The House of Eliott

I remember when A&E aired this series on Sunday evenings. Oh how I envied being in London, anyway Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard are both stars of this series as two sisters who operate a fashion business in London, England. A terrific supporting cast like Victoria Alcock, Cathy Murphy, and others help support the leading actresses. Of course, the creators of the show was Dame Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh better known for Upstairs, Downstairs. Anyway, the story is quite soap opera at times but it is irresistible too. They are true to the time period as possible they can. They opened the doors much like other British series. Sadly, the show only lasted three seasons which is not that unusual in British programming. Unfortunately, a series season ranges from 6-10 episodes a season. Oh my, the British soaps air about four or five times a week.

Designers on this show - costumes, sets, locations, cars, antiques, etc, must have felt like they'd died and gone to heaven. It was such a beautiful age. But thankfully House of Eliott, which developed a small but passionate fan base in the early 1990s, was also blessed with great storylines and had genuine heart. It was interesting to watch the intelligent two sisters, who were so different in personality, develop a fashion business from scratch, and when they did succeed, they enjoyed their success very much. Cue lots of lovely 1920s parties. Yes, it could be frivolous at times but it was always entertaining. And the cinematography was so lush that you felt like you were there in the room with the characters. Overall it was great escapism.

I absolutely loved this series, which was on too briefly on A&E in the '90s and ended with kind of a cliffhanger. However, there is a book available that actually goes forward from the series.

One of the posters commented on the French & Saunders skit which was hilarious, and yes, once you've seen them, it's hard to look at the actual characters in the show without giggling. Louise Lombard was so gorgeous, she reminded me of Louise Brooks and I was wishing a film about Brooks would happen so Lombard could play her. She and Stella Gonet were excellent in their roles, as were the handsome Aden Gillet as Jack and Cathy Murphy, who played Tilly.

This has been criticized for being a soap opera - I happen to love soap operas.

The House of Eliott is a gem of a series largely due to the wonderful characters, great acting and writing, fabulous settings and exquisite costumes. The characters of Evangeline and Beatrice are really wonderful foils for one another. Supporting characters such as Jack, Tilly, Madge and company are also highly entertaining. It is very hard to not become quickly addicted to the House of Eliott. Even though it is set largely among the beautiful people of the 1920s, the House of Eliott manages to show how the other half lives, particularly when dealing with the Miners' Strike and the consequences for so many families. Now that it is out on DVD all the wonderful characters live again.

The House of Elliot is currently being shown each weekday evening on ITV3. I never saw it first time around in the early '90's - for some reason, it just did not appeal to me despite its original popularity. I'm glad I didn't see it actually because I would have been denied the great pleasure of seeing it for the first time now! All I can say is what a great programme it is. The likable characters soon have you completely involved in their trials and tribulations.If anyone is looking for great art, this is not it - however, it is an engaging, undemanding and enjoyable way to pass an hour's viewing. The period settings, costumes and attention to detail are fantastic - the show must have cost a fortune to make. Particularly impressive was the episode set in Paris, which was obviously filmed on location - all I can think was that the outside scenes must have been filmed at some unearthly hour in the morning when the city was quiet - however it was done it was an amazing feat! Well done to all concerned with this gem of a series.