Upstairs, Downstairs

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Upstairs, Downstairs

Title caption for Upstairs, Downstairs
Genre Drama
Created by Jean Marsh
Eileen Atkins
Developed by Alfred Shaughnessy
Written by Alfred Shaughnessy
John Hawkesworth
Fay Weldon
Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham
Elizabeth Jane Howard
et al
Starring Gordon Jackson
David Langton
Jean Marsh
Angela Baddeley
Christopher Beeny
Jenny Tomasin
Simon Williams
Jacqueline Tong
Pauline Collins
Lesley-Anne Down
Rachel Gurney
Meg Wynn Owen
John Alderton
Nicola Pagett
Hannah Gordon
Theme music composer Alexander Faris
Opening theme The Edwardians
Ending theme What Are We Going To Do With Uncle Arthur?
Country of origin United Kingdom
Language(s) English
No. of series 5
No. of episodes 68 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) John Hawkesworth
Running time 50 minutes
Production company(s) LWT
Broadcast
Original channel ITV
Picture format PAL (576i) 4:3 aspect ratio
Audio format Mono
Original run 10 October 1971 (1971-10-10) – 21 December 1975 (1975-12-21)

Upstairs, Downstairs is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British drama television series set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War London, that depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs". It ran on ITV for five series from 1971 to 1975.

Upstairs, Downstairs attempted to portray life in an English town house set against the events of the early 20th century. Great events are featured prominently in the episodes but minor or gradual changes are noted as well. It stands as a document of the social and technological changes that occurred between 1903 and 1930. The lives of the servants are integral to the story.

In October 2009 it was announced that the BBC is to revive the series as two 90-minute films written by Heidi Thomas and set in 1936, six years after the original series finished. Jean Marsh will reprise the role of Rose, returning to Eaton place as housekeeper to the new owners, the Holland family.[1]

Background

Upstairs, Downstairs was originally an idea by two actress friends, Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, for a comedy called Behind the Green Baize Door.[2] It was to focus on two housemaids, played by Marsh and Atkins, in a large country house in the Victorian era. They soon added a family upstairs, as Marsh recognised "Servants have to serve somebody".[3] In summer 1969, they took this idea to Sagitta Productions, which was run by John Hawkesworth and John Whitney.[2] They soon removed the comedy element, changed the setting to a large townhouse in Edwardian London and the title became Below Stairs. It was first offered to Granada Television in Manchester, but they declined as they already had a period drama, called A Family at War, about to start.[2] However, Stella Richman, the Controller of Programmes at London Weekend Television, saw potential and in April 1970 the first series was commissioned.[2]

Characters were then developed, but when Alfred Shaughnessy, an old friend of John Hawkesworth, was called in as script editor, he changed much of the detail to make the characters more realistic. Honor Blackman was originally short-listed for the role of Lady Marjorie and George Cole to play Hudson.[3] Eileen Atkins, who was to play the other maid opposite Jean Marsh, was playing Queen Victoria in a stage show at the time, so Pauline Collins took the role, and Gordon Jackson was offered the role of Hudson after it was decided that Londoner George Cole would not be suitable to play a Scotsman.[2] The programme took many names, including Two Little Maids in Town, The Servants' Hall and That House in Eaton Square. It was called 165 Eaton Place until just before the production of the first episode when it was changed to Upstairs, Downstairs following a suggestion from John Hawkesworth.[2]

Despite having a champion in Stella Richman the show suffered from internal politics at the station, most notably from the sales department who could not see the attraction of a period drama and master tapes of the programme spent nearly a year in storage awaiting a transmission date.[2] Eventually the network had a space in its schedule at the unfashionable time of Sunday nights at 10.15pm and called upon LWT to fill it. They chose Upstairs, Downstairs and with no promotion of the show there was little expectation of success. However, audiences steadily grew and the series became a hit.[2]

Cast Upstairs (in alphabetical order)

Actor/Actress Character (with notes) First Series Last Series No of Episodes
Anthony Andrews Robert, Marquis of Stockbridge, husband of Georgina 5 5 3
Joan Benham Lady Prudence Fairfax, a good friend of Richard and Marjorie 1 5 16
Lesley-Anne Down Georgina Stockbridge (née Worsley) 3 5 22
Hannah Gordon Virginia Bellamy (previously Hamilton), Richard's 2nd wife 4 5 12
Rachel Gurney Lady Marjorie Bellamy (née Talbot-Carey), mistress of the house 1 3 21
Raymond Huntley Sir Geoffrey Dillon, lawyer 1 5 14
David Langton Richard Bellamy, 1st Viscount Bellamy of Haversham 1 5 56
Ian Ogilvy Lawrence Kirbridge, husband of Elizabeth 1 2 6
Meg Wynn Owen Hazel Bellamy (née Forrest), wife of James 3 4 21
Nicola Pagett Elizabeth Kirbridge (née Bellamy) 1 2 13
Simon Williams Lieutenant/Captain/Major James Bellamy 1 5 37

Cast Downstairs (in alphabetical order)

