Upstairs, Downstairs

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Upstairs, Downstairs

Logo for Upstairs, Downstairs
Genre Drama
Running time 50mins (without adverts)
Creator(s) Jean Marsh
Eileen Atkins
Producer(s) LWT
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
Country of origin Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom
Original channel ITV
Original run 10 October 1971–21 December 1975
No. of episodes 68 (List of episodes)

Upstairs, Downstairs was a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British drama set in a large Edwardian townhouse in London that depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs". It ran on ITV for five series from 1971 to 1975. Many writers wrote episodes throughout the five series, including Alfred Shaughnessy, John Hawkesworth, Fay Weldon, Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham, John Harrison, Julian Bond, Raymond Bowers, Jeremy Paul, Rosemary Anne Sisson, Anthony Skene and Elizabeth Jane Howard.

Contents

[edit] 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. 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"[1]. In summer 1969, they took this idea to Sagitta Productions, which was run by John Hawkesworth and John Whitney. 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. However, Stella Richman, the Controller of Programmes at London Weekend Television, saw potential and in April 1970 the first series was commissioned.

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[2]. 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 wouldn't be suitable to play a Scotsman. 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.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Lady Marjorie Talbot-Carey, the lovely and wilful daughter of the Earl and Countess of Southwold married Richard Bellamy MP, the upright younger son of a country parson, despite her parents' objections. Mr. Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy set up housekeeping at 165 Eaton Place, one of several London properties owned by Lord Southwold.

Richard was a politician and several plots centred 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. Richard and Lady Marjorie Bellamy had two children, James and Elizabeth, who were in their late teens and early twenties and when the series starts in 1903.

Time is something of an amorphous concept in this series. The first episode, "On Trial", is set in November 1903. It is revealed in "A Family Secret" that James Bellamy is 30 in the fall of 1912, which would put his birth year as 1882, but the accompanying books state him to be born in 1884. Elizabeth celebrates her 23rd birthday in 1909, placing her year of birth in 1886. Assuming Richard was at least 24 when James was born (married sometime between age 21 and 23), he would been born in 1860, making him 43 at the start of the series and 70 when the series ended in 1930. Marjorie is said to have been born in 1864, and would have been about 48 when she died in 1912.

Other characters, however, don't seem to age — or age in reverse. Jean Marsh once remarked that the hairstyle of the 1920s favoured her, so that instead of making her look older (she should have been at least 50 by 1930) "it youthed me". Meanwhile, Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges, who were each about 50 when the show started in 1903 should have been fully retired (or dead, more likely) by the show's end in 1930. However, by the time 1930 rolled around, Mrs. Bridges and Mr. Hudson (since they were still alive) should have both been around 75, but had only aged to about 60!

The first and second series are set from 1903 until 1910, during the reign of Edward VII. Stories depicted the lives of the Bellamy's "upstairs" and the servants "downstairs". The Bellamy family comprised Richard, the politician, and his wife Lady Marjorie, and their two children, James and the rebellious Elizabeth, whom Rose calls "Miss Lizzy". The original staff was composed of Mr. Angus Hudson, the pompous and authoritarian butler, Mrs. Kate Bridges, the cook, Emily, the kitchen maid, Alfred, the footman, Rose, the Head House Parlourmaid, Sarah, the Under House Parlourmaid, and Pearce, the coachman.

In 1908, Elizabeth married a young poet Lawrence Kirbridge, but he found sexual intercourse disgusting and their marriage was unconsummated. Elizabeth had an affair with her husband's publisher and became pregnant, later giving birth to a daughter, Lucy. She moved to America in 1910 after her divorce from Kirbridge. She was later said to have married a man named Dana. James and Sarah, the Under House Parlourmaid, had an affair, resulting in Sarah's pregnancy and James's banishment to India. Sarah was sent to live at the Southwold, but came back after she went into labour, while the King was upstairs at a dinner party, only to give birth to a stillborn boy. Later, Sarah and Thomas Watkins, the valet of Lawrence Kirbridge, fell in love, though he never married her, and they span off to their own short-lived series "Thomas & Sarah". Emily the scullery maid killed herself over a lover who was forbidden from seeing her and was replaced with Ruby, a hardworking young woman with minor mental disabilities who constantly irritated Mrs. Bridges. In 1905, Alfred ran away with Baron Klaus von Rimmer, a guest of the family, after they had been caught in a compromising position. He was replaced with Edward Barnes, who went on to marry housemaid Daisy Peel.

