Upstairs,
Downstairs: The Plotlines
Upstair, Downstairs Season 1
On Trial (November 1903)
Victoria is dead; Edward is King. Upstairs is the family;
downstairs the servants. We join a fahionable household in Eaton
Place to follow the trials of those in service and those above
stairs. In the first story, a strange little Cockney girl calling
herself Clemence and claiming a French background, comes to the house
and is engaged as an under-parlourmaid. And then the trouble
starts!
Note: Due to industrial strike at ITV companies, this episode was
originally taped in black and white. This every copy of this version
of the episode, sometimes refered to as the "pilot", is believe to
have been deleted. When colour facilities became available again
halfway through production of the first season, the first episode was
re recorded and the black and white version (often erroneously
referred to as the "pilot") was junked. In itself, the re recorded
colour version exists in two forms. The first (which features an
extended night-time chat between Rose and Sarah) is designed for use
when the other five black and white episodes are also to be shown.
The second version (which cuts the night-time chat short and features
extra sequences - also featuring Evin Crowley as Emily - showing
Sarah leaving Eaton Place) is for when broadcasters intend to omit
the black and white episodes.
The Mistress and the Maids (June 1904)
Lady Marjorie is sitting for her portrait by Guthrie Scone, a
Scottish aristocrat turned avant-garde painter. The new parlourmaid
Clemence, now called Sarah by everybody for convenience, is sent to
Scone's studio with some of Her Ladyship's dresses. And a
relationship begins which could end in a major Society scandal.
Board Wages (August 1904)
The Bellamys and their senior servants are away on their summer
holidays. The younger servants, left behind to clean the house on
reduced pay - board wages - indulge in a wild evening of drinking and
dressing-up. In the middle of the festivities, the door opens...
The Path of Duty (May 1905)
Elizabeth Bellamy, home from abroad and about to make her society
debut, shocks her family and the servants by refusing to conform to
custom. And at her first grand ball she creates a scandal...
A Suitable Marriage (December 1905)
Elizabeth, for whom a suitable husband is being sought, falls for
a young German baron, who comes to call at the Bellamy house. The
family are pleased, for the von Rimmers are an old aristocratic
family. But Richard Bellamy discovers things about the young Baron
Klaus von Rimmer which changes the situation.
A Cry for Help (October 1906)
During a week when Richard Bellamy is alone in the house, working
on a book, he finds the young under-housemaid, Mary, crying as she
lays the library fire. He learns of her secret trouble and unwisely
promises to help - a step which could endanger his political
career...
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Magic Casements (Summer 1906)
While the family enjoys the grace and elegance of early
20th-century England, below stairs the servants live a
starkly contrasting existence of long hours and dull
routine. But drama knows no class barriers... James
Bellamy's friend, Hammond, a bronzed young Army captain from
the North West Frontier, comes to the house and is persuaded
to escort Lady Marjorie to a gala performance at the opera.
Next day, the servants' hall is buzzing with gossip that the
mistress has fallen in love.
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I Dies from Love (April 1907)
Emily, the downtrodden little kitchenmaid at Eaton Place, falls
deeply and hopelessly in love with a young footman.
Why is Her Door Locked? (November 1907)
On the eve of an important dinner party, Mrs. Bridges, the
Bellamys' cook, gets into considerable trouble with the police.
A Voice from the Past (Autumn 1908)
Elizabeth and James discover Sarah, the Bellamys' former
under-housemaid, starving in the East End of London. Elizabeth
decides to re-install the girl in the household, but, once again,
Sarah causes trouble and turmoil - upstairs and downstairs.
The Swedish Tiger (October 1908)
James has a Swedish army officer, Capt. Ryttsen, to stay as guest
at Eaton Place. Then valuble objects begin to disappear, and
suspicion falls on Sarah, who is under the spell of the officer's
handsome batman, Thorkil Kraft.
The Key of the Door (Winter 1908)
In November 1908, Elizabeth comes under the influence of a woman
with radical views.
For Love of Love (June 1909)
Elizabeth, now 21 and deeply in love with the poet Lawrence
Kirbridge, is determined to lead a free, frank and modern life. But
she is fighting a losing battle with convention. At the same time,
her brother, James, renews an old friendship behind the footlights.
As the Edwardian era, and this present series, draw to a close, the
future of the Bellamys hangs in the balance.
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Upstairs, Downstairs Season Two
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The New Man
Elizabeth's first taste of married life in Greenwich with
the poetic Lawrence is by no means sweet. He in constantly
making excuses to get away from London, habitually coming to
bed late after Elizabeth is asleep. Meanwhile, below stairs,
Rose is enjoying the flattering attentions of Watkins, the
new manservant... Conflicting situations under the same roof
that are set on a dramatic collision course.
