Woman's Hour - 01/01/2010

Jenni Murray takes a look at life above and below stairs and investigates the appeal of the costume drama. How much are we seeing a romanticised view of what it was really like to be in service? And how do producers ensure the historical accuracy of programmes like Cranford - one of the hits of the TV schedule over Christmas? Joining Jenni will be Clare Jenkins, who grew up with parents in service and Julian Fellowes, who wrote the screenplay for Gosford Park. And to discuss the history and hierarchy of being in service, author and historical consultant on Cranford, Jenny Uglow, and food historian Ivan Day are also in the studio.