Upstairs, Downstairs (1971–1975)

The series follows the lives of both the family and the servants in the London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place. Richard Bellamy, the head of the household, is a member of Parliament, and his ... See full summary »

Stars:

Gordon Jackson, David Langton, Jean Marsh

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 11 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gordon Jackson	...	Hudson (60 episodes, 1971-1975)
David Langton	...	Richard Bellamy (56 episodes, 1971-1975)
Jean Marsh	...	Rose (54 episodes, 1971-1975)
Angela Baddeley	...	Mrs. Bridges (53 episodes, 1971-1975)
Christopher Beeny	...	Edward (46 episodes, 1971-1975)
Jenny Tomasin	...	Ruby (41 episodes, 1972-1975)
Simon Williams	...	James Bellamy (37 episodes, 1971-1975)
Jacqueline Tong	...	Daisy Peel (32 episodes, 1973-1975)

Storyline

The series follows the lives of both the family and the servants in the London townhouse at 165 Eaton Place. Richard Bellamy, the head of the household, is a member of Parliament, and his wife a member of the titled aristocracy. Belowstairs, Hudson, the Scottish butler directs and guides the other servants about their tasks and (sometimes) their proper place. Real-life events from 1903-1930 are incorporated into the stories of the Bellamy household.

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Plot Keywords:

butler | kitchen | class system | chambermaid | working class | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 January 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Haus am Eaton Place

Filming Locations:

65 Eaton Place, Belgravia, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Weekend Television (LWT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (68 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title music, "The Edwardians", was specially composed for the series by Alexander Faris. Two different themes were used: a slower waltz-time theme, normally over the opening titles, and a faster jaunty polka theme over some of the end-credits, though the waltz theme was used for the end-credits of episodes that ended on a sombre note such as the news about the sinking of the Titanic. The polka theme was set to lyrics by Alfred Shaughnessy and sung as a bawdy song "What are we going to do with Uncle Arthur?" during a music hall act by Sarah (Pauline Collins) in the episode Upstairs, Downstairs: For Love of Love.

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Goofs

Hamish and Dorothy Matthews' names are spelt Mathews in the credits of episode 3.11 and Matthews in episode 4.6

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Quotes

Edward Barnes, footman: Arabella? That's a COW'S name!

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Connections

Referenced in French and Saunders: The House of Idiot (1993)

User Reviews

The Best Drama Ever on Television

It wasn't a huge budget that made this series great, immensely popular, much honored, and the biggest hit in PBS history. It was the fabulous writing and the rich characterizations presented to us every week. All these people we cared about, even negatively in the case of James. And that's why even now there is a U/D web site. Interwoven were the historical events of Edwardian England stretching through World War One into the Twenties. The series reached it's peak halfway through the war with "Women Shall Not Weep" - a magnificent episode available on video. By the Twenties the upper class was cracking more than the lower - a theme of the series. U/D was such a hit America tried its own hand at the wealthy/servants scenario with "Beacon Hill" - highly touted but dismally written flop. Special credits to Jean Marsh as Rose (who never found happiness, but wouldn't have been happy anyplace but the world she was brought up in!); Marsh also was a creator of the series. It was an absolute joy.

P.S. In case the credits don't reflect this, Daisy's last name was 'Peel".