The Daily Mail: The lesbian bedroom scenes that would NEVER have appeared in the original Upstairs Downstairs (Contains Spoilers)

It would never have happened in the time of strait-laced Edwardian butler Mr Hudson from the original Upstairs Downstairs.
But extra-marital lesbian scenes will feature in next Sunday’s episode of the BBC show in a bid to boost ratings. Doctor Who star Alex Kingston and Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox will play female lovers who scandalise 165 Eaton Place.
The two women are shown sharing a passionate kiss, and in another scene they are in bed together.

In one erotically charged moment, Kingston’s character, the archaeologist Dr Blanche Mottershead, slowly and provocatively traces her finger down the front of Fox’s body. She tells her: ‘There is a visceral thrill when you stumble on a find, whether you roll away a stone and discover a ransacked tomb or dredge the sands and bring up the shattered cup.’
The controversial storyline is part of an attempt by the BBC to sex up the show so it can compete with its ITV costume drama rival Downton Abbey, which has so far proved a bigger ratings hit.
Kingston’s free-thinking character, who joined the series last week, has already caused ripples by questioning the established order of things in the grand London house.
But she brings social disgrace on to the household when she rekindles a past sexual relationship with the beautiful and bisexual Lady Portia Alresford, played by Fox.
Lady Portia unexpectedly comes back into Blanche’s life after an absence of almost four years. Fox’s character is now the happily married wife of an MP with three children but she is determined to bring her former lover back into her life.
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What's on TV - Alex Kingston Interview!

How would you describe your character, Blanche? 
“She is the aunt of Sir Hallam [Ed Stoppard] and the half-sister of the late Lady Maud [Eileen Atkins]. She is an adventuress and free spirit because she doesn’t toe the expected society lines. She has secrets, too, and perhaps that is why she has chosen to spend much of her life in North Africa, where she can be who she is rather than feeling constricted.”
What effect does she have on the household? 
“Initially, Hallam and Agnes want rid of her, but Agnes [Keeley Hawes] comes to rely on Blanche as a sounding board and someone to ask for advice. Agnes finds confidence, largely through Blanche’s encouragement, so Blanche takes on a sisterly role with the women of the house, but her relationship with Hallam is fractured.”
How do the servants react to her? 
“She doesn’t obey the laws of upstairs and downstairs, she treats everybody as an equal. I think the servants enjoy the way that everything is delineated though, so she is upsetting the equilibrium. I think they find her rather amusing, too, and she becomes a focal point for gossip downstairs.”
Does she have an unconventional look? 
“She is comfortable in the practical clothing she wore in North Africa. She has one pair of shoes and one pair of boots which she has ridden across the Sahara in, so she doesn’t have a large and fancy wardrobe. I feel she has mixed with the Bloomsbury set of slightly avant-garde thinkers, so there is a looseness to her and she doesn’t feel the need to be put together.”
Have you enjoyed doing something set in this time period? 
“Oh yes, setting this series just before the Second World War is clever. In 2012, our world is changing radically and that is reflected in Upstairs Downstairs, too. These characters are on the verge of something, they don’t know what is going to happen and people will identify with their fears. This is the beginning of the modern world and here is a society just clinging onto what they know, but it is going to change irrevocably.”
Were you a fan of the original series? 
“I was brought up on Upstairs Downstairs, so I was very excited. This almost feels like a completely different show, though, and the one I grew up with suddenly feels rather old-fashioned, because it has been brought up to date in terms of themes and the situations with which the characters are struggling.”

LINK

New Upstairs Downstairs Pictures!

Link to original source.

New pics of Upstairs Downstairs!

NOTE: These pictures are edits by THIS tumblr user. The real pictures are still under embargo and will be posted on the 14th Feb (Tuesday).

Alex 'more than likely' to return to Doctor Who!

Upstairs, Downstairs’ along with ‘Holby City’ are now working out of the BBC’s new studios in Cardiff, down by the Norwegian church.. So most of it is filmed around there or Bristol.Alex’s character is a cousin of the family who has spent most of her life in India. She’s a bit Tomboyish and wears clothes more suited to safari than the Savoy. She’s no-nonsense and has a talent for organization. Not surprisingly, she has made a friend of Art Malik’s character. That’s all I can really tell you as I only had access to the script of the episode I was in. They are already making plans for a third series however, so it should keep Alex occupied for another year or so. I did ask her if she would make a return to ‘Dr Who’ and she said that it was more than likely.
Regards from your spy at the BBC.

-Credit to @Sophie141095 on Twitter for this information :)

More Upstairs Downstairs Pics

Again none of Alex, but there is one of Keeley this time :)

More Upstairs Downstairs News

(Found by @Sophie141095 on twitter)


'Whilst Jean Marsh is due to return as the Holland household's right-hand woman at some stage, series 2 will begin with Lady Maude's funeral and the abrupt arrival of Alex Kingston as her much younger, sexier sister and straight talking spinster Dr Blanche Mottershead'.

More Upstairs Downstairs News

Alex Kingston (Moll Flanders, ER, Doctor Who), and Kenneth Cranham (The Night Watch, Made In Dagenham) will join the cast when viewers return to the famous Eaton Square, London address, two years on, in 1938 when Chamberlain is in power.
Alex Kingston says: "I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to get inside the iconic 165 Eaton Place and join a show steeped in such history but that has been revived for a whole new generation. I will be playing the uncompromising, straight speaking spinster, Dr Blanche Mottershead, the younger sister of the late Maud, Lady Holland and Sir Hallam's Aunt. Heidi [Thomas, writer] really has created a wonderfully, intriguing character in Blanche who will, over time, reveal some secrets of her own." 
Executive producer and Head of Drama BBC Wales, Faith Penhale adds: "Heidi's scripts are exquisite and I can't wait to see our wonderful cast and exciting new arrivals Alex Kingston and Kenneth Cranham bring their characters to life. We return to Upstairs Downstairs in September 1938, and our story spans the 12 months leading up to war. The ensuing months will be filled with passion, intrigue, laughter and heartbreak. There is a whole world to play for!"
"Upstairs Downstairs was an unqualified hit when it aired on Masterpiece last year. More than seven million viewers tuned in," says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. " We'll miss Eileen [Atkins], but our audience will be excited to see Alex and Kenneth in the cast; Alex's performance as Moll Flanders has made her a Masterpiece favourite. "

-Not really anything we don't already know, but this was published on the BBC Press Office 2 days ago as a few more actors have joined the show.
LINK!