300: The Real Downton Abbey

In this episode of "The Rest Is History," Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook are joined by historian Lucy Lethbridge, author of "Servants, a Downstairs View of 20th Century Britain," to discuss the lives of servants in Edwardian and 20th-century Britain, inspired by the drama series Downton Abbey. They explore the historical accuracy of Downton Abbey, the social hierarchy among servants, the impact of the World Wars on domestic service, and the changing attitudes towards servants and domestic labor, including the romanticization of the past and the complexities of class and gender roles. The conversation covers the transition from traditional service to modern domestic arrangements, the experiences of middle-class employers, and the cultural obsession with hierarchy and order.