UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS SEASON ONE GIVEN WHOM YOU KNOW'S HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION Our Coverage Sponsored by Maine Woolens
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British comedies and programming in general have been seeping into the very fiber of our common popular culture library for decades. As Monty Python, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot have proven, references are part and parcel of character development and entertainment. Upstairs/Downstairs was one such series quickly taken to heart in America. The inhabitants of 165 Eaton Place were watched like hawks. Much like Dallas, or Dynasty, they captured our imagination and fascination week after week. Pre-reality tv, backstairs gossip was all the rage. This sequel, with a storyline that introduces us to a whole new family at 165, and the new downstairs staff, is 2 seasons into addicting us all with its drama and pathos. Our practical guide to Season 1 is Rose Buck, who reigned over the Bellamy household in the original series. Her magical ascendancy to the position of housekeeper comes as a warm intimate introduction to all ensuing developments. We come to know and love all of these characters, their dramas and history. Entwined as it all is with pre-WWII British political mood, it's a visual delight that gives frissons when sparks strike from recognizable references to monumental moments in history. From the small comforts and details that refresh every scene, to the impeccable cast and their precise acting chops, the series regales at every turn. Season 1 eases us into fast familiarity with the 1930's and the upper classes: their menus, fashion, and disfunctions. As it ends just at the lighting of a most spectacular Christmas tree, this Season 1 from BBC Home Entertainment is a most welcome gift for any and every occasion. Tea, anyone?
You can't go wrong with any of the BBC series. When I received the first season of Upstairs Downstairs, I couldn't wait to get started. I had not heard of this series before and couldn't believe this was a revival of the same series from years ago. I was so enthralled by what I was watching. I couldn't believe how late I stayed up just watching. I could watch this again and again. I know I'll find something I missed. I even want to find the original episodes and watch them. I can't wait to start the 2nd season now. I can't get enough. I've even gotten several friends hooked on this show. If you are looking for a new series to watch, look no further than Upstairs Downstairs. You won't be disappointed!
For those of us that love Downton Abbey, here's another great show for us to enjoy from BBC Home Entertainment! Upstairs Downstairs is a remake of the 1970's hit show and has been condensed into 3-hour long episodes. This show really lets us see what England in 1936 must have looked like! This show lives to its title. It is about the upstairs aristocrats and downstairs servants who keep the palace up and running. Sir Hallam Holland and his wife Lady Agnes move into 165 Eaton Place, intending to turn the "mausoleum" into a livable house. So they employ Rose Buck, formerly a maid there to find some suitable servants. The miniseries features a lot of historically accurate events throughout the episodes, but does a great job at focusing on the people upstairs and downstairs. I ended up watching all the episodes in one sitting. I can't wait to watch season two!
What a masterpiece this series is from the BBC. Upstairs Downstairs is so intriguing showing how the affluent socialites lived in 1936. From running a household, to debuting to health issues with pregnancies and more. You learn quite a bit about a world was so different then how we live today. And Wow, I thought I had mother-in-law issues. The family dynamics in this storyline blow away anything you have seen before. What I also love about Upstairs Downstairs is how they develop the characters from all fronts. You cannot help but be obsessed with the lives of both the help and the upper crusts. Also the costumes are spectacular and so are the interiors. Lush and rich and helps to really transport you out of the year 2013!
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Love, honor, disobey - one of the most beloved television series of all time, Upstairs Downstairs, is back in a new production with a fresh cast. Set against the historical backdrop of a pre-World War II Britain with a new King on the throne and sexual, social and political tensions at 165 Eaton Place, this new series provides an evocative take on the master-servant relationship. On April 26, the BBC releases Upstairs Downstairs to DVD, just two days following the conclusion of its U.S. premiere run on PBS’s MASTERPIECE CLASSIC. The DVD includes the making-of featurette Upstairs Downstairs – Behind Closed Doors.
Penned by Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Madame Bovary) and directed by Euros Lynn (Sherlock, Torchwood: Children of Earth), the new Upstairs Downstairs includes the original series creators Dame Eileen Atkins (Cranford, Gosford Park) and Jean Marsh (Sense & Sensibility) along with Keeley Hawes, (Ashes to Ashes, MI-5) Claire Foy (Little Dorrit), Ed Stoppard (The Pianist), Ellie Kendrick (The Diary of Ann Frank, An Education), and Art Malik (The Jewel In The Crown).
The new Upstairs Downstairs picks up in 1936, six years after Rose left 165 Eaton Place. Fate brings her back as housekeeper to its new owners, Sir Hallam Holland (Stoppard), his wife Lady Agnes (Hawes), and his mother, Lady Maud Holland (Atkins). Rose finds she has her work cut out for her as she recruits a new “downstairs” family to help run the elegance and finery of the “upstairs” world, and it soon becomes apparent that there is a labyrinth of secrets, lies and scandal in both worlds. Meanwhile, in the wider world, Edward VIII has ascended the throne, fascism is on the rise, and Europe is inching towards catastrophe.
Originally created by Jean Marsh, Eileen Atkins, John Hawkesworth and John Whitney - the original series was watched by more than one billion people in 70 countries when it aired from 1971-1975, winning seven Emmys, two BAFTAs and a Golden Globe.
CAST
Lady Maud Holland Dame Eileen Atkins (Cranford, Gosford Park)
Lady Agnes Holland Keeley Hawes (Ashes To Ashes, MI-5)
Sir Hallam Holland Ed Stoppard (The Pianist, Brideshead Revisitied)
Lady Persie Claire Foy (Little Dorrit)
Rose Buck Jean Marsh (Sense & Sensibility)
Mrs. Thackeray Anne Reid (Five Days, Bleak House)
Mr. Armanjit Art Malik (The Jewel In The Crown)
Harry Spargo Neil Jackson (Flashforward, CSI)
Mr. Pritchard Adrian Scarborough (Cranford, Gavin & Stacey)
Rachel Perlmutter Helen Bradbury(Lennon Naked)
Ivy Morris Ellie Kendrick (The Diary of Anne Frank, An Education)
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