''Let Them Eat Cake'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

that aired on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

in 1999. Starring

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian, presenter and writer. French is known for writing and starring on the BBC comedy sketch show ''French and Saunders'' with her best friend and comedy partner, Jennifer Saunde ...

and Jennifer Saunders, it is one of the few programmes in which French and Saunders have both appeared which they did not create themselves.

Plot

It is 1782, seven years before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. The most reviled woman in France is the ambitious and immoral Comtesse de Vache, who stalks the halls of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

, spreading terror into the hearts of her fellow aristocrats by gathering their darkest and most intimate secrets. The Comtesse's servants are her maid, former sex worker Lisette, and her flamboyantly gay couturier, Bouffant. Her constant rival is Madame de Plonge, who is accompanied by her naïve yet sharp-witted daughter, Eveline.

Cast

* Jennifer Saunders as Colombine, Comtesse de Vache *

as Lisette *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough (born 10 May 1968) is an English actor. He has appeared in films including ''The Madness of King George'' (1994), ''Gosford Park'' (2001), ''Vera Drake'' (2004), ''The History Boys'' (2006), ''The King's Speech'' (2010 ...

as Monsieur Bouffant * Alison Steadman as Madame de Plonge (episodes 1, 2, 4, 6) *

Lucy Punch Lucy Punch (born 30 December 1977) is a British actress. She has appeared in the films '' Ella Enchanted'', ''Hot Fuzz'', ''You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'', '' Dinner for Schmucks,'' and ''Into the Woods''. She is also known for her role as ...

as Eveline de Plonge (episodes 1, 2, 4, 6) * Elizabeth Berrington as

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

(episodes 1, 4, 6) * Julian Rhind-Tutt as Marie Antoinette's Advisor (episodes 1, 4, 6) *Linda Spurrier as 1st Aristocratic Woman (episodes 2, 3, 6) * Maggie Whiting as 2nd Aristocratic Woman (episodes 2, 3, 6) Steadman was credited as a "special guest star" despite appearing in four of the six episodes.

Guest stars

* James Greene as the Comte de Vache (episodes 1 & 4) * Adam James as the Marquis de Bonvie (episode 1) * Philip Voss as Physician (episode 1) *

Richard E. Grant Richard E. Grant (born Richard Grant Esterhuysen; 5 May 1957) is a Swazi-English actor and presenter. He made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy ''Withnail and I'' (1987). Grant received critical acclaim for his role as Jack Hock in Marie ...

as Monsieur Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) * Maggie Steed as Madame Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) * Kathy Burke as Cecile (episode 5) *

Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Ruby Allen in ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in ''The Bill''. She also finished fourth in the fourth series of ''Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2006 ...

as Little Girl (episode 5)

Episodes

DVD releases

''Let Them Eat Cake'' was released in Region 2 (UK) and Region 4 (Australia) on 5 March 2007.

References

* Mark Lewisohn, "Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy", BBC Worldwide Ltd, 2003

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Let Them Eat Cake 1999 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British sitcoms BBC television sitcoms French Revolution films Period television series English-language television shows Television series by Endemol Television shows set in France Television series set in the 1780s Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette