The long-awaited Made in Chelsea spin-off starring former cast members is almost here. Beyond Chelsea promises to lift the lid on what life has been like for OGs Binky Felstead, Rosie Fortescue and Lucy Watson, eight years after they left the E4 show.
News of the spin-off was welcomed with open arms by loyal fans of the series ever since Binky shared the first teaser in May. However, after watching the first trailer, fans have noticed several Made in Chelsea favourites are missing.
While Binky, Lucy and Rosie are the three central stars it looks like there will be guest appearances from Ollie Locke-Locke, Tiffany Watson and Louise Thompson (who was in Binky's original teaser) too. But is it really Beyond Chelsea without Caggie Dunlop, Millie Mackintosh, Spencer Matthews and Hugo Taylor from back in the day? And what about Cheska Hull? Or Francis Boulles?
Understandably, a lot of the cast are probably not in touch anymore. Especially since they filmed the original show in their early 20s and a lot of them are not married with (multiple) kids now... Nevertheless, fans appear to be slightly disappointed that they won't be given a full insight into the lives of all their favourite cast members.
Under the teaser on E4's Instagram page, one viewer wrote, 'It needs Millie and Louise... sorry', another commented, 'so when can we expect to see Millie and Caggie?' and a third wrote, 'yay!!! finally!!! Please include the other OGs tho too Millie, Thompsons, even Spencer and Hugo.'
While we can't be sure just yet exactly who is and who isn't going to pop up on the show, there's still plenty to get excited about. In the new clip of the trio, Binky walked into the studio to the sound of the clapperboard and exclaimed: 'Life made!'
Lucy then added in her signature monotone, 'I'm back,' before Rosie said, 'It's scary but we've decided to let the cameras in again.'
Binky is now married to businessman Max Darnton and the couple share two sons, as well as Binky's daughter from her relationship with former co-star Josh Patterson. Lucy is married to former co-star James Dunmore and the couple welcomed their first child earlier this year. While Rosie has been steadily growing her jewellery business since she left the show in 2014. In other words, their lives have changed a lot, whether they are regularly in touch with many of their former cast members or not.
Sharing two photos of the trio in promotional shots on social media, Binky wrote: 'THE NEWS IS OUT and I'm SO excited to finally announce my new TV show Beyond Chelsea with these gorgeous gals! A lot has changed since I first joined Made in Chelsea 14 years ago as one of the original cast members.
'I've moved out of Chelsea, married my wonderful husband, and welcomed three beautiful children. I'm incredibly proud of Beyond Chelsea – a project I've been passionate about doing for a long time. After conversations with the girls and my MIC family at Monkey and Channel 4, everyone gave it a resounding yes!'
She added, 'The series reflects where I am in life now, whilst still giving a nod to the original show. It's so exciting to see it all finally come together.'
Revealing that she couldn't turn down the opportunity to film with her best friend, Rosie added: 'I never thought I'd be back on camera. But I couldn't turn down the opportunity to film with my best friend, set some records straight and open up my life a little more than I did in the past.'
Lucy echoed Rosie's statement and said, 'After leaving Made in Chelsea, I never imagined returning to reality TV.' (having been extremely honest about her reasons for leaving the show on Jamie Laing's Private Parts podcast in 2023). 'However, after 8 years it turns out I actually quite miss it! I'm excited to be a part of a new show, albeit nervous to share so much about my life once again.'
Senior commissioning editor at E4, Clemency Green also expressed her excitement. 'This is an absolute TREAT to commission for all the Made in Chelsea OG fans out there. These women should be celebrated for building such incredible careers since leaving the show – but it’s safe to say that, like all of us, they have had their ups and downs and life is never dull.
'We can’t wait to take fans on a journey with Binky, Rosie and Lucy, and offer an exclusive look behind the scenes at life beyond Made in Chelsea.'
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across pop culture, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things TV for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow shows with equal respect).