3/5 I wouldn't do it again!!
  by greytalli (Tustin, CA)
I really only want to give it 2 -1/2 stars. I was very disappointed! In many places, I found it overacted by our leading lady. I found some of the vignettes very boring and had to stop myself from skipping on to the next disc. I am usually one who can't wait to see the next chapter as in the case of Jewel In The Crown, Brideshead Revisited, Reckless, House of Elliott, State of Play or The Last Viceroy but I kept looking for something else to watch rather than going back to struggle through the next chapter in our subject review. I still have one more to watch before I'm through with this. I give Fred 5 Stars.
Speaking of discs and concurring with those before me who have had difficulty removing them from their container, I heartily agree! Ridiculous!

5/5 Oh how I hated to see this series come to an end!
  by Medusa
I didn't think that I could like anything better than Upstairs Downstairs but I was so wrong. This series is so much more visually appealing. The detail of the furnishings and period clothing alone make it worth viewing.

Gemma Jones who plays Mrs. Trotter, The Duchess of Duke Street, is good, to be sure, but we all have our favorite characters and mine is Merriman the butler played by John Welsh. His understated manner and wit had me chuckling as I viewed each episode. As in Upstairs Downstairs, though, there is one servant who is treated badly. In UD, it was Ruby; in the DODS, it was Merriman. Granted, some of it was good-natured teasing but much of it was not. The disrespect that was shown to an octagenarian is disgraceful.

Some of the episodes were difficult to watch especially during the WWI episodes; a lot of death and tragedy but then, that's war, isn't it? I will say that the last 5 episodes took a turn that I didn't particularly care for but if I tell you what they are, it will spoil things for you. I can say, however, that the character of Lottie is most disagreeable. She has aspirations of becoming a professional singer and the woman who played her, Lalla Ward, *cannot* sing. Her voice is weak, thin and trembly and I should think that they could've cast someone better for the part. In my opinion, she dragged the series down but I still gave it a 5 star rating because she didn't enter the picture until close to the end. Had she been introduced earlier, I may not have liked the series so much.

I feel sad having come to the end and will definitely view this series again this winter during the cold, snowy months, sitting by the fire while sipping some English tea. A must see and worth every penny.

5/5 After almost half a century, still just as fresh as Louisa's dishes!
  by Jody (Northwest Ohio)
Nobody did drama like the BBC in the 1970s. Upstairs Downstairs, The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (which is not and should be available on DVD), The Pallisers, Edward the King, and Lillie are the gold standards for TV drama. The Duchess of Duke Street is one of the best.

Gemma Jones is superb as the hard-working, irascible and generous Louisa Trotter, whose single minded goal is to become the best cook in England and takes a job assisting the chef de cuisine at a great London house. She refuses to be distracted by superfluities such as the French chef's insistance that women cannot cook, the unwelcome attentions of the son of the house, and an unfortunate marriage brought about by pressure from the Prince of Wales. Time and time again, Louisa turns bad luck into opportunity and succeeds through determination and hard work.

Though Louisa faces devastating setbacks, she perserveres and creates an amazing and unconventional life surrounded by colorful characters and peppered with sparkling events and heartbreak. From the beginning, she insists on being independent and is fiercely loyal to her friends. This independence and loyalty as well as her cooking skills make for unforgettable stories within Louisa's story. I sat down to watch DDS 1 and 2 over the holiday weekend for the first time since they originally aired on PBS, and it's just as fresh and wonderful as the first time I saw it. Gemma Jones' amazing Louisa effortlessly carries the two series, though she is supported by excellent actors and, as always, the BBC's costuming, sets and props are flawless.

The story of Rosa Lewis, the real Louisa, is just as charming and colorful as told in The Duchess of Jermyn Street, which is well worth reading for fans of these two series. Edwardian society's excesses during the last days of the British Empire as well as its struggles to adjust to shifting conditions brought about by war and depression are of never ending fascination to me. The Duchess of Duke Street is the perfect antidote for 21st century tedium, and if nothing else, watching Louisa create all her dishes from scratch makes one appreciate modern kitchen appliances!

ETA: WOO-HOO!! The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes IS available on DVD, as of September. Yay!

1/5 oh no.....
  by Lisa R. Nichols (UAE)
(cont' from my previous review)I just found out that it's too late to return the faulty DVD collection. I don't watch DVDs as soon as I get them so there was some delay between the time I received the DVD and when I found the time to sit down and watch it. I simply assumed they would be perfect like all the other DVDs I have received. Now I am out $89. I realize I should have read the return policy. But I didn't. I'm totally bummed.

5/5 None Better
  by M. J. Pullin (Paradise, CA, USA)
Simply, this series (along with "Lillie", another BBC production) is arguably the best series for television I have ever seen. Painstakingly produced, it captures the rapt attention of watchers with an endless variety of interests. Within a fascinating story, it offers, wit, humor, politics, history (as well as "historical anecdote"), and burgeoning open sexuality against a background of semi-biographical human strife and struggle which never fails to draw me in and hold me. Watching it takes many, many hours, yet I find myself watching the entire series every few years, observing a new aspect and enjoying myself again. And always, once again, I am off to research both the era and the persons who lived the story represented by this enthralling piece. While I am not always a great BBC fan, I find that this remains the work for television I admire and enjoy most.