'REGENCY HOUSE PARTY' Reality travels back to 19th century for British role-playing date show

Some participants were eager to experience the life of the Regency period.
WASHINGTON POST
Think Jane Austen meets the "Dating Game" and you've got the idea of PBS' "Regency House Party," said Jody Sheff, executive producer.
"It's a reality-show dating game -- but the reality is 1811," she said. And it's all about manners, money and marriage as 21st-century people take on the roles of eligible bachelors, single ladies and their chaperons at a 19th-century house party at Kentchurch Court in England.
Participants were chosen from more than 30,000 applicants, and the single men and women were assigned different roles for the party, with different combinations of social standing and fortune.
For instance, the most fortunate Mr. Gorell Barnes is assigned to be master of the house and host of the party. Countess Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Griaznov is named the highest-ranking female guest socially -- but she conceals the fact that she is of very little means.
Besides the five single men and five single women at the house party, there also are four chaperons who are responsible for maintaining propriety and arranging the best matches for their charges. If they succeed in brokering a suitable match, they may benefit financially.
"In the Regency, romance was a slow dance played out with courtesy and reverence, but finding the right mate was not just about falling in love. Marriage was business, a chance to achieve power, wealth and status. Every move was scrutinized by matchmakers and chaperons," the program says.
Francesca Martin, who was assigned to the role of lady's companion -- essentially an unpaid servant -- said she was open to the idea of a real romance as the show unfolded.
"If I met somebody, whatever happened, happened," she said. Some of the participants really were looking for a serious partner, she said, while others were more interested in history and trying to experience the life of the 1811-1820 Regency period.
Status
One surprise, she said, was how important status was in life of those times. "Before I went to the house, I genuinely thought it wouldn't make a difference," she said. "I couldn't believe how friendships, relationships -- everything was dictated by status."
The series was filmed in England for nine weeks in summer 2003 and aired on British television last spring. U.S. viewers will see a shorter version -- four 90-minute episodes -- that will air on PBS on consecutive Wednesdays beginning this week.
That summer was incredibly hot, said Elizabeth Devonport, who participated as a chaperon. "I had to wear, every day, woolen stockings, a petticoat, then a corset, then a chemise, then a tight dress, and always gloves and a hat outdoors ... no wonder tempers frayed!"
The costumes were authentic, producer Sheff said, as were the house and its furnishings, the food and various events. "Everything that happens in the house has historical precedence," Sheff said.