Richard E Grant and Claire Foy loved subverting the British costume drama with "impolite" Savage House

"I just really loved the kind of dirt and grime and grossness of it all."

Claire Foy and Richard E Grant in Savage House, sat either side of a table outside in period finery, with Grant wearing a large white wig.

Paramount

Published: Saturday, 6 June 2026 at 3:00 pm

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New darkly comic period drama film Savage House is in cinemas now, and its stars Richard E Grant and Claire Foy have teased that it's unlike anything you will have seen in the genre before.

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Speaking exclusively with Radio Times, Grant said that the film is "not polite", and that in fact it's the "impolite version of any period film".

He continued: "I liked that enormously because nothing is perfect and you feel that it’s almost falling apart and stinky. So I liked all of that. It was much more realistic."

Meanwhile, his co-star Foy added: "That’s what it felt like, realistic and not holding it to high esteem – not sort of worshipping it, which I think can happen a lot. Which is also right – I love those films and TV shows as well. But I just really loved the kind of dirt and grime and grossness of it all."

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The synopsis for Savage House reads: "Set against the backdrop of 18th century England, a massive Pox outbreak, and Jacobite Uprising – this is a timely and darkly satirical story of Sir Chauncey Savage (Grant) and Lady Savage’s (Foy) blind pursuit of a better life.

"It is not without a tinge of irony that their family name is the Savages, for this is a Savage House indeed. Filled with duels, decadence, and bloodshed, this is a madcap play on class and power."

As well as Grant and Foy, the film also stars Sebastian Armesto, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Bel Powley, Jack Farthing, Kíla Lord Cassidy, Richard McCabe, Vicki Pepperdine and Pip Torrens, and has been directed by Peter Glanz.

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Glanz previously worked as a writer on last year's MCU film Captain America: Brave New World, and also wrote and directed the 2014 romcom The Longest Week, which starred Jason Bateman, Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup.

Meanwhile, Grant was most recently seen in Netflix film Ladies First, and will soon be seen in the second UK season of The Celebrity Traitors. Foy has led the casts of two films so far this year – H Is for Hawk and The Magic Faraway Tree.

Savage House is in UK cinemas now.

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Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.

Authors

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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