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"Upstairs Downstairs" was born at Dame Eileen Atkins' kitchen table.
She and Jean Marsh were watching "The Forsyte Saga" in 1967 and enjoying it enormously, Atkins said. "But we said, 'Our poor parents would have been ironing those frocks and washing up all that stuff. And wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a series about the downstairs people?' "
Originally they imagined a series about just the downstairs people — the servants. "Then we realized you couldn't have downstairs without upstairs," Atkins said. "And so we had to let the rich people in."
The result was the classic series about the Bellamy family of 165 Eaton Place in London and their servants.
For 68 episodes over five seasons from 1971 to 1975, "Upstairs Downstairs" enthralled British viewers. In America, "Masterpiece Theatre" aired 55 of 68 episodes from 1974 to 1977, and it remains one of the highest-rated and most-popular programs in PBS history. It's estimated to have been seen by a billion people in 40 countries. Just hearing the original theme music will bring a chill to fans.
The idea for the revival began in a jet over the Atlantic. Atkins, one of the stars of "Cranford," was talking with that miniseries' writer, Heidi Thomas. "[We] said, 'I've always wanted to do "Upstairs Downstairs" again,' and so we cooked it up on that flight," Atkins said.
It's been 35 years of real time since the last episode of the original "Upstairs Downstairs" was produced, but only six years have passed at 165 Eaton Place.
It's 1936, and the house is a disaster when Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) and his wife, Lady Agnes (Keely Hawes), move in. Much to their chagrin, they're joined by Hallam's outspoken mother, Lady Maud (Atkins).
Lady Agnes oversees the restoration of the house and the hiring of a new staff. She turns to Rose Buck (Marsh, the only returning cast member from the original) for help.
Rose was the Bellamys' parlor maid, and Marsh won an Emmy for the role. She's running a domestic employment agency now — but Lady Agnes is going to need a housekeeper.
The three-episode revival is greatly different, yet much the same. The lives, loves, drama and humor of the new characters echo those who once lived at 165 Eaton Place. As in the original series, the characters' lives are affected by history.
As the new series begins, King George V dies and Edward VIII ascends the throne. Sir Hallam works at the British Foreign Office, and the first episode features appearances by Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs Edward Eden (a future prime minister); Wallis Warfield Simpson (the future duchess of Windsor); the duke of Kent (the uncle of Queen Elizabeth II); and German envoy Joachim von Ribbentrop (the future Nazi foreign minister).
The rise of fascism plays a large role in the episodes, just as WWI played a huge part in the original series.
"The new one, of course, is different because it's made 35 years later with all new techniques," Marsh said. "It's different in that it suits us today, like the one made in the '70s suited us then. It's now a bit faster, a bit snappier. Just quicker, very up to date."
And the three hours aren't the end of the story. "Upstairs Downstairs" was so successful when it aired in the UK in December that the BBC has already ordered six more episodes.
"Real life just goes on, and we hope 'Upstairs Downstairs' is just going to go on, too," Atkins said.
It's a "Masterpiece"
The three-part miniseries "Upstairs Downstairs"airs Sunday nights at 8, beginning April 10, on KUED-Channel 7.