The Edwardian Country House

Reality TV is not for me or so I used to think after not being able to endure more than five minutes of American Idol or Bachelor or Survivor. Until I chanced upon "Manor House" on PBS while channel surfing Sunday afternoon -- the first episode was just beginning -- and was hooked for six hours as they showed the entire series.

This is brilliant television, I've never seen anything like it. Not only was it extremely interesting and informative, it was great fun. The characters were so genuine. Most played their parts perfectly. Loved Sir John, the born aristocrat, who one week into the thing talks about the "clarity of the system... the poor will always be with us... Jesus said so, he couldn't be wrong". This is genuine, matchless stuff! The Lady talking about the undergarments of the time, shyly, a little naughtily, and wasn't her use of euphemisms just perfect? Also the butler, another genuine chap.

That said, I would have loved to see: (1) Less of the reality-TV-like romance (2) More of the cook in general, and more of his argument with Sir John (3) Less and more of the tutor - most scenes he was in were boring, but OTOH his homosexuality which would be obvious even in 1900 was not addressed or even mentioned (4) More information about the actors' real lives.

In any case despite its flaws, it's really light years better than your average reality TV. Forget Survivor, this is the real thing.

I have never watched any of the crop of "reality" tv shows because none of them seem realistic, or worth watching. This show (called Manor House on PBS in the US) was some of the more entertaining 6 hours of TV I've seen in a while. The idea is to try and take modern people and have them live as they did in the start of the 20th century - the family in the house, and their servants. Since they didn't really want to replace people mid-show, some of the strict rules of conduct of that period were not as enforced as strongly as they would have been - ie. people didn't get sacked when they should have.

The show gave an insight as to how appreciative the "servants" are of the way society changed in the 20th century...especially two of the cast members who had relatives who were in service like this.

My only real complaint was that they seemed to repeat things from episode to episode to make sure you understood something. Watching the whole thing over three nights made this redundant commentary annoying. I would have prefered to have seen more interaction between the family and the head servants, and between the servants than the constant voice over about the duties and shots of people working.

Watching this also changes the way you watch Gosford Park.

In 2001, a group of volunteers entered a grand Scottish estate and assumed the roles of masters and servants; they lived in complete compliance with 1905 rules and standards for three months. The family that became the Lord and Lady of the house had an unimagined glimpse into a world of power and luxury while the downstairs folk experienced the depths of despair as marginalized servants.

This was the best of the excellent "House" reality series; its success was due to the dedication of those in the cast whose eyes were opened to the perks and horrors of strict Edwardian life. We watch as the master's family pursues the ease of the very wealthy, riding, entertaining, and being coddled and pampered. The servants, however, endure backbreaking and soul-killing labor, under the watchful eye of the superb butler. Even their personal conversations were limited and structured by strict etiquette.

I was completely engrossed as the cast dealt with loneliness, forged friendships, and overcame adversity without the aid of modern conveniences; I felt their anxiety under pressure, relief at the simplest pleasure, and I sobbed at their misery. The last day was especially moving as each participant appeared in modern clothes for the first time and took their happy, or in some cases, very sad farewell of the house.

Highly recommended for history fans.

As far as reality TV goes, this is tops. I loved the first couple seasons of survivor, and this blows them away. I'm an American, and as such, I know this program as Manor House. My father received this series as a Christmas gift, and I wanted to watch all three discs back to back.

There were some week episodes in the middle but overall this was the most worthwhile program I've seen in a long time. The characters were fantastic. Kenny the hall boy was hilarious, Monsieur Dubiard was the quintessential French chef, and Sir John was absolutely despicable. Perhaps best of all was Mr. Edgar. He was so real as an Edwardian butler it felt like they lifted him right out of the time period.

As far as the accusation that the program might has been scripted, I don't believe it for a second. I do however believe that they did a brilliant job with casting. The interplay between characters was almost unbelievably dynamic. While I don't think that Kenny the hall boy would have stayed employed in 1905 I have to give him a hand for sticking it out and lasting through the entire program. The first couple scullery maids on the other hand were incredibly ill prepared for there responsibilities. I suspect the directors hoped they would spice up the show, but instead they just quit.

Again, I can't say enough good things about this show, and would characterize it as a must watch for anyone with any wits. While I can't give it a 10 (reserved for the godfather and the like) I have to give it a high 9. While it may never be a huge hit, it will always be a hit with me.

I really think this was a neat little special. Being on the poor side, I could really identify with the suspicion of the downstairs staff towards the upstairs family. I found the patriarch to be disdainful and I really could see the pain in the matriarch's homely sister. I'd like to speculate that most of society today is more kin to the upstairs family, but I could definetely see the rewards that came as being part of the downstairs staff; there wasn't time for many of today's ills: depression, boredom, isolation, et al. The most intriguing player was the first butler's aide, Charlie Clay. By God, he's the most handsome man I've seen since Tom Cruise in Losin' It. Will we see more him? Overall, 9 stars.