The BBC reeled with surprise that a ghastly young popularist ITV company could produce a massive, award-winning period drama, and was amazed that they had the audacity to try in the first place! They were quick to employ the talents of UD's producer, John Hawkesworth, to produce a period drama of their own.

The Duchess of Duke Street told the tale of Louisa Trotter (played by Gemma Jones, below), the larger-than-life owner and hostess of the Bentinck Hotel in London. The series' whole premise was based on the real-life Rosa Lewis and the exclusive Cavendish hotel, which in the early part of the 1900s had become a meeting place for statesmen, artists and aristocrats – in fact just about anybody who was a name in society. John Hawkesworth actually knew Lewis personally: "She was a real old dictator. She was a terrible snob – she would only have people she liked in the hotel, and she used to throw people out. It was a unique, zany kind of place, and when I knew her she was well into her 70s and still spoke with a strong Cockney accent, and used the strongest language you can imagine."

Hawkesworth took across from ITV many of the talents involved that had made UpDown such a success – writers Jeremy Paul, Rosemary Anne Sisson, and directors Bill Bain, Raymond Menmuir, Cyril Coke and Simon Langton. The series even sported a theme written by Alexander Faris who, of course, had also written the theme to UD.
There were many familiar faces amongst the acting ensemble... nearly 30 actors who had been in Upstairs, Downstairs appeared in The Duchess of Duke Street over its 31 episodes.

The most recognisable faces from UpDown included....

Anthony Andrews (Robert Stockbridge) appeared as Marcus Carrington in Lottie's Boy.
John Quayle (Bunny Newbury) played Lord Elleston, a character accused of rigging a horse race, in A Matter Of Honour.
Joan Benham (Lady Prudence) played a small part of a lady at an art exhibition in The Outsiders
Donald Burton (Julius Karekin) played Louisa's alcoholic husband, Augustus, in the early episodes of Duchess.
Richard Vernon (Major 'Cocky'-Danby) played the grace-and-favour major-domo at the hotel, Major Smith-Barton, through the whole run of Duchess.