Casting includes a prominent Black character, Peggy Scott, an aspiring journalist navigating professional ambitions and family secrets, alongside a closeted gay subplot for the scheming Oscar van Rhijn, but these are organic subplots integrated into the historical setting without altering source fidelity or centrality. There are light touches on racial prejudice and labor disputes, reflecting era-appropriate tensions rather than modern systemic oppression narratives or identity politics lectures.

Creator Julian Fellowes emphasizes portraying Black success over victimhood, avoiding activist preachiness. Reception shows no significant backlash labeling it 'woke' or DEI-forced; instead, some praise the absence of pandering checkboxes in a mostly white, female-led cast, with debates centering on historical realism rather than ideological intrusion. This traditional period drama prioritizes glamour, romance, and drama, delightfully free from heavy-handed contemporary social justice messaging.