While the 1920s might seemly impossibly glamourous to middle-class mortals in 21st century Britain, every generation has its Downton Abbey stars.
Jen Newby, author of Women's Lives: Researching Women's Social History 1800-1939, has helped Huffpost UK Lifestyle come up with a list of 2012's social climbing equivalents.
"Today celebrities come from all walks of life, but in the 1920s star-struck Tatler readers followed the careers of glamorous débutantes and their wealthy suitors," says Newby, who also writes her own women's history blog.
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"If we compare Downton's characters to some modern British icons, then there are some surprising parallels."
Do these stars lives up to ITV's colourful characters?
