The lush British costume drama, Belgravia: The Next Chapter, from Downton Abbey’s Julian Fellowes has undergone a few changes since 2020. The setting is still the posh London enclave of the title, but it’s 1871 — 30 years later — and most of Season 1’s characters have died. The spotlight is now on Lord Frederick Trenchard (Benjamin Wainwright), grandson of the original Belgravia’s wealthy, social-climbing merchant James Trenchard.
(Credit: Mark Mainz/Carnival Film & Television Limited/MGM+)
Frederick was badly abused by his father, James’ son Oliver (the returning Richard Goulding, shown in flashbacks with Alice Eve, another returnee, as wife Susan). The reason? Frederick’s real father is the cad John Bellasis (Adam James). Never told about his illegitimate birth, the insecure, self-loathing young lord blames his inability to love on his younger brother, James (Toby Regbo, The Last Kingdom). “James was always the favorite child,” says exec producer Gareth Neame. “That completely destroyed Frederick.”
Still, Frederick believes — maybe incorrectly — that his spirited and beautiful new wife, Clara (Harriet Slater), can help him overcome his demons. But according to Neame, “They’re too strong.… Clara feels oppressed by her husband and trapped in that marriage.” And Frederick doesn’t help the situation, as he’s obsessed with his risky investments in the future of railroads and partnering with the unconventional Marquise D’Étagnac (Claude Perron), a moneyed French exile and an astute businesswoman.
Lord Trenchard is not, of course, the only one with a secret. His brother James, in reality a kindly reverend and not the monster Frederick imagines, struggles with his forbidden sexuality.
But there’s a truth-teller in this Chapter: An unexpected visitor could blow up several characters’ lives with just a few words.
Belgravia: The Next Chapter, Premieres Sunday, January 14, MGM+
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