Netflix’s new period drama ‘Winter Palace’ reveals cast

Netflix has announced who’s starring in its new period drama Winter Palace!

Pitched as “a cross between Downton Abbey and The White Lotus,” the eight-part series began shooting in Switzerland last month.

The story follows a British aristocrat and Swiss hotelier as they introduce the concept of winter tourism in the Alps in the early twentieth century.

Playing the ambitious Lord Fairfax will be Simon Ludders, who’ll be familiar to Miss Scarlet and the Duke fans as Mr. Potts from PBS Masterpiece’s crime drama.

The English actor has also appeared in Bridgerton, The Irregulars, and Broadchurch.

He’ll star alongside Cyril Metzger and Manon Clavel as hotelier André Morel and his wife Rose.

The ambitious married couple run the hotel which, with Lord Fairfax, they dream of transforming in to a five-star luxury palace that can stay open for the whole winter season in 1899.

Metzger’s biggest role to date is in 2021’s award-winning ’60s drama Happening, while Clavel appeared in this year’s acclaimed French movie Mother and Son.

The cast also includes Clive Standen from Vikings as Lance Raney, Astrid Roos (Paris Police 1990) as Lady Isobel, Vincent Heneine (Rebellion) as Chef Voclain, Axel Granberger (Emily in Paris) as Marcus, Vidal Arzoni (La Vie Devant) as Cédric, and newcomer Jade Kennedy as Cecilia Hampton.

They’re joined by Swiss actors Alix Henzelin as Julia and Serge Musy as Roger, with Antoine Basler, Gaspard Boesch, Roland Vouilloz, and Karim Barras.

Interestingly, Henry Pettigrew has been cast as a character called Sir Conan Doyle, who we can probably deduct will be Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!

You might recognise Pettigrew from his roles in the likes of Guilt, Line of Duty, The Confessions of Frannie Langton, and The Crown.

When’s the release date?

Production is scheduled to continue in the Swiss resort towns of Montreux and Valais until next spring, with dialogue shot in both English and French.

Winter Palace will hopefully premiere in late 2024 in Switzerland on RTS1 and streaming on Play Suisse, before launching globally on Netflix.

Winter Palace is Netflix’s first partnership with Swiss network RTS, and Variety reports that the production is set to include “950 extras, 6,000 pieces of costume and a dozen horse-drawn carriages and sleighs.”

This sounds like it’s going to be an epic and lavish period drama series, and director Pierre Monnard has promised that the show will “constantly surprise the audience.”

“Winter Palace will bring to life the experience of a luxury hotel with its share of fantasies, excesses, carefree lifestyle and celebrities, while also revealing its backstage drama,” he teased.

The complete Downton Abbey collection is available on DVD on Amazon.