‘Belgravia: The Next Chapter’ introduces brand new characters

We’ve got some more details on who the new Belgravia cast members are playing.

The surprise announcement that ITV’s period drama series would be back for another season was revealed last month.

Based on the bestselling 2016 novel by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, Belgravia debuted on ITV in the UK and on EPIX in the US back in 2020.

If you missed it, the first season is streaming now on MGM+ and you can watch it free with a 7-day trial here!

While the show was originally set in the 1840s, Belgravia: The Next Chapter will pick up the story in 1871, three decades after the events of Season 1’s finale.

This means that the eight upcoming episodes will be introducing an all-new cast.

None of the original Belgravia cast – which included the likes of Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Philip Glenister (Life on Mars), Harriet Walter (Downton Abbey), and Tom Wilkinson (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) – are expected to reprise their roles.

The new line-up of actors has already been confirmed, but we now have some more information about their characters from Deadline.

To be honest, some of the details feel quite like spoilers to us, so we advise readers to proceed with caution!

Belgravia: The Next Chapter will be telling the love story of Frederick Trenchard, who has grown up as the third Lord Trenchard, and his new love interest, Clara Dunn, who is a newcomer to London society.

Those are the parts being played by Ben Wainwright (World on Fire) and Harriet Slater (Pennyworth) respectively.

The “young and handsome” Frederick apparently takes after his grandfather “with a ferocious work ethic, having built a large business empire.”

However, his romance with Clara becomes jeopardised by “traumas from his past that threatens his newfound happiness.”

“Unaware that his birth was the product of an affair between his mother Susan and the scoundrel John Bellasis, a troubled childhood has left Frederick deeply insecure, which challenges his courtship of and marriage to Clara.”

Meanwhile, the character of Clara Trenchard (née Dunn) is described as “a young, smart, and striking woman, and a fresh face amongst the society of Belgravia.”

But “as she comes to learn more of her husband and the trauma he carries, Clara finds her marriage will not be as smooth as she first thought and is something she must fight for.”

Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane) has been cast as “an idealistic, charming, and attractive young doctor” called Dr. Stephen Ellerby, who finds himself “captivated by Clara.”

A Discovery of Witches actor Toby Regbo is playing Frederick’s estranged brother, Reverend James Trenchard

We’re told he’s “a gentle, kind and religious man … haunted by both the separation from his brother and a private battle he is determined to keep hidden.”

Hannah Onslow (This is Going to Hurt) plays Clara’s older sister, Emily Dunn, who’ll find herself falling for Regbo’s James Trenchard when she throws herself into charity work at her new church, desperate to make her own match.

Sophie Thompson from Four Weddings and a Funeral – and sister of Emma Thompson – will play Emily and Clara’s devoted mother, Mrs. Dunn, “a nervous, giddy, and chatty widow.”

Claude Perron (Balenciaga) takes the role of the Marquise D’Étagnac, a “glamorous and highly unconventional French businesswoman.”

Sanditon‘s Sophie Winkleman is playing “the queen of Belgravia,” the Duchess of Rochester. Alongside her husband, she stands “at the top of Belgravia’s social hierarchy.”

Lastly, Elaine Cassidy – who you’ll recognise from The Paradise and The Wonder – plays Davison, Clara’s newly appointed lady’s maid.

Having gone through “hard times in her own past,” Davison is intent on supporting Clara through her struggles “with a fierce devotion.”

Production began on Belgravia: The Next Chapter earlier this year in England, and the series looks set to launch this winter on MGM+ in the US.

Over in the UK, it’ll be premiere on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX.

Fans of Julian Fellowes’ work can also look forward to the second season of The Gilded Age on HBO soon!

Belgravia is available to watch on MGM+.