Shivers… 165… Eaton Place?

Posted on 10 April 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I had no idea.

I turned on the tele and flipped around… and suddenly had gooseflesh at the catch of a strain of music.

Upstairs, Downstairs.

It’s back.

And a Rose is still a Rose!

I had no idea that Upstairs, Downstairs was going to be revived.  When I heard that strain of music, and I remembered was it was, I had the strongest sense of recollection of time past.

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15 Responses to Shivers… 165… Eaton Place?

  2. Charivari Rob says:
    10 April 2011 at 10:22 PM

    Oh, yes. They’ve been promoting it rather heavily, at least recently.

    I approached it with a little trepidation. This seemed to be the type of thing that could easily go horribly wrong.

    I watched most of the first episode tonight, however, and thought it was pretty good. Time will tell, of course.

  3. Sandra_in_Severn says:
    10 April 2011 at 10:58 PM

    It was very interesting, lots of excitement. Better filming, much brighter than the originals.

  4. lucy says:
    11 April 2011 at 12:10 AM

    I’m looking forward to it !!!!

    Did anyone watch Downton Abbey ?? We were hooked on that and then NOTHING! Three episodes and that’s it !

  5. lucy says:
    11 April 2011 at 1:01 AM

    Just finished watching the first episode of Upstairs Downstairs. It was pretty good. I do think that Downton Abbey is a better show. But, this is a classic.

  6. antheald says:
    11 April 2011 at 2:52 AM

    If that music gives you shivers, I do hope you are familiar with the BBC’s erstwhile ‘Upshares, Downshares’ feature:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/pm/upshares/

    Do make sure you have an hour two free before you commit to clicking the link.

  7. Rob in Maine says:
    11 April 2011 at 6:38 AM

    Lucy,

    That’s why Upstairs Downstairs is being rebroadcast; [This isn’t a rebroadcast of the original. This is a new show. A revival, as it were.] the success of Downton Abbey. My wife and I weere able to watch all seven episodes (almost in a row) via Netflix’s instant streaming.

    The Downton Abbey producers had no idea it would be such a hit. They will not have Season 2 broadcast untill 2012!!!

  8. robtbrown says:
    11 April 2011 at 7:49 AM

    I saw an episode or two of Downton Abbey on TV, then watched all the 2010 episodes, which came from the library. My understanding is that the 2011 episodes haven’t yet been shown.

  9. MattW says:
    11 April 2011 at 8:41 AM

    So far, so good with Upstairs… I believe that there will only be three one-hour episodes, though. You can also watch the episodes that have been aired on line or via the PBS iPad application.
    http://video.pbs.org/video/1872286271

  10. JaneC says:
    11 April 2011 at 9:39 AM

    antheald, that is an awesome link. I am especially fond of the vibraphone rendition of the theme.

  11. thereseb says:
    11 April 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Having watched it over Christmas in the UK, I can reveal that you might be pleasantly surprised by a pro-life message in the final episode.

  12. irishgirl says:
    11 April 2011 at 9:59 AM

    I came across the original series towards the end of its rebroadcast on my local PBS station a few years ago. I remember when it was first on back in the 1970s, but I never was able to watch it because I made it a rule to always go to bed at 9:00.
    I liked the theme song-Alexander Faris was the composer, if I recall correctly.
    The Brits really know how to put on a ‘period piece’!

  13. jkm210 says:
    11 April 2011 at 3:55 PM

    I thought the Upstairs, Downstairs episode was great! I’m wondering if/when Rose will reveal to the Hollands that she used to work in their house. You can watch the episode online at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/upstairsdownstairs_ep1.html

    They’ve taken the Downton Abbey episodes down but if you have Netflix you can watch them online.

  14. jaykay says:
    12 April 2011 at 8:05 AM

    Saw the revival over Christmas, only one of the three episodes (the first), but I thought it was every bit as good as the original, with believable characters and excellent acting.

    Alexander Faris, who composed the original theme tune, also composed the very catchy theme for the popular – and thematically related – “Duchess of Duke Street”, which ran for a couple of years from 1976, as far as I recall. It concerned a lower-class girl who started as a cook in 1900 or so and went on to run her own hotel, spanning the first War and beyond. It wasn’t quite as good as “Upstairs Downstairs” as the plotlines tended to be a bit formulaic and the characters more cliched, but it was good all the same and still worth a watch. Based on a true story, apparently.

  15. Fr. John Zuhlsdorf says:
    12 April 2011 at 10:34 AM

    jaykay: Yes, I saw the whole Duchess of Duke Street series as well. The main actress, Gemma Jones, is still active and is one of the best actresses you will see around. She does period movies and also some TV. I last saw her in Spooks (in the UK – MI-5 in the USA). In her last appearance on that show I was finally brought to the realization that a person might actually be able to kill with a look. She summoned an expression of pure malevolence such as I had never seen…. except, come to think of it, from a certain nun who was at our seminary.

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