Aristocrats (1999– )

18th-century England and Ireland viewed through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, great-granddaughters of a king, daughters of a cabinet minister, and wives of politicians and peers.

Stars:

Siân Phillips, Serena Gordon, Alun Armstrong

4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Siân Phillips	...	Narrator (6 episodes, 1999)
Serena Gordon	...	Caroline (5 episodes, 1999)
Alun Armstrong	...	Henry Fox (5 episodes, 1999)
Geraldine Somerville	...	Lady Emily (5 episodes, 1999)
Ben Daniels	...	Lord Kildare (5 episodes, 1999)
Anne-Marie Duff	...	Louisa (4 episodes, 1999)
Tom Mullion	...	Thomas Conolly (4 episodes, 1999)
Jodhi May	...	Sarah (4 episodes, 1999)
Toby Jones	...	Ste Fox (4 episodes, 1999)
Hugh Sachs	...	Charles James Fox (4 episodes, 1999)
Clive Swift	...	King George II (3 episodes, 1999)
Katherine Wogan	...	Mary Third Duchess of Richmond (3 episodes, 1999)
Tom Beard	...	Third Duke of Richmond (3 episodes, 1999)
Andrew Fitzsimons	...	Young Lord Edward (3 episodes, 1999)
Brendan Morrissey	...	Fox's Butler (3 episodes, 1999)
Julian Fellowes	...	Lord Richmond (2 episodes, 1999)
Diane Fletcher	...	Lady Richmond (2 episodes, 1999)
Andrew Havill	...	Charles Bunbury (2 episodes, 1999)
George Anton	...	William Ogilvie (2 episodes, 1999)
Katharine Rogers	...	Princess Caroline (2 episodes, 1999)
John Light	...	Edward Fitzgerald (2 episodes, 1999)
Carl Brennan	...	Young George (2 episodes, 1999)
Jeremy Bulloch	...	Older George Napier (2 episodes, 1999)
Patrick Duncan	...	Party Guest (2 episodes, 1999)
David Gant	...	Older Ogilvie (2 episodes, 1999)
Frank Kelly	...	George Selwyn (2 episodes, 1999)
Lara Madden	...	Young Lady Sarah (2 episodes, 1999)
Pauline McLynn	...	Susan Fox-Strangways (2 episodes, 1999)
Saoirse O'Brien	...	Young Lady Louisa (2 episodes, 1999)
Jérôme Pradon	...	Duc de Lauzun (2 episodes, 1999)
Diana Quick	...	Older Lady Louisa (2 episodes, 1999)
Paul Ridley	...	Older Tom Conolly (2 episodes, 1999)
Eamon Rohan	...	Horace Walpole (2 episodes, 1999)
Sheila Ruskin	...	Older Lady Sarah (2 episodes, 1999)
William Sparks	...	Young Charles (2 episodes, 1999)
Amelia Warner	...	Lady Cecelia (2 episodes, 1999)
Adam Webb	...	William Fitzgerald (2 episodes, 1999)

Storyline

18th-century England and Ireland viewed through the eyes of four beautiful high-born sisters - Caroline, Emily, Louisa, and Sarah Lennox, great-granddaughters of a king, daughters of a cabinet minister, and wives of politicians and peers.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | horse riding | costume | extramarital affair | fireworks | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS [us]

Country:

UK Ireland USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aristokraatit - Lennoxin siskokset

Filming Locations:

Carton House, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Irish Screen, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min 50 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The gold and jewel encrusted gown worn by Jodhi May (as Lady Sarah) to the court of the newly crowned George III was previously worn by Helen Mirren as Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George.

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Goofs

Geraldine Somerville, who was the principal actress playing the second Lennox sister Emily, appears in the background as a mourner in the scene where Lady Caroline and Mr. Fox are talking at a funeral in the first episode of the series. At this point in the story, the character of Emily is a child so Geraldine was available as an extra and the casting directors didn't think anyone would notice.

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Quotes

Lady Emily: Is not the act of love... strange? Jimmy says that its frequent use is necessary to a woman's health and happiness.
Caroline: That's abominably indelicate.
Lady Emily: He says what he thinks.
Caroline: I'm sure one sees many mighty comfortable old virgins.
Lady Emily: Perhaps that is so. But one is awfully glad not to be among them...

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Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Aristocrats' (1999)

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Soundtracks

"The Croppy Boy"
Traditional

User Reviews

Harlequin romance covers and political intrigue...

I had a problem with this production -- it didn't know what it wanted to be. Was it a faithful account of a true story or was it a Goergian soap opera with harlequin romance cover bedroom scenes? The worst problem was the inconsistency - the period drama with the social commentary was dropped by the end of the series, which had turned into a story of political intrigue, involving characters we knew little about.

I enjoyed the series but did not love it. The first two episodes that I thought were going to set the tone for the balance of the series, turned out to have little to do with the rest of the storyline. After the first two episodes, the series became less focused with too many characters and little impact on the storyline.

I am sure the book is much better and on a positive, this series does encourage me to go out and read more about these sisters and what really happened. This film was a great introduction to the story but it was far from satisfying.