In 2011, it seemed practically impossible to open a magazine or newspaper without reading paeans of praise to Downton Abbey. The drama about life in a grand country house at the turn of the last century didn’t actually do anything new, but it did do everything ‘right’. By comparison, the BBC’s 2010 revival of the old ITV period drama Upstairs Downstairs seemed rather ordinary. By no means dreadful, but just ambling, where Downton flew.
But the beautifully laid tables may have been turned. The second series of the much-loved Downton Abbey still stood head, shoulders and exquisite picture hat above the greater mass of popular television. I’ve now seen the first few episodes of Upstairs Downstairs series two, and the bar has most definitely been raised. And French polished.
A few small but telling changes have been made at 165 Eaton Place. Jean Marsh, who with Dame Eileen Atkins created the original for ITV in 1971, has unfortunately had to take a leave of absence to recover from illness. And Dame Eileen has left the show permanently, amid rumours of disagreements with writer Heidi Thomas. Despite, or perhaps because of, that adversity, Upstairs Downstairs has come back immeasurably stronger.
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