The BBC has revived the classic period drama Upstairs Downstairs, 35 years after the original series ended. The show, which originally aired on ITV in the 1970s, won multiple awards including Emmys, BAFTAs and a Golden Globe. Actress Jean Marsh reprises her role as housemaid Rose, a character she also co-created.
Marsh admitted initial reservations about the revival, fearing it might let down the original. 'Now I think it's going to satisfy old fans and new fans,' she said. 'It's got a lot of zip in it [but] it is faithful to the past.' The new series picks up in 1936, with a new family moving into 165 Eaton Place, while the original spanned 1903 to 1930.
The cast includes Keeley Hawes as Lady Agnes Holland and Ed Stoppard as her husband Sir Hallam Holland. Art Malik, known for his role in The Jewel In The Crown, plays Dame Eileen Atkins's secretary Mr Amanjit. Malik, a fan of the original, defended the revival: 'I don't see a problem in revisiting things. No one ever questions if you want to do Hamlet again.'
The series continues to explore class divides and the lives of servants, with outside events like the looming Second World War intruding on characters' lives. Marsh noted the political intent behind the original: 'We felt that first of all there wasn't enough work for women. And also that servants and working class people were usually treated as jokes.'
