New India-set historical drama for ITV

Yes, it's Kolkata. I haven't been to Delhi! (Yet…)

It's a little out of the usual scope of this blog, time-wise, but I know it's going to interest a fair few people who drop by the Robot from time to time. ITV's announced a new historical drama, Beecham House, set in Delhi at the turn of the 19th century before the British rule, but when there were a fair few Brits kicking around the subcontinent. It's written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, who's stated: "I grew up with Raj dramas like Jewel In The Crown, The Far Pavilions and A Passage To India. Beecham House is my chance to tell those stories from a British Asian perspective." William Dalrymple and Shahrukh Husain are acting as historical consultants, and filming started in August.

The drama's centred around a British character, ex-soldier John Beecham, who arrives in Delhi with an 'olive skinned' child, so it looks like a lot of the drama will be around who the child's mother might be (interestingly, nowhere in ITV's press release does it state the child is Beecham's, though I think we're expected to assume that, presumably for a 'shock' revelation further down the line). Other characters, besides Beecham's staff, include a French mercenary, a smattering of other Brits, and a wealthy Indian family. There seem to be quite a few eligible young beauties in the character list, presumably to give Beecham a wealth of romance options.

Given my own family history I'll be interested to see this. Part of me would say, "Well, being ITV they're going to ramp up the sauce," but given the tale of my own scandalous half-Indian, half-British ancestress Eliza (story here) I don't think they'll go as far as I know people did go. WE SHALL SEE.

Will you be watching too?