A pickpocket blags his way into service at a grand family estate, only to fall for the Lord’s rebellious daughter who is forced to marry her cousin to keep the family from financial ruin. A film by Jim O’Hanlon, starring Thomasin McKenzie, Ben Radcliffe, Damian Lewis, Katherine Waterston, Tom Felton, Emma Laird, Adam Woodward, Lily Knight, Erin Austen, Lizzie Hopley, Jason Done, Ramon Tikaram, Sue Johnston, Tim McMullan, Anna Maxwell Martin, Laurie Ogden, Paula Wharton, Nathan McMullen, James Stanley, Tom Goodman-Hill, Karen Henthorn, Ian Bartholomew, John Thomson, Gemma Wardle, and Jimmy Carr.

The year is 1931. While England and the Empire are in the grips of the Great Depression, the British aristocracy keeps calm and carries on. Nowhere is this more true than at Fackham Hall, ruled by the Davenport family for over 400 years. The estate’s sheer grandeur stands as a testament to their enduring legacy.

The Great Depression in England, part of the broader UK experience often called “The Slump,” spanned mainly from 1929 to 1939. It began with the Wall Street Crash of 29 October 1929, which unleashed a global economic crisis that hit Britain hard, exacerbating issues from World War I recovery. Unemployment soared to about 25% (over 2.5 million people) by 1933, devastating export-heavy industries like coal, shipbuilding, and steel in northern England, Wales, and Scotland. In 1931, a financial panic prompted the UK to abandon the gold standard in September and form a National Government under Ramsay MacDonald, enforcing austerity measures.

Yet, England remains a nation fiercely divided by class. Below stairs, the staff obediently serves their masters, whipping up sumptuous feasts of pheasant, caviar, and venison. Whatever a guest desires, they provide.

While the outside world faces a bleak winter, the tireless work of the staff ensures Lord and Lady Davenport want for absolutely nothing. Leading a decadent life of unimaginable luxury, they barely lift a finger. The patriarch, Humphrey Davenport (Damian Lewis), has his personal valet Alexander (Nathan McMullen) do quite literally everything for him: holding his teacup, lighting his cigar, and even dropping to all fours to act as a human chair.

After a string of highly unfortunate events wipes out all four of the legitimate Davenport male heirs, Lord Davenport is left without a successor to his obscene fortune and the Fackham Hall estate. The family’s only hope now rests with their youngest daughter, Poppy. She has begrudgingly agreed to marry her cousin Archibald, ensuring Fackham Hall stays in the family should Lord Davenport pass away.

Meanwhile in London, birthplace of emphysema and child exploitation, a charming young pickpocket named Eric Noone (Ben Radcliffe) is given a special assignment. His guardian, Sister Jude (Karen Henthorn) of the Sisters of Mercy orphanage, introduces him to gentleman Austin Blaine (Ian Bartholomew), who tasks Eric with delivering a letter to Fackham Hall, the grandest manor in all of Shropceistershershire, belonging to the obscenely wealthy Davenport family. Orphaned by the war like thousands of other boys, Eric grew up under Sister Jude’s watchful eye, where he clearly picked up a few extra skills along the way.

While pedaling his bicycle toward the estate to deliver his letter, Eric is struck by a motorcar driven by the Davenports’ eldest daughter, Rose (Thomasin McKenzie). Rose is taking a drive to clear her head after clashing with her mother (Katherine Waterston), who desperately wants her to settle down, though Rose stubbornly holds out for true love. As Eric and Rose approach from opposite directions, time slows down and their eyes lock. It is a magical moment of love at first sight. Then her car plows directly into him.

Miraculously unscathed by the collision, Eric simply dusts himself off. He and Rose briefly get acquainted, politely introduce themselves, and go their separate ways. Eric continues his journey and eventually reaches Fackham Hall. As he slips through the servants’ entrance to deliver his letter, he runs into the Davenports’ butler, Cyril (Tim McMullan). Cyril takes one look at Eric and mistakenly assumes he is there to fill the vacant hall boy position. Eric tries to explain about the letter, but Cyril immediately cuts him off, declaring that there will be no negotiations and the wage is four pounds a week. Hearing the promise of easy money, Eric seizes the opportunity and accepts the job.

The Davenports’ stern housekeeper, Mrs. Edna McAllister (Anna Maxwell Martin), marches Eric through the corridors and down into the kitchens. She explains that as hall boy, the lowest-ranked member of the staff, he must polish the silverware every afternoon, clear the plates after dinner, and mop the floors.

Meanwhile, the actual prospective hall boy (Brainard Oyani) finally arrives at the estate, only for Cyril to flatly inform him that the position has been filled.

That evening, the Davenports throw an extravagant pre-wedding soirée for Poppy and Archibald. The room is packed with an absurd array of high-society guests, including Fifi Valentine (Lily Knight), Bert Chester (Adam Woodward), the Bechdel sisters (Erin Austen), Phyllis Davenport (Lizzie Hopley), J.R.R. Tolkien (Jason Done), Darvesh Khalid (Ramon Tikaram), and Great Aunt Bonaparte (Sue Johnston).

Filling in for a footman named Richard, Eric is tasked with serving champagne to the crowd. While working the room, he spots Rose and suddenly realizes he has fallen in love with Lord Davenport’s daughter. His daydreaming is cut short when Mrs. McAllister catches him staring, marches over, and orders him to stop gawping and do his job.

At the wedding ceremony, Poppy (Emma Laird) shocks everyone, including the Vicar (Jimmy Carr), when she stops the proceedings and declares that she cannot marry Archibald (Tom Felton), confessing she does not love him. She promptly runs off with Lionel (Alexander Butler), a gardener she believes to be the love of her life. To spare Archibald the humiliation of being left at the altar, Lord and Lady Davenport insist that all guests remain at Fackham Hall for the weekend.

Directed by Irish filmmaker Jim O’Hanlon from a screenplay by Steve Dawson, Andrew Dawson, Tim Inman, Jimmy Carr, and Patrick Carr, FACKHAM HALL is a satirical period comedy. Based on an original idea by Jimmy and Patrick Carr, the story follows the aristocratic Davenport family, who have owned Fackham Hall for generations. However, patriarch Humphrey Davenport has no surviving male heir to inherit the estate. The future of Fackham Hall now rests entirely on his youngest daughter who is expected to marry her cousin to keep the Hall in the family.

FACKHAM HALL was theatrically released in the United States on 5 December 2205, and in the United Kingdom on 12 December.