High Society

The tumultuous events of the first half of the 20th century include two World Wars, a constitutional crisis, the fight for women’s suffrage, the depression, the collapse of Empire and a class system fraying at the edges. Jessica Fellowes’ The World of Downton Abbey is a look behind the scenes of the popular TV series portraying the upstairs-downstairs perspective. Juliet Nicolson’s novel Abdication is a view of the upper echelons of British society – Westminster and the Monarchy – as seen by a relative outsider. They discuss the allure of these turbulent times with Imogen Lycett Green, biographer and journalist.

Supported by The Ondaatje Foundation