The Grand

- Season 1

(1997)

In 1920, John Bannerman and his wife Sarah open the Grand, a lavish hotel in Manchester. However they soon realize that the hotel is in dire financial straits, as the book-keeper committed suicide after embezzling large sums of money. To help out, John's brother Marcus, a business-man, is brought in as a third partner to raise money. He has a cynical if perpetual girl-friend, Ruth Manning, but he also has a history with Sarah, which he is keen to rekindle if he is to save the Grand.

While Sarah feels undermined by Marcus's cocky attitude, she is aware that he is the Grand's best hope for survival as he is an idea man. He sells off some slum dwellings he owns but his proposal that the resident staff be made to live outside of the hotel in order to facilitate more guest rooms is vehemently opposed, with the staff threatening strike action, and ultimately the idea is rejected. Instead, the hotel's laundry will do the washing for other hotels and institutions in the city. Janet Brady, an unmarried, pregnant ex-employee of the Grand, indirectly made ...

The Bannermans' young son Stephen, who fought in the Great War, becomes besotted with a girl called Celia, who has expensive tastes and he steals from the hotel safe to impress her. Staff are wrongly blamed but Mr. Collins, the chief porter, discovers that it is Stephen and covers for him. Celia is recognized by a resident guest, Esme Harkness, a retired courtesan, elderly but still attractive and not averse to a little business on the side. She befriends Monica, a young chamber-maid with aspirations and, respecting the girl's ambitions, teaches her etiquette whilst ...

Esme's continued patronage of Monica arouses the jealousy of other maids and tempers are frayed because a bout of illness has laid several staff low, including the austere house-keeper Mrs. Harvey. Sarah steps into the breach as her replacement and tells Marcus he should respect the staff as human beings. However he teases her and accuses her of double standards for regarding Monica as acting above her station. Mr. Collins, whose son Paul was shot for cowardice in the war, is duped out of his savings by two young swindlers claiming to be collecting for a fund to ...

As the Bannermans mark the anniversary of the premature death of their little girl Catherine, Maggie Rigby, a former school-friend of surviving daughter Adele comes to the Grand, supposedly to convalesce after an operation, though she confides in Adele that she has just had an abortion. She is selfish, mischievous and clearly troubled, annoying guests and staff alike. She gets Kate drunk, causing Esme and Monica to cover for her. She explains to Adele that her bad conduct is due to her feeling worthless after being exploited by a man. Adele in turn feels that she is ...

John Bannerman is bitten by a stray dog and the doctor tells him he may have caught rabies. He is later pronounced to be clear but in the meanwhile he becomes reflective and tells Sarah that he did not love her when they married and only wed her for fear that Marcus might snap her up, but that now he is properly in love with her. She is annoyed and spends the night with Marcus, explaining afterwards that she only slept with him for "revenge". Marcus, on the other hand, plainly still has feelings for her and, seemingly on the rebound, next day announces his engagement ...

Ruth is annoyed that Marcus is organizing her life for her - moving her furniture into the Grand and planning the reception without her, so she asks why he is marrying her. His answer is "You'll do". Mr. Collins, to quell staff resentment of Monica's rise in the world, throws a below-stairs party. Meanwhile James returns to London alone and Monica realizes that Esme was right in her view that he was using her. She accepts hospitality from a friend of James, Jackson Tyler, but he takes her to a bedroom and, with two others, rapes her. After the others have left she ...

Monica is sentenced to hang and Kate accuses Esme of being responsible for her fate. Esme goes to visit Monica but leaves when she sees John in the cell. He was the anonymous person who paid for the lawyer and he tells Monica she will always be remembered. Next day at 8 o'clock she is executed. Marcus and Ruth's wedding goes ahead but it is a formal affair, not helped by staff animosity to the disdainful Ruth and the austere housekeeper and the shadow of Monica's death. Kate is hit hard by it and Stephen and Clive, the barman, fight over her welfare. Stephen - who is ...