Tragically, Lady Marjorie (and her brother Hugo Talbot-Carey, Earl of Southwold and his wife), died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic, her last known words being uttered to her maid – "Keep this for me, Roberts" – as she hands over her jewelery case. The episode in which Miss Roberts returns alive features a brilliant farewell (to the series) performance by Patsy Smart, as Maud Roberts. She refuses to let anyone touch the jewelery box, because she's keeping it for Lady Marjorie. Richard's secretary, Hazel Forrest, wins the hearts of all when she very gently persuades Miss Roberts to open the box. That means accepting Lady Marjorie is gone and she breaks down into sobs, as she cries, "I tried to save her! I tried to make them [the life boat] go back!"

Richard had recently hired Hazel to type the biography of his father-in-law which he was writing. Soon after, she and James fell in love and eventually married. Hazel became "mistress" of the household, and they were happy for a time but started to grow apart; this estrangement was worsened by a miscarriage. James served in World War I, was seriously injured in a trench battle and was brought home to recover. He was nursed by his cousin Georgina, who was orphaned and came to live with the Bellamys at Christmas 1913, when she was 18. Georgina was the daughter of Lady Marjorie's brother Hugo's wife, and her first husband. Hazel had a brief affair with an airman who, like her, rose from the ranks of the middle-classes. He was killed while James is at home on leave. Rose met an Australian man named Gregory Wilmot and after overcoming several hurdles, finally agreed to marry him on his return from the war. Unfortunately he was killed, Rose was heartbroken but Gregory left her £1200 in his will. Edward suffered from shell shock and went into hospital. He spoke to Richard, who comforted him as if he was his own son.

In 1918, just as the War ended, Hazel dies, aged 32, in the infamous worldwide influenza pandemic. Richard later married a young widow named Mrs. Virginia Hamilton, who had three children, the eldest killed when he was 17 in the spring of 1918. Her other children, Alice, was 10 and her youngest son, William, was 6 when Richard proposed to Virginia Hamilton in late October/November 1918. He was elevated to the House of Lords as Viscount Bellamy of Haversham in the New Year's Honours List of 1917.

Along the way, from 1903 through 1930, there are various and sundry adventures had by all, as many or more by the folk downstairs as upstairs. Georgina and her friends rebeled against the depression and hard times of the war in the roaring 20s but her frivolity and merriment were brought to a quick end firstly, by the suicide of a friend who protested he loved her and threatened that, if she wouldn't marry him, he would kill himself — which he did, in the schoolroom at 165 Eaton Place, while a roaring 20s party raged below. Secondly, Georgina accidentally killed a working class man early one morning. He was on his way to work while she had borrowed Richard's car without asking and was going to a further party. Her friends deserted her at the inquest, except the very rich, but very stupid Lady Dolly and the seeming dull and boring stick-in-the mud Lord Stockbridge, heir to a dukedom, who was a witness in her defence despite his family being against it. He was in love with her and she very quickly fell in love with him. James never settles. When the war ended, he stood for Parliament but was not elected.

As Lord Stockbridge's parents sent him on a trip around the world to make sure his love for Georgina was true, James returned, in October 1929, from America — where he has visited Elizabeth and become rich through speculation on Wall Street. Rose allowed James to invest the money Gregory left her when he died in the war in stocks and shares. Then the market crashed and he lost everything, plus he had "borrowed a fair bit" that he now couldn't repay. James had disgraced his family and taken advantage of a member of staff who trusted him. He becomes depressed and ashamed, and went to a hotel in Maidenhead and commited suicide.

