‘I believe in strong women'

As Belgravia reaches its finale, creator Julian Fellowes tells TV Times about his favourite characters and the series’ future…

- Caren Clark

From the stately homes of Downton Abbey and Gosford Park to the football pitches of The English Game, Julian Fellowes is the master of bringing the past to life on screen.

The award-winning writer’s latest creation, ITV period drama Belgravia, based on his own 2016 novel, has proved just as compelling with its portrayal of the upper classes in the 1840s.

As the series concludes this Sunday, viewers get to find out if cotton merchant Charles Pope (Jack Bardoe) discovers his true identity, as scheming John Bellasis (Adam James, see interview, below) instigates a plan to bring him down.

Julian, 70, chats to TV Times about the drama still to come…

What can you reveal about this week’s series finale?

It’s a tangled story. There are thriller elements and revelations. I write things so you can change sides as it progresses and I hope you’ve got a bit of that, and that characters you found unsympathetic are now more sympathetic.

So who are your own favourite characters?

I’m keen on [Charles’ grandmothers] Anne Trenchard and Caroline, Lady Brockenhurst [played by Tamsin Greig and Dame Harriet Walter]. They’re strong in different ways. I also like Susan Trenchard [Anne’s daughter-in-law, played by Alice Eve] because she develops a self-saving mechanism and gets out of a tricky situation…

Do you enjoy writing strong female characters?