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1936, and 165 Eaton Place has been lying empty for far too long. The return to England of diplomat Sir Hallam Holland, and his wife Lady Agnes, suddenly brings the house back from its state of decay, and they employ the services of former parlour maid Rose to find staff to run the house. However, the arrival of two houseguests and the increasingly dark politics of the late 1930s threaten to cast a shadow over their attempts to create a new home.
The opening episode of this revival of the classic ITV series had many, many things going for it, but one in particular stood out: the script. Heidi Thomas, who has written some of the best period dramas in recent years, has this sort of thing absolutely nailed. Sure, the opening “happy marriage” scenes were a little corny, but by the time we got to the gathering of the new staff, the episode really began to take shape.
As with the much-loved Downton Abbey, much of the most interesting material came downstairs. I particularly enjoyed Rose coaxing her friend to take the job by slowly feeding her details of the facilities that would be on offer: I almost clapped my hands with glee at the sheer brilliance of Jean Marsh and Anne Reid in those scenes, calmly discussing ovens while standing in line to see the body of the dead king as he lay in state. It was also great to see Adrian Scarborough as the new butler. Wonderfully defiant kitchen maid Ivy, with her red toe nails and penchant for singing in the bath, also won a place in my heart by the time she’d been on screen for about three seconds.
Things weren’t too shabby upstairs, either. Keeley Hawes and Ed Stoppard (who is making a late but strong bid to steal “cheekbones of the year” off Benedict Cumberbatch) make a believably glamorous couple, and the undercurrent of sadness due to their lack of children was played just right to retain sympathy. Of course, casting Upstairs Downstairs co-creator Eileen Atkins as the eccentric mother-in-law was a masterstroke, and her burgeoning friendship with fellow upstart Lady Persie was a real highlight of this opening episode. Claire Foy (so brilliant in Little Dorrit) plays the new socialite with just the right mix of vulnerability and stubborn pride, and I suspect she’ll offer some interesting conflict in the coming episodes.
Best of all were the scenes where the rules of society were temporarily forgotten and the two worlds came together, for good or bad: the conspiracy to get rid of the unwelcome guest; Rose bringing Agnes chips; and the heartbreaking scene following Johnny’s fight. The final scene of Rose returning to 165, this time in her rightful place as housekeeper, was my personal favourite. Thomas’s script, and Rose’s silent pride at her new role, leant a real sense of the history of the programme. I for one can’t wait to see that history unfold even further.
See the second episode of Upstairs Downstairs tonight at 9pm on BBC1.
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