silent partner in the hotel.