'We were trying to sort out... 40 years of rights and then it [ITV] also started - Downton Abbey - in the Edwardian Era, which Upstairs, Downstairs did. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. We were trying to sort out…40 years of rights and then it also started—Downton Abbey—in the Edwardian Era, which Upstairs Downstairs did. For some bizarre reason, Upstairs Downstairs co-creator Jean Marsh (who also played Rose) found it necessary to kick out at Downton Abbey, hinting (actually, pretty much flat-out saying) that it was a copy of UD: “I think we were all surprised. Cast—Downstairs: Aside from Pritchard, the world’s most awesome butler, and Amanjit, the downstairs cast in Upstairs sucked. Even The Kennedys got nominated in that category. When the BBC revived the classic Seventies series Upstairs, Downstairs, it failed to survive the inevitable comparisons made with the rival costume drama Downton Abbey and was axed after nine episodes. You'd have to watch it on the ITV player. Downton’s lush orchestral score is so memorable I still find myself humming it from time to time, months after I last watched the show. She then spent three ... ‘Willow’ Series Gets Greenlight At Disney+ With Jon M. Chu To Direct Pilot, ‘Willow’ Sequel Series Officially a Go at Disney Plus, Jon M. Chu to Direct, Emmy flashback 45 years to 1975: ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show’ finally wins Comedy Series, plus Lucy forgets her glasses, Doctor Who: Harvest of Time (movie adaptation), The Best Actresses and Actors - Born in the 1930s. Downton’s way out in the countryside, so most major events, though remarked on, don’t touch them much. Or even Remains of the Day? ( Log Out /  Let's go.' Check out our picks for family friendly movies movies that transcend all ages. For giving us a more believable character who wasn’t a frigging Nazi, I give the point to Downton. “Truthfully, it feels like every good original idea Eileen and I had appeared in Downton Abbey,” Marsh complains of Julian Fellowes’s popular costume drama for ITV. The sets for Upstairs Downstairs looked like sets to me—there was a flimsiness about some of the rooms. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Let’s see who really did the better job. Integrating History: Historical events drive the stories in both shows: Downton’s crisis starts when the Titanic goes down, and characters in Upstairs grapple with King Edward’s affair with Wallis Simpson, the abdication crisis, and Germany stirring shit up. We got Johnny’s full story in the first episode of Upstairs, and it came full circle with his return in the last episode. Quotes (2) ... Downton Abbey - in the Edwardian era, which Upstairs, Downstairs did. Julian Fellowes Investigates: A Most Mysterious Murder, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Japan Cruise: When Worlds Collide/The Captain and the Geisha/The Lottery Winners/The Emperor's Fortune: Part 2, Japan Cruise: When Worlds Collide/The Captain and the Geisha/The Lottery Winners/The Emperor's Fortune: Part 1, Mad About The Boy: Noel Coward: A Celebration, Your Secrets Are Safe with Us, Mr Lambert, The Largest Theatre in the World: Heart to Heart. Emmy Nominations « The Armchair Anglophile, Totally procrastinated on edits to book #2 and wound up having to do a marathon 2-day edit session and now I am FLA…. Upstairs, on the other hand, re-used the waltz from the original show in its opening, which I guess appealed to those nostalgic for said original, but I found it so forgettable I couldn’t recall the tune even a day after I watched the show. Visit Penguin Random House’s website to find out where you can get a copy! The upstairs folks in Downton really seemed to be a part of that world—they knew their responsibilities and carried them out appropriately. And that Tiffany blue all over the place started to give me a headache after a while. ( Log Out /  Sweet lady.... She was one of the creators of the show more than 40 years ago, and is the only original member to return to the series, which is back on our screens this Sunday. The roles, however, weren’t always well written. Click below to consent or reject cookies. Branson was much more easygoing and didn’t force his ideas on anyone. It will be screened this Christmas on consecutive days, starting on Boxing Day. The drama, which starred Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard, was dropped by the BBC in 1994. She lies around and whines about having to do the littlest thing, and she maddeningly lets her mother-in-law take over and then complains about it. She will reprise her role as the show makes a revival on the BBC - after ITV turned down the chance to remake the show in favour of Downton Abeey - over three hour-long episodes. 26th May 1967, A portrait of the British actor Ian Hendry pictured playing his part with the British actress Jean Marsh during the making of film "Your money or your life". Hard to say what’ll happen there—they may split the British costume drama votes and Evan Rachel Wood or Melissa Leo could take it. So it might be a coincidence and I might be the Queen of Belgium.”. Who did it better? With the Edwardian show making a comeback this Christmas 35 years on, Marsh has stirred up some off-screen dramatics, by taking a swipe at rival show Downton Abbey. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group, Melania dons a sleek black dress for her first public event since her bout with COVID-19 - as she and Trump put on an affectionate display as they arrive in Nashville for final debate, 'Don't mention Joe being involved': MORE texts and emails emerge hours before debate showing Hunter Biden and his business partners - including uncle James Biden - talking about 'my family brand', 'I'm leading in all of the states mentioned': Trump slams Fox News over its poll that shows him behind in Michigan, Pennsylvania AND Wisconsin, Boeing is 'gauging interest' from customers about building a new single-aisle jet with improved engines and capacity to carry up to 250 people, Nails controversially linked to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ have fragments of ancient bone and wood embedded in them, 'I think we have enough of an interview here. Meddling Matriarch: Maggie Smith vs. Eileen Atkins? Big ambition, sometimes shaky in execution. Spargo turned out to have no conviction—after one rally didn’t go amazingly well, he stopped being a Nazi just as easily as he started, and he dumped Persie just as suddenly too. The lovechild of Downton Abbey and Lady Chatterley's Lover's probably the best description. The sets for Upstairs Downstairs looked like sets to me—there was a flimsiness about some of the rooms. A cabaret singer and photo model in her early years while studying acting and mime. They were childish, easily distracted, goofy, didn’t seem to know their jobs, and made me roll my eyes more than that made-for-TV William & Kate movie, which is really saying something. Although Hallam got a little more interesting as Upstairs went on, he was still rather weak and his sudden attachment to Lotte was never really explained or shown (maybe leftover from his devotion to his sister Pamela?). Point to Upstairs. Both ladies portrayed characters who were, by turns, maddening and loveable, and they both got all the best lines, but while Maggie Smith’s Violet was firmly entrenched in the Victorian period, Eileen Atkins’s Maude was more progressive, more worldly, and kept herself better educated, which made her more interesting.