Actor/Actress Character (with notes) First Series Last Series No of Episodes
John Alderton Thomas Watkins, chauffeur 2 2 20
Angela Baddeley Kate Bridges, later Mrs. Hudson, cook 1 5 52
Christopher Beeny Edward Barnes, first servant, then soldier, later chauffeur 1 5 46
Pauline Collins Sarah Moffat, second parlourmaid 1 2 26
Evin Crowley Emily, kitchen maid 1 1 5
Karen Dotrice Lily Hawkins, second parlourmaid 5 5 6
Gareth Hunt Frederick Norton, servant 4 5 11
George Innes Alfred Harris, servant 1 3 5
Gordon Jackson Angus Hudson, butler 1 5 60
Jean Marsh Rose Buck, first parlourmaid, later lady's maid, 1 5 54
Brian Osborne Pearce, chauffeur 1 2 4
Patsy Smart Maud Roberts, lady's maid 1 3 12
Jenny Tomasin Ruby Finch, kitchen maid 2 5 41
Jaqueline Tong Daisy Barnes (née Peel), second parlourmaid 3 5 32

Plot

The stories depict the lives of the wealthy Bellamy family ("upstairs"), who reside at 165 Eaton Place in London's fashionable Belgravia, and their servants ("downstairs").

The household is led by Lady Marjorie Bellamy (nee Talbot-Carey), the beautiful and willful daughter of the Earl and Countess of Southwold, and her husband Richard Bellamy MP, the upright younger son of a country parson. They married, despite the objections of her parents, and set up house at 165 Eaton Place, one of several London properties owned by Lord Southwold. Richard is a politician and several plots centre around his political ambitions and conflicts arising from his desire to follow his conscience and his allegiance to his father-in-law's political party, the Conservatives (the "Tories").

Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy have two children, James and the rebellious Elizabeth ("Miss Lizzy"), who are in their early twenties and late teens, respectively, when the series starts in 1903. In 1912 James's ill-fated wife Hazel becomes the new mistress of the house, and the following year Richard's ward Georgina comes to live at 165 Eaton Place.

The original servant staff comprises the authoritarian butler Mr. Angus Hudson, the cook Mrs. Kate Bridges, the pragmatic head house parlourmaid Rose, the sweet and simple Irish kitchen maid Emily, the eccentric footman Alfred, the shallow mischievous under house parlourmaid Sarah, and the coachman Pearce. It also includes Lady Marjorie's lady's maid Maude Roberts. Over the years they are joined by Edward the cheeky footman, later chauffeur, Daisy, the parlourmaid, who eventually marries Edward, Thomas Watkins, the devious chauffeur who dabbles with Sarah's affections, and most memorably of all Ruby, the slow-witted kitchen maid who became the bane of Mrs Bridges' life below stairs.

In the episode 'Another Year' from series 4 Hazel Bellamy notes that there are two families living in the house, one upstairs and the other downstairs; Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges are the father and mother, Rose, the eldest daughter who lost her man at the front, Edward, the son who has married Daisy who stays with the family while he is at war and Ruby, the youngest child who needs protecting.

1903-1910

The first and second series span the period 1903 to 1910, during the reign of Edward VII. In 1903, Sarah Moffat applies for a job as parlour maid for the Bellamy family, pretending to be of French nobility but is soon revealed to be illiterate and with no work history. Later in the year, Lady Marjorie poses for Bohemian artist Mr. Scone, who simultaneously paints a nude portrait of Sarah and (an imagined) Rose; he exhibits both pictures at the Royal Academy, causing a scandal. Later the Bellamys go on vacation to Scotland, and, with Mr. Hudson gone, the servants carouse drunkenly through the house only to be caught by son James, who promises not to disclose the servants' misbehavior. James and Sarah later have an affair. This results in Sarah's pregnancy, a stillborn son, born on the evening the King comes to Eaton Place. James is banished to India, and Sarah is sent to live at the Southwold estate. James eventually returns from India just before his mother's birthday on May 6, 1910 (which coincides with the death of King Edward the VII), and brings with him his brash and gushing fiancee, Phyllis, the daughter of an army vet. James eventually breaks off the engagement, however, after deciding that Phyllis isn't right for him.

Around 1905, daughter Elizabeth returns from Germany and is preened to be presented to the King and the Queen Consort at a social event, but her rebellious, headstrong nature forces her to flee the event. She has a talk with servant Rose, who teaches her the interdependency of everyone in the household. Elizabeth is soon enchanted with German Baron Klaus von Rimmer, who is actually a spy and plans to use her father to negotiate a lucrative military deal. He and footman Alfred flee to Germany after they are caught by Rose while having sexual relations. Alfred is replaced by Edward Barnes, a young and naive footman whose fun-loving and immature nature initially annoy Mr Hudson. The new under house parlour maid Mary Stokes is raped and made pregnant by Myles Radford, whose father is a powerful politician. Richard Bellamy attempts to help her but the Radfords refuse to take responsibility and the legal system proves ineffective. Mary quits her job with the Bellamys, but departs with a small gift of money from some of the servants.