Upstairs Downstairs

I watched Upstairs, Downstairs while suffering from "Downton Abbey withdrawal symptoms" and was pleasantly surprised. If they do do another series, and I personally think they should, what they can improve on is perhaps make the episodes longer-and a little slower too so that we have a tad more room to breathe- so that the characters and situations can be developed a little more.

That said, I saw potential. It is not as good as Downton Abbey- which was one of the better programmes airing last year- or the original Upstairs, Downstairs which was full of class and elegance and still one of my favourites, but actually this was one of the more pleasantly surprising(if not perfect) programmes over the Christmas break. While not among the best(Eric and Ernie), it wasn't among the worst(Whistle and I'll Come to You).

As it was with DA and the original US/DS, the production values are wonderful. I always love a series with beautiful scenery, skillful photography and wondrous costumes and US/DS had plenty of those. The music is also pleasant and very well composed if sometimes overdone, the dialogue in general is good and flows well with some both humorous and poignant moments, the stories are interesting(the 3rd episode had the most heart) and the characters are likable.

I think the acting is quite good. I personally don't have a problem with Jean Marsh, and while I am not a Keeley Hawes fan strictly speaking I thought she was good and fitted in with the period more than adequately. Ed Stoppard, Claire Foy, Anne Reid and especially Eileen Atkins were even better though, and while he could have done with more to do I quite liked Art Malik too.

All in all, it wasn't perfect, if they bring it back I think it has potential to grow and be better, but even with its flaws I quite liked it. If it comes back though, please can it more than 3 episodes? 8/10 Bethany Cox

Just finished watching the Upstairs Downstairs reboot from 2010-12, which got mostly admiring reviews when it came out, some even comparing it favorably to the original series. I'd forgotten how weird and randomly plotted the second season is--the household at 165 Eaton Place gradually comes to include Sir Hallam Holland's mother's Sikh manservant (played by a heavily bearded Art Malik, so no problem there); the little daughter of a German Jewish refugee who collapses and dies shortly after getting triggered by the chauffeur's Union of British Fascists blackshirt getup (the daughter suffers from traumatic mutism for a couple of eps as well); Sir Hallam's long-lost sister, who has Down syndrome and has been tucked away in an asylum for most of her life; his mother's much younger half-sister (who was her father again?), a lesbian archeologist whose ex-lover writes a sexy novel that causes a terrible scandal; and Lady Holland sr's monkey, Solomon (looks to be a rhesus macaque), who outlives his mistress by a couple of episodes, for reasons that have nothing to do with the story as such (see below).

The Duke of Kent, a bisexual aesthete who really did exist, keeps us updated on the gathering storm in Europe, so no complaints there either. A Jewish-American millionaire (who made his fortune selling a product that sounds like Alka-Seltzer just in time for the repeal of Prohibition) conveniently opens a garment business in the East End so Lady Agnes (Keeley Hawes, always fabulous) can embarrass her husband, yet again, by posing for a sexy ad for nylons. Claire Foy, future ER II in The Crown, draws the short straw as Lady Persephone, Lady Agnes's younger sister, a Nazi sympathizer who prefers to live in Germany, like the RL Unity Mitford, and gets into all kinds of scrapes when she returns.

No surprise then that Dame Eileen Atkins, co-creator of the original series who played Lady Holland sr in S1 of the reboot, refused to have any part of S2. The cast is uniformly excellent, except possibly for Sir Hallam himself (Ed Stoppard, son of Tom), who's meant to be what the English call a bit of a stick and doesn't get much of a chance to stretch. (He spends most of the series fretting about Why England Slept and being mortified by the outré antics of his household.)

I'm not saying the show's not entertaining, just that the storyline's really herky-jerky and OTT. The writers seem to be straining to pander to current notions of diversity and inclusiveness, which, I'm guessing, may be the reason that Dame Eileen just wasn't into it. IIRC the show got clobbered in the ratings by a soapy competitor, Downton Abbey, and was canceled after the second season.

I was hesitant at first to watch the new Upstairs Downstairs, knowing that it would be impossible to equal the quality production that was the original series. However, with the paucity of decent shows at present (and the fact that Downton Abbey had finished for the time being) I decided to give it a try with as little prejudice as possible, determined not to make comparisons.

Impossible of course. Although this new series is entertaining TV, pretty on the eye, fast moving (not something all that necessary in a show such as this) and relatively well cast, it just is not in the league of its predecessor, or its current "competition" Downton Abbey.

I found it hard to relate to most of the characters, of which there are way too many for comfort. Although the production falls short of using modern language, it certainly has an unsuitable modern way of depicting an era where royalty was revered, where shortcomings were either hidden or not mentioned. Instead we get a "boots and all" depiction of a class of people who would have never related to their servants the way they are shown to do and of servants who would never have behaved the way we are led to believe they might have done. Maybe if all the drama had been stretched out over a long series it would have been believable, instead of being thrown at us will nilly, one thing after the other in each and every episode.

Taken only for entertainment value, this is a watchable soap opera set a century ago - but, as the quality production it is presented as, it falls down on the job.

Oh for Mr Hudson!

Rose is supposed to be six years older than she was at the end of the seventies series. Well... It isn't easy to make 35 years look like 6. But who cares. After all, Jean Marsh is the clip between the legend and it's sequel.

I tread lightly when I anticipated this new series of Upstairs Downstairs. I was delighted that it was a continuation and not a remake. When I saw Rose walking down Belgrave Square towards Eaton Place I didn't tear up like I thought I would, but instead I was swept over by a warm tenderness. The great Jean Marsh (co-creator and whom played Rose in the original) was indeed perfect casting. All in all, it was a warm-hearted quality production. I just thought it could and should have been longer. It was like a cherry on top to the original. It completes a set, so to speak. The whole time I was expecting to hear ghostly voices from the past, but maybe that's just me.