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The Duchess of Duke Street : Season 1
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Air date: 04 Sep '76 - 15 episodesThe Duchess Of Duke Street is a BBC television drama series set in London between 1900 and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, the former producer of the highly successful 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 proprietrix 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, the "Duchess of Jermyn Street", who ran the Cavendish Hotel in London. 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 clock-maker. The programme lasted for two series totalling 31 episodes, shown between 1976 and 1977. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980. The theme music was...
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List of Episodes (15)
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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1. A Present Sovereign
04 Sep '76A feisty, determined, kind hearted young woman embarks on her career 'to be the best cook in England,' when she's employed in the London home of a well connected aristocrat.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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2. Honour and Obey
11 Sep '76Hardly flattered and severely compromised, Louisa has caught the eye of the Prince of Wales and is pressed into marrying Augustus Trotter.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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3. A Nice Class of Premises
18 Sep '76All bets are off when HRH becomes His Majesty, King Edward VII and Louisa and Augustus must plan what lies ahead for them.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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4. The Bargain
25 Sep '76Heavily in debt, Louisa is on a juggernaut that lands in her in the hospital, after she collapses from exhaustion. But, that handsome devil and consoling angel, Charlie Tyrrell, devises a plan to save her hotel.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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5. A Bed of Roses
02 Oct '76With Charlie Tyrell now in residence as the first guest, the hotel is now officially open to the public. Louisa has set a high standard for herself and is relying on word of mouth among the right kind of people to bring in the clientèle. Charlie invites an attractive, but married, woman for dinner in his rooms only to have her leave when she realizes she is the only guest. He invites Louisa to join him and unexpectedly, they soon are lovers. When Charlie must leave for America, Louisa is heartbr
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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6. For Love or Money
09 Oct '76A con artist, posing as a Baron, dupes a greedy American guest and seduces a lonely young bride, as a vigilant and intrigued Louisa monitors his every move.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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7. A Lady of Virtue
16 Oct '76A Liberal politician convinces a colleague that he can seduce a married lady of impeccable virtue.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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8. Trouble and Strife
23 Oct '76A woman from Starr's past, down on her luck, begs him to use his influence to obtain a job for her at the Bentinck.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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9. The Outsiders
30 Oct '76When a kindly, but modest man asks for a room at the Bentinck Hotel, he is given the short shrift. However when Louisa and Charlie find out the reason for his visit, he is treated like a visiting dignitary.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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10. Lottie's Boy
06 Nov '76A handsome young guest creates a rift between Mary and Louisa and persuades the Major to invest the remainder of his inheritance in a very risky venture.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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11. No Letters, No Lawyers
13 Nov '76A wily journalist poses as a temporary porter and gathers information on Louisa that could destroy her personal and professional life.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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12. A Matter of Honour
20 Nov '76Charlie is shocked to learn that one of his closest friends, Lord Elleston, arranged for his horse to lose at Ascot.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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13. One Night's Grace
27 Nov '04All are intrigued when an attractive young lady asks to see Lord Haslemere -- who is she, what does she want, and more to the point, what is she after?
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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14. Plain Sailing
04 Dec '76Louisa turns the air blue, but hardly a sedate navy, when she buys a summer resort adjacent to a posh private club at Cowes.
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
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15. A Test of Love
11 Dec '76With the death of His Majesty, King Edward VII, an era ends for Britain and for Louisa Trotter. Pressing forward, however, Charlie Tyrell (Lord Haslemere) has proposed to lovely Margaret Rosslyn and the newlyweds leave the Bentinck to live in a suitable house and start a family.
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