Product Details

• Actors: Geoffrey Bayldon, John Cater, Christopher Cazenove, Simon Chandler, Mary Healey
• Directors: Bill Bain, Cyril Coke, Gerry Mill, Simon Langton
• Writers: Bill Craig, Jeremy Paul, John Hawkesworth, Julia Jones
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: August 15, 2006
• Run Time: 829 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GAKFHW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,467 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Duchess of Duke Street - Series 2" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Mrs. Trotter, born Louisa Leyton, has already proven that she can take whatever life dishes out and remain in a class all her own. Having made her reputation as the best cook in London and proprietress of the city’s most elegant and discreet hotel, Louisa now faces even bigger challenges. When World War I breaks out, she opens the Bentinck’s doors to soldiers but never cashes their checks. Driven almost to ruin and facing unbearable loss, she survives to usher in the giddy post-war age.

Based on the true story of Rosa Lewis, a culinary genius and owner of London’s venerable Cavendish Hotel, this acclaimed BBC series dramatizes the life of an indomitable woman in stories full of humor and heart. Created by John Hawkesworth (Upstairs, Downstairs) and starring Gemma Jones (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Sense and Sensibility) as Louisa, and Christopher Cazenove (A Knight’s Tale, TV’s Dynasty) as Charlie, the dashing love of her life.

As seen on Masterpiece Theatre.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One to revisit, March 8, 2000

By 

alan george (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Duchess of Duke Street II--Series (VHS Tape)

Excellent chance to watch again a programme that truley shows the 2 tier system of victorian england.It is remarkable the indifference shown to those consisdered to be in the poorer classes and how they were manipluted,but with Louisa Trotter there was a difference,she plays the game to her on benefit,but never dening her past.Inter woven in these video's is a remarkable love story that if it were to happen to day,the ending would have been very different.Louisa Trotter is an example of what makes a hotel/cafe/restaurant a sucess,it is not just the product,but the charactor behind it that makes the difference. I have watched this several times and the attention to detail is excellent,even down to the cooking style that is true Victorian. Enjoy,perfect for a rainy afternoon.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better series from Masterpiece Theater, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Duchess of Duke Street II--Series (VHS Tape)

The Duchess of Duke Street is loosly based on a real character, a woman who started out as a basic scullery maid, the lowest position in "service", and worked her way up to being a celebrated cook.She eventually bought her own hotel in London which was famous for its food and naughty reputation.The acting is top rate and so are the stories. It is an excellent illustration of class and society in general into the 1930s. It is also a touching reminder of what a horrific war WWI was and how it literally changed British society on every level. Highly recommended for winter evenings and rainy afternoons with a brandy or a glass of Mrs. Trotter's favorite champagne.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent..., April 24, 2003

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Duchess of Duke Street, Vol. 2 (6 Tape Set) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

If anything, this second series is even better than the first. You have to own the whole series to get the full effect: each time I watch, I notice something different.

Series II brings home the horrors of the World War and the often tragic, often humorous byproducts of the class system. While the lower classes were used and abused, the upper classes too faced restrictions...

The closing scene is near-perfect...

The only downside to the series is that it's unmatched. Upstairs Downstairs (at least the first season) doesn't move as quickly and the characters seem cardboard in comparison, at least to me. Only Brideshead Revisited comes close and that's a far gloomier story.