Aristocrats (TV series)

Aristocrats is a 1999 television series based on the biography by Stella Tillyard of the four aristocratic Lennox sisters in 18th century England. The series consists of six episodes of 50 minutes each and was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC, starting on 20 June 1999. It was a co-production between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ireland.

Aristocrats
GenreDrama
Based onBiography
by Stella Tillyard
Screenplay byHarriet O'Carroll
Directed byDavid Caffrey
ComposerMark Thomas
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Ireland
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
Production locationsMaynooth, County Kildare, Ireland
EditorNeil Thomson
Running time300 min. (6 episodes)
Original release
NetworkBBC One
Release20 June (1999-06-20) –
25 July 1999 (1999-07-25)

Carton House in County Kildare in Ireland was a major location, where three of the sisters had been brought up by a fourth after the death of their father.

Episodes

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  • Episode 1 - broadcast 20 June 1999
  • Episode 2 - broadcast 27 June 1999
  • Episode 3 - broadcast 4 July 1999
  • Episode 4 - broadcast 11 July 1999
  • Episode 5 - broadcast 18 July 1999
  • Episode 6 - broadcast 25 July 1999

Cast

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Character Played by
Lady Caroline Lennox Serena Gordon
Lady Louisa Lennox Anne-Marie Duff
Lady Emily Lennox Geraldine Somerville
Narrator / Older Lady Emily Lennox Siân Phillips
Lady Sarah Lennox Jodhi May
Lord Holland Alun Armstrong
Lord Kildare Ben Daniels
Duke of Richmond Julian Fellowes
Duchess of Richmond Diane Fletcher
Thomas Conolly Paul Ridley[1]

Tom Mullion

Sir Charles Bunbury, Bt Andrew Havill
William Ogilvie George Anton
Lord Edward FitzGerald John Light
King George II Clive Swift
Lord Beaufield Richard Dempsey
Little Eddie Eoin O'Driscoll

Awards

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The series was nominated in 1999 for two Awards by the Irish Film and Television Awards for "Best Craft Contribution," and "Best Television Drama." It also was nominated for two awards by the Royal Television Society, including " Best Costume Design," and "Best Make Up."[2]

DVD release

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All six parts of the miniseries were released in a DVD boxset on 8 August 2006. The set includes three discs containing all the episodes.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Spotlight".
  2. ^ "Aristocrats" (1999) (mini) - Awards
  3. ^ "Aristocrats" (1999) (mini) - DVD details for
  • DVD-featurettes on "Aristocrats"-DVD
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