New on DVD: The Duchess of Duke Street

Last Tuesday saw the DVD release of the second season of one of Britain's finest TV series, THE DUCHESS OF DUKE STREET.

Season 1 was released previously.

The series, which originally ran in England in 1976 and 1977, was first broadcast in the United States on MASTERPIECE THEATER in its "Golden Era" of the '70s and early '80s, when many of us were lucky enough to first watch series such as UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, POLDARK, LILLIE, THE FLAME TREES OF THIKA, and DANGER: UXB.

Louisa Trotter, who climbed from being a poor Cockney servant to being a renowned cook and hotel owner, wasn't always moral, but she was certainly always fascinating. Gemma Jones as Louisa gives one of the all-time great television performances and is supported by an outstanding cast.

If you've never yet seen this series, by all means add it to your "to be watched" list (or your Netflix queue).

Viewer advisory: there is some mature subject matter -- Louisa was once the mistress of King Edward VII and later had an illegitimate child by another man -- which is not appropriate for younger children.