The Aristocrats
EPISODE 1. THE ARISTOCRATS: BLENHEIM PALACE Channel 4, Thur 22nd Nov 9pm - 10pm
Repeat: Channel 4 +1 Thu 22nd Nov 10pm
Repeat: 4seven, Thu 22nd Nov 11:05pm James Spencer-Churchill, the Marquess of Blandford, his features smudged by years of dissipation and drug abuse, earnestly tells documentary-maker Patrick Forbes: “I will try to be as good a custodian as I can be of this place.”
‘’This place” is Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Jamie Blandford was once
a tabloid staple, the classic toff-gone-off-the-rails. By the mid-1990s he had
a 20-year drug habit, a jail sentence and various fines. He was such a mess that in 1994 his father, the 11th Duke of Marlborough, went to court to try to disinherit his troublesome son. It was a bitter battle, though the years have softened relations between the pair, who are now reconciled.
But this difficult piece of family history is only a backdrop to a standard, behind-the-scenes-at-a-big-house film, as we see the effects of a wash-out summer, and visits by strangely camera-shy local MP David Cameron.
Two-part documentary exploring modern-day high society, with access to the daily lives of aristocratic families. The first edition follows 86-year-old John Spencer-Churchill, 11th Duke of Marlborough, and 56-year-old Jamie Spencer-Churchill, Marquess of Blandford, offering an insight into one of the most famous father-and-son relationships in Britain. Having beaten his drug addiction, Jamie is back living at Blenheim, hoping to prove he is fit to take on the running of the estate, which attracts 500,000 visitors annually.
Radiotimes
