‘The Real Housewives of London’ Has Arrived
What was it Fergie said? “I’m such a lady but I’m dancin’ like a ho (Oh shit!)” That definitely wasn’t it. Oh, I remember! “London London London, wanna go down like / London London London, we goin’ down like.”
This barely concealed attempt to bring Fergie back into relevance also serves another purpose, which is to lead into the news that Hayu by way of NBCUniversal has officially given fans an actually jaw-dropping look at The Real Housewives of London. See the trailer below:
The cast includes Bravo veteran Juliet Angus, alongside newcomers Amanda Cronin, Karen Loderick-Peace, Juliet Mayhew, Panthea Parker and Nessie Welschinger. Eagle-eyed viewers will also spot Ladies of London and The Real Housewives mainstays Caroline Stanbury and Dorinda Medley among the bunch. Stanbury once starred opposite Angus on the short-lived but long-remembered Ladies of London, while Medley was a socialite in The Big Smoke prior to joining the cast of The Real Housewives of New York as a widow.
A press release for the series teases that the cast will “step into the spotlight in an unforgettable season as they navigate life, legacy and loyalty.” In grand The Real Housewives tradition, the cast can be seen holding teacups in their promo shots. Is that the first drink we’ve seen in the title card since The Real Housewives of Potomac picked up those champagne flutes?
The series will premiere on August 18 on Hayu; a stateside release date has not yet been announced. All the better, because it gives everyone ample time to catch up on its predecessor, Ladies of London, which is a true Bravo deep cut at this point. Premiering well over a decade ago, it followed the lives of London’s upper crust socialites, some royalty among them, as they navigated an invasion of rich Americans into their social circles. It was deliciously catty, but also deeply human, offering a peak into the sad and miserable lives of the most privileged people in human history.
The class dynamics between the new-money Americans and entrenched British royalty were a particular favorite of mine, thanks in part to Juliet Angus, who came in like a wrecking ball to every polo match and high tea she found herself forced to attend. My favorite of her many repeatable and endlessly relevant quips? “You’re choking because you’re so full of fucking bullshit right now.”
The show sadely ended after its third season, when Stanbury jetted off to Dubai, where she’d later assemble the short-lived The Real Housewives of Dubai. She was quite a bore on that show, so its nice to see her relegated to “friend of” back in London. As for the others, they’re total newcomers to me, but I will take tips on each of them in PAPER’s Instagram DMs!
Photo courtesy of Hayu/NBCUniversal