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A Pair of Exiles
After an evening with Sarah at her lodgings, James Bellamy is
forced to make a confession to his parents. His words shatter them
and alter his own and Sarah's lives.
Married Love
Seeing his marriage to Elizabeth threatened by his own failing,
Lawrence Kirbridge asks Sir Edwin Partridge to help save it.
Whom God hath Joined...
Elizabeth comes home for Christmas without her husband, Lawrence,
and the Bellamys face another family crisis.
Guest of Honour
The staff at Eaton place are excited when they are told that King
Edward VII is coming to dinner. But they little realise that the
royal evening will be marred by an unexpected arrival - and
tragedy.
The Property of a Lady
Some letters written by Lady Marjorie fall into the wrong hands,
but scandal is averted by the cool thinking of Thomas the
chaffeur.
Your Obedient Servant
Hudson's secretive behaviour arouses suspicion in the Bellamy
household which leads to a startling discovery about the butler's
private life.
Out of the Everywhere
The arrival at Eaton Place of the Bellamys' old family Nanny to
look after Elizabeth's new baby, together with Sarah's appointment as
nursery maid, cause stormy scenes below stairs.
An Object of Value
The disappearance of a valuble object causes malicious gossip and
mutual suspicion below stairs when Lady Marjorie's widowed mother
comes to stay.
A Special Mischief
What is the secret of Elizabeth's frequent and long discussions
with an old school friend? Rose is determined to find out - and her
curiosity leads her to suffer a shattering experience.
The Fruits of Love
A sudden financial crisis threatens to force the Bellamys from
their London home. But Julius Karekin, an undesirable friend of
Elizabeth's, offers a possible solution to the problem.
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The Wages of Sin
Sarah is found to be pregnant again and Thomas Watkins,
the Bellamys' chaffeur, cleverly avoids blame and exploits
the situation to his own advantage.
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A Family Gathering
Elizabeth breaks off a relationship, and James returns from India
with a fiancee who causes a stir both upstairs and downstairs at
Eaton Place.
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Upstairs, Downstairs--Season Three
Still on its way!!!
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Upstairs, Downstairs--Season Four
A Patriotic Offering
We return to 165 Eaton Place in September 1914 at the start of
this new series. For the Bellamy household, both above and below
stairs, the world is fast becoming a different place: The Great War,
which is to change for ever the face of British society, has broken
out. The family anxiously awaits news of James, who is away at war.
Meanwhile, Lady Prudence persuades Hazel to take in a family of
Belgian refugees.
News from the Front
April 1915. James Bellamy, on leave from the Western Front, finds
himself drawn into a political intrigue that will affect his future
role in the war. He describes at a dinner party how the Army is
desperately in need of guns and ammunition. Some of the guests pay
very close attention.
The Beastly Hun
The bitter anti-German feeling generated by the sinking of the
Lusitania causes the Bellamy servants to consider their own feelings
when a local tradesman and his family are found to be of German
origin. Hazel is alarmed to discover that Hudson has been spreading
scare stories arount the servants' hall and displaying an exaggerated
hatred of Germans because he is unable to help in the war effort
directly.
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Women shall not Weep
Edward and Daisy plan to marry while he is on leave.
Georgina resolves to train as a V.A.D., and Ruby surprises
everybody with her announcement.
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Tug of War
January 1916: James is on leave, depressed and frustrated. Hazel,
understanding his longing to rejoin his regiment, decides to
intercede...
Home Fires
Lady Prudence and Hazel disagree about a tea-party for wounded
officers. Rose has an unexpected reunion with a farmer from Australia
whom she met before the war.
If You Were The Only Girl In The World
At the tea-party for wounded officers, Hazel is attracted to a shy
young officer and spends the remainder of his leave with him.
The Glorious Dead
November 1916: The tragedy of war strikes at 165 Eaton Place, both
upstairs and downstairs. The servants try to comfort a grieving Rose
whose fiancé has been killed in battle. Meanwhile, Hazel is
harbouring her own fears for her young airman.
Another Year
January 1917: Edward comes back to Eaton Place on leave from the
trenches, seriously affected by his experiences. Hazel learns that
she has no prospect of seeing James in the near future.
The Hero's Farewell
October 1917: Lady Prudence's charity matinee of historical
tableaux is disrupted by a dramatic incident...
