''Regency House Party'' is a

historical reenactment Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...

program made by Wall to Wall/

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

in 2004. Narrated by

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 ...

, the

Regency reenactment Regency reenactment is historical reenactment of the British Regency period. Groups portray the period from 1811 to 1820 through costume, manners, food, and social gatherings that celebrate the spirit of the era. Groups often include a mix of Ja ...

is the fourth in a series of historical reality programs produced by Channel 4, preceded by ''

The 1900 House ''The 1900 House'' is a historical reenactment reality television series made by Wall to Wall/Channel 4 in 1999. The programme features a modern family attempting to live in the way of the late Victorians for three months in a modified house. I ...

'', '' The 1940s House'', and '' The Edwardian Country House''. The series has a group of unmarried men and women, accompanied by their older female chaperones, assuming the identities of

Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

-era individuals from the year 1811. Participants received instruction in the

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage or committed romantic, ''de facto'' relationship. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marri ...

rituals of the time and were charged with seeking out a suitable marriage within the group. The assigned identities range from titled

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

and other wealthy members of society to

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. C ...

social climbers. One woman is assigned the role of the ladies' assistant and is thus excluded, according to the conventions of the times, from many of the social activities in the house. The series was filmed at

Kentchurch Court Kentchurch Court is a Grade I listed stately home east from the village of Kentchurch in Herefordshire, England. History It is the family home of the Scudamore family. Family members included Sir John Scudamore, who acted as constable and ...

, a

grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

stately home 300px, Oxfordshire.html" ;"title="Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire">Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a To ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Many of the costumes had previously been used in the then-recent adaptations of ''Pride and Prejudice'', ''Sense and Sensibility'', ''Emma'' and ''Vanity Fair''.

Cast

Men *Mr.

Chris Gorell Barnes Christopher Michael Jack Gorell Barnes (born May 1974) is an English digital entrepreneur and marine conservationist best known as executive producer of the documentary ''The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Ea ...

- advertising producer who is given the role of Host and Master of Kentchurch Court *Mr. John Everett - stage manager who is given the role of a wealthy businessman, the second highest ranking male in the house. *"Captain" Jeremy Glover - former dotcom millionaire who is given the role of a Regency naval captain and initially the third highest ranking male. Glover is a descendant of

Henry Blackwood Vice-Admiral Sir Henry Blackwood, 1st Baronet (28 December 1770 – 13 December 1832), whose burial site and memorial are in Killyleagh Parish Church, was an Irish officer of the British Royal Navy. Early life Blackwood was the fourth son of ...

who in 1811 was a naval captain and was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

during the Regency. During the series "Captain" Glover is awarded a large sum of money for capturing a

prize of war A prize of war (also called spoils of war, bounty or booty) is a piece of enemy property or land seized by a belligerent party during or after a war or battle. This term was used nearly exclusively in terms of captured ships during the 18th and 1 ...

and attains a baronetcy. With wealth and title "Sir Jeremy" becomes the highest ranking male. *"Captain" Paul Robinson - celebrity hair dresser who given the role of

gentleman ''Gentleman'' (Old French: ''gentilz hom'', gentle + man; abbreviated ''gent.'') is a term for a chivalrous, courteous, or honorable man. Originally, ''gentleman'' was the lowest rank of the landed gentry of England, ranking below an esquire ...

soldier who has purchased his commission, the fourth highest ranking male. He left half way through the series as he felt he did not fit in. *Mr. Mark Foxsmith - a high school science teacher who is given the role of a clergyman, the lowest ranking male. He fell in love with Lady Devonport, 25 years his senior, and they continued a relationship after the series. Women *Countess Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Griaznov - a barmaid who holds the title Countess Griaznov from

Russian nobility The Russian nobility or ''dvoryanstvo'' () arose in the Middle Ages. In 1914, it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members, out of a total population of 138,200,000. Up until the February Revolution of 1917, the Russian noble estates staffed ...