The final episode, in 1930, finds things looking up at Eaton Place as Georgina was married to Lord Stockbridge on June 12, 1930. Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges also finally married, and Mr. and Mrs. Hudson took the uneducated but surprisingly shrewd kitchen maid, Ruby Finch, off to the seaside with them, to run a guest house called "Seaview" (however, you can only see the cliffs from the top bedroom window, over the other houses). When asked about this, Ruby says "They'll not last long and I'll get the guest house". Lord Bellamy has delivered his retirement speech to the House of Lords. He and Lady Bellamy, Virginia, retired to a small villa, keeping Rose Buck in their employ. Young Edward and his wife, Daisy, were elevated to the posts of butler and Head House Parlourmaid in the country household of Marquess and new Marchioness of Stockbridge.

The last scene showed Rose taking a final walk through all of the rooms and memories at 165 Eaton Place, which is up for sale, and likely to be redeveloped into flats. She heard the voices of Lady Marjorie, of Mr Hudson and of many incidents she had witnessed over the years but when she heard the voice of Gregory, she quickly realised that it was time to move on and left through the front door.

Upstairs, Downstairs attempted to portray life in a high-status house set against the events of 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 one episode Hazel notes that although upstairs, they are a family, downstairs they are also a family — Mr Hudson and Mrs Bridges are the mother and father, 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.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of Upstairs, Downstairs characters

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Upstairs, Downstairs episodes

Upstairs, Downstairs ran for five series from 10 December 1971 to 21 December 1975. The first four series consisted of thirteen episodes each, while the final series consisted of sixteen episodes. Due to a technician's strike the first six episodes of the first series were shot in black-and-white, and when colour production begun, the first episode was remade in colour. Two endings were made, which could be shown depending on whether or not the black and white episodes were broadcast by the channel. The original black-and-white first episode is believed to have been wiped.

The opening credits of each episode featured a cartoon from the magazine Punch, and the lettering was drawn by the graphic designer Terry Griffiths. The theme tune was composed by Alexander Ferris and entitled The Edwardians. It won an Ivor Novello Award [3]. Part of this tune would be made into the song What Are We Going To Do With Uncle Arthur?, sung by Sarah, with lyrics written by Alfred Shaughnessy. Pauline Collins released this as a single in 1973.

[edit] Production

Each episode of Upstairs, Downstairs was made in a fortnightly production schedule. The first week and a half would be spent rehearsing, with two days of recording in the studio[4]. Location footage was ususally filmed beforehand. The exterior shots of 165, Eaton Place was filmed at 65, Eaton Place with the "1" painted on. Upstairs, Downstairs was one of the first major colour productions to be made by LWT.

[edit] Awards

Upstairs, Downstairs was nominated and won many national and international awards. It was nominated for Best Drama Series in 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976, winning in 1972 and 1974. Pauline Collins was also nominated as Best Actress in 1973 for her role as Sarah, and in 1975 Gordon Jackson was nominated as Best Actor for playing Hudson [5].

In the United States, Upstairs, Downstairs was honoured in the both the Emmy Awards and the Golden Globes. In 1974, 1975 and 1977 it won the award for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys. In 1975, Jean Marsh won the award for Best Actress - Drama Series, while Bill Bain won the award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. The following year, it won the Outstanding Limited Series category and Gordon Jackson won as Outstanding Supporting Actor, while Angela Baddeley was nominated as Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama Series. In 1977, Jacqueline Tong was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress - Drama. In the Golden Globes, Upstairs, Downstairs won the Best TV Show - Drama in 1975 and it was nominated for this in 1978. Jean Marsh was nominated in 1976 and 1977 as Best TV Actress - Drama [6].

Alfred Shaughnessy, the script editor and frequent writer, was nominated for an Emmy twice, for the episodes Miss Forrest and Another Year. Another frequent writer was the producer, John Hawkesworth, who was nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series for the episode The Bolter. Fay Weldon won a Writers' Guild award for Best British TV Series Script of 1971 for the first episode On Trial.