Missing Believed Killed
It is January, 1918. For weeks all at 165 Eaton Place have been
living under a cloud of uncertainty - is James Bellamy, posted
missing at Passchendaele, alive or dead? Then his batman, Norton,
returns from France with James' personal effects. He tells how they
were separated during the battle when the enemy overran their lines -
and how German soldiers had been reported shooting badly injured
Allied troops. The question is answered when a dramatic message
arrives from France...
Facing Fearful Odds
February, 1918: Hazel has befriended Virginia Hamilton, young and
attractive widow of a naval officer. Then Richard learns that Mrs
Hamilton's young son, Michael, a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy, is
to be court-martialled...
Peace out of Pain
September 1918: All the members of the Bellamy household are at
home again as the Great War comes to a close. Richard proposes to
Virginia Hamilton, with whom he has fallen in love. James, still weak
and recovering at home from his war wounds, is not at first told when
Hazel becomes seriously ill with a flu virus...
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Upstairs, Downstairs--Season Five
On With the Dance (Summer 1919)
A new series of the award-winning story of life above and below
the stairs of a fashionable London house. Now that World War One is
over, 165 Eaton Place moves into the era of the Twenties. The
uncertainty of this new age is emphasised as Richard Bellamy's plans
for his future with his new wife, Virginia, cause anxiety. The
servants below stairs begin to wonder about their security... Edward
and Daisy return to Eaton Place to discover that things have changed
a lot.
A Place in the World (February 1920)
James Bellamy, who has been invalided out of the Army, looks
around for a worthwhile occupation. He decides to follow in his
father's footsteps and enter politics...
Laugh a Little Louder Please (Summer 1921)
James and Georgina, caught up in the hysterical gaiety of the
early Twenties, give a wild fancy-dress party - which ends in
tragedy. The new governess is due to arrive on the same day.
The Joy Ride (Autumn 1921)
James takes his attractive young stepmother up in an aeroplane and
anxiety grips the entire household when they are reported
missing.
Wanted - a Good Home (Spring 1922)
Virginia's son goes off to boarding-school and her daughter
acquires both a governess and a puppy. The result is a major upset in
the Bellamy household.
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An Old Flame (Spring 1923)
James is still bored with life and unsettled. An old
flame is rekindled when he bumps into Diana Newbury - whose
husband is his best friend - in a vulgar London club. When
James tells her that he is about to go off on a golfing
holiday, Diana asks if she can join him there.
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Disillusion (Spring 1924)
When Hudson is seen at the Wembley Exhibition in the company of a
young girl, a serious household crisis develops. His future as butler
is threatened. Meanwhile, Georgina Worsley returns from her trip to
America.
Such A Lovely Man (Summer 1925)
Richard Bellamy is anxious to be appointed to the post of Under
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He thinks that the
influential millionaire Sir Guy Paynter may be able to help him, so
he asks Virginia to invite him to lunch. Events create a social
dilemma for the Bellamys.
The Nine Days Wonder (May 1926)
The chaos of the 1926 General Strike divides the Bellamy
household. Richard Bellamy is saddened by it, James thinks it will
turn into an armed revolution and Hudson experiences difficulty in
maintaining discipline below stairs.
The Understudy (September 1926)
The French Ambassador and his wife are due to dine at Eaton Place.
With Virginia now away, it is left to Georgina to play hostess. When
Hudson is taken ill the night before the dinner party, an understudy
is needed below stairs as well.
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Alberto (June 1927)
Georgina's friendship with a wild society girl leads to
an ugly scene when she introduces Georgina to a film
producer.
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Will Ye No Come Back Again
When Richard Bellamy is lent a fishing lodge in the Highlands, the
servants at Eaton Place have to manage in an unusual and romantic
atmosphere which brings James' feelings for Georgina to a head.
Joke Over (Summer 1928)
Georgina's renewed association with a group of irresponsible young
socialites leads to a tragic accident, as well as a serious family
row, when she takes the Bellamy's car on an outing to the
country.
Noblesse Oblige (Summer 1929)
Georgina falls in love with one of her new admirers, Robert
Stockbridge. But his social position and family background make their
future happiness uncertain...
All the King's Horses (October 1929)
James returns from America stricken with share fever and with
renewed enthusiasm and hope for his future. But events cruelly change
the course of his life.
Whither Shall I Wander? (Summer 1930)
James's death throws everyone into turmoil, especially Georginia,
and Eaton Place is to be sold to help pay off some of James's
creditors.
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please contact me at: dressed_4_dinner@hotmail.com
This page was last modified March 1, 1998 and will be updated as
more information becomes available.
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