(but does not use it in real life) is the highest ranking female. She is given the role of a Russian countess who is now penniless. *Miss Victoria Hopkins - a rich sales and marketing executive who is given the role of a rich industrial heiress, the second highest female ranking. *Miss Lisa Braund - a receptionist who is given the role of the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat, the third ranked female. *Miss Hayley Conick - trainee headhunter who is given the role of the daughter of gentleman with no financial means but with "other talents", the fourth ranked female. *Miss Francesca Martin - given the lowest rank of the eligible females, lady's companion to Mrs Rogers. Chaperones *Mrs Fiona Rogers - former society model who is given the role as the House Hostess and chaperone of the Countess *Lady Elizabeth Devonport - real-life aristocrat, the chaperone of Miss Hopkins. She fell in love with Mark Foxsmith and they continued a relationship after the series. *Mrs Rosie Hammond - self-made millionaire, the chaperone of Miss Braund *Mrs Rosemary Enright - former military officer and romantic novelist, the chaperone of Miss Conick Guests * Miss Tanya Samuel - a television producer playing the role of a wealthy

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the term ''West Indian'' in 1597 described the indigenous inhabitants of the West In ...

heiress and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

. The highest ranking female guest. *

Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. He is interested in film history and horror fiction – both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at the age of eleven & ...

, an author invited to give the party guests a

Gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror (primarily in the 20th century), is a literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name of the genre is derived from the Renaissance era use of the word "gothic", as a pejorative to mean m ...

experience * James Carrington, a musician playing the role of a gentleman musician and Dilettanti *

Simon Armitage Simon Robert Armitage (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright, musician and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds. He has published over 20 collections of poetr ...

, the Poet Laureate playing the role of a Byronesque poet * Austin Howard, a singer playing the role of a gentleman musician, poet and

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of l ...

* Dr Kevin Ilsely, a doctor with an interest in historical medical practices playing the role of a gentleman physician * Dr

Gunther von Hagens Gunther von Hagens (born Gunther Gerhard Liebchen; 10 January 1945) is a German anatomist, businessman, and lecturer. He developed the technique for preserving biological tissue specimens called plastination. Von Hagens has organized numerous ...

, a German anatomist invited to give a lecture on contemporary

natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

using anatomical exhibits * Tom Fortes Mayer, a

hypnotherapist Hypnotherapy, also known as hypnotic medicine, is the use of hypnosis in psychotherapy. Hypnotherapy is generally not considered to be based on scientific evidence, and is rarely recommended in clinical practice guidelines. However, several p ...

invited to demonstrate

mesmerism Animal magnetism, also known as mesmerism, is a theory invented by German doctor Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. It posits the existence of an invisible natural force (''Lebensmagnetismus'') possessed by all living things, including humans ...

* Professor Andrew Roberts, a military historian invited to give a lecture on the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

Lord Temple-Morris Peter Temple-Morris, Baron Temple-Morris (12 February 1938 – 1 May 2018) was a British politician. He was elected as the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Leominster (UK Parliament constituency), Leominster i ...

, a

Peer of the realm A peer of the realm is a member of the highest aristocratic social order outside the ruling dynasty of the kingdom. Notable examples are: * a member of the peerages in the United Kingdom, who is a hereditary peer or a life peer * a member of the ...

invited as a dinner guest Advisors and staff * Zebedee Helm, an artist employed by the estate as a garden hermit * Professor

Peter Radford Peter Frank Radford (born 20 September 1939) is a former British sprinter, who competed at 100 and 200 metres (and 100 and 220 yards), broke world records, and won Olympic medals, despite having been seriously ill as a child due to a hole in ...

, a former athlete and professor of sports science hired to train the male guests in

pedestrianism Pedestrianism was a 19th-century form of competitive walking, often professional and funded by wagering, from which the modern sport of racewalking developed. 18th- and early 19th-century Britain During the late eighteenth and nineteenth ce ...

* Tim Dean, a boxer hired as a fitness trainer for the male guests, later taking part in a prize fight * Nicholas Foulkes, a fashion, grooming and culture author invited to advise the male guests on dressing like a dandy *

Matt Skelton Matt Skelton (born 27 January 1967) is a British former professional boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial artist. In boxing he competed from 2002 to 2014. He challenged once for the WBA heavyweight title in 2008. At regional level, he held th ...

, the then British heavyweight boxing champion who is hired for

bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (also known as bare-knuckle or bare-knuckle fighting) is a full-contact combat sport based on punching without any form of padding on the hands. The sport as it is known today originated in 17th-century England and, although ...

fight (which in Regency times was illegal)

References

{{Reflist

External links

"Regency House Party"
- Channel4.com
"Regency House Party"
- PBS.com
''Regency House Party''
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

. 2004 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings Channel 4 reality television shows Historical reality television series 2000s British reality television series Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios