''Let Them Eat Cake'' is a British

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

that aired on

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

in 1999. Starring

Dawn French Dawn Roma French (born 11 October 1957) is a British actress, comedian and writer. She is known for writing and starring on the BBC sketch comedy series '' French and Saunders'' (1987–2007) with her best friend and comedy partner Jennifer Sa ...

and

Jennifer Saunders Jennifer Jane Saunders (born 6 July 1958) is an English actress, comedian, singer, and screenwriter. Saunders originally found attention in the 1980s, when she became a member of The Comic Strip after graduating from the Royal Central School ...

, it is one of the few programmes in which ''

French and Saunders ''French and Saunders'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring comedy duo and namesake Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders that originally broadcast on BBC2 from 1987 to 1993, and later on BBC One until 2017. It is al ...

'' have both appeared which they did not create themselves.

Plot

It is 1782, seven years before the French Revolution. 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 ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, 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

as Colombine, Comtesse de Vache *

as Lisette *

Adrian Scarborough Adrian Philip Scarborough 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), '' Les Misé ...

as Monsieur Bouffant *

Alison Steadman Alison Steadman (born 26 August 1946) is an English actress. She received the 1977 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress for ''Abigail's Party'', the 1991 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress for the Mike Leigh film ...

as Madame de Plonge (episodes 1, 2, 4, 6) *

Lucy Punch Lucy Alice T. Punch (born 30 December 1977) is an English actor. She has appeared in the films '' Ella Enchanted'' (2004), ''Hot Fuzz'' (2007), '' You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger'', '' Dinner for Schmucks,'' (both 2010) and ''Into the Woods'' ...

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

Elizabeth Berrington Elizabeth Berrington (born 3 August 1970) is an English actress and graduate of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art; she is best known for her roles as Ruby Fry in '' Waterloo Road'', Paula Kosh in '' Stella'', Mel Debrou in '' Moving Wa ...

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

(episodes 1, 4, 6) *

Julian Rhind-Tutt Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt (born 20 July 1967) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Dr "Mac" Macartney in the comedy television series '' Green Wing''. Early life Rhind-Tutt was born on 20 July 1967 in West Drayton, London, the youn ...

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 an Eswatini-born 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 H ...

as Monsieur Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) *

Maggie Steed Maggie Steed (born Margaret Baker; 1 December 1946) is an English actress and comedian. Career After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol in the late 1960s, Steed left the theatre for several years, until she was about ...

as Madame Vigée-Lebrun (episode 3) *

Kathy Burke Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress and comedian. She appeared in sketch shows such as '' French and Saunders'' (1988–1999), played a recurring role as Magda on the BBC sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992� ...

as Cecile (episode 5) *

Louisa Lytton Louisa Claire Lytton (born 7 February 1989) is an English actress, best known for portraying the role of Ruby Allen in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Beth Green in the ITV police procedural series ''The Bill'' (2007–2009). She also ...

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 Mark Lewisohn (born 16 June 1958) is an English historian and biographer. Since the 1980s, he has written many reference books about the Beatles and has worked for EMI, MPL Communications and Apple Corps.

, "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 in fiction Period television series British English-language television shows Television series by Banijay Television shows set in France Television series set in the 1780s Cultural depictions of Marie Antoinette