[edit] Spin-offs

Following the final episode of Upstairs, Downstairs many ideas for spin-offs were thought of. These included having the new Lord and Lady Stockbridge buying back 165, Eaton Place and an American company wanted to make a programme based around Hudson and Rose emigrating to the United States. Another idea, called You Live or You Die, was to have Frederick Norton seeking his fortune in the US. A further idea would have followed Hudson, Mrs Bridges and Ruby running their seaside boarding house, and this probably would have been made had it not been for the death of Angela Baddeley on 22 February 1976. The only spin-off to make it screen was Thomas & Sarah, which broadcast in 1979, and this followed the adventures of Thomas and Sarah after they left Eaton Place.

[edit] Novelisations

Each series of Upstairs, Downstairs was accompanied by a novelisation, with additional detail in each, but also with some episodes missing. All books were published by Sphere Books. The novelisation of the first series, "Upstairs, Downstairs or the secrets of an Edwardian household", was written by John Hawkesworth and published in 1972. Hawkesworth also wrote the series two novelisation, "In My Lady's Chamber" and this was published in 1973. The following year, Mollie Hardwick's novelisation of the third series, "The Years Of Change", was published and she also wrote the 1975 "The War to End Wars", the fourth series novelisation. The fifth series, which was longer than the others, was novelised in two books, both by Michael Hardwick and published in 1975. They were called "On With The Dance" and "Endings And Beginnings".

As well as these novelisations, five books were seperatley published, again by Sphere Books, with each being the biography of a main character before the series started. "Rose's Story" was written by Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham and published in 1972. The following year, Mollie Hardwick's "Sarah's Story" and Michael Hardwick's "Mr Hudson's Diaries" were both published. "Mr Bellamy's Story", by Michael Hardwick, was published in 1974 and "Mrs Bridge's Story" by Mollie Hardwick was published in 1975. Also in 1975, "The Upstairs, Downstairs Omnibus", featuring all five slightly edited stories, was published.

[edit] Influence

The BBC series The Duchess of Duke Street is widely seen as the BBC's answer to Upstairs, Downstairs, not least because some of the same producers and writers worked on it, and it also has a theme tune by Faris. The 1990 BBC sitcom You Rang, M'Lord? also featured a similar situation. In the early 1990s, Marsh and Atkins created another successful period drama, The House of Eliott, for the BBC. In 1975 an American version, entitled Beacon Hill, debuted but due to low ratings it was soon cancelled, running for just thirteen episodes. More recently the feature film Gosford Park, written by Julian Fellowes was compared to Upstairs, Downstairs.

Tim Burton paid tribute to the series in the 2003 film Corpse Bride. Most of the characters in the film bear a strong resemblance to the Upstairs, Downstairs cast, such as Lord Barkis bearing a strong resemblance to Angus Hudson.

[edit] DVD releases

[edit] Region 2

Upstairs, Downstairs was orginally released on DVD by VCI in Region 2 (UK). The colour episodes of the first series were released in 2001 followed by the other series finishing in 2003. In 2004, the black-and-white episodes and the first episode with the original ending were released. Thomas & Sarah was released in matching packaging in 2004. In 2005, VCI stopped making these DVDs. There were no extras on any of the DVDs.

Network Video released the entire programme series by series from 2005 to 2006. The episodes were digitally remastered and the black-and-white episodes were put in chronological order in the first series. Some episodes also featured audio commentaries, the LWT logo, commercial bumpers and the original preceding countdowns. In addition, each series was accompanied by a special one hour documentary relating to that series featuring new and archive interviews. The fifth series release also featured the 1975 documentary Russell Harty goes... Upstairs, Downstairs. In 2006, a boxset featuring all the DVDs was released.

[edit] Others

Upstairs, Downstairs was released by A&E DVD in Region 1 (US) starting in 2001. They also released Thomas & Sarah in 2003. DVDs of earlier series have also been released in Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "www.updown.org.uk", Steve Phillips.
  2. ^ "www.updown.org.uk", Steve Phillips.
  3. ^ "www.updown.org.uk", Steve Phillips.
  4. ^ "Inside UpDown - The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs", Kaleidoscope Publishing, 2005.
  5. ^ "BBC Guide", BBC, 2005.
  6. ^ "BBC Guide", BBC, 2005.

[edit] External links

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