Dated or Delightful? 'Upstairs Downstairs'
In this installment of Dated or Delightful, I take on one of the most beloved of all British period dramas, the original Upstairs Downstairs. This BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning series ran on the UK’s ITV network from 1971 to 1975 and was later broadcast on PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre. Forty-five years later, does the phenomenon that entertained over a billion people world-wide still hold up or are these stories of a bygone age of masters and servants hopelessly dated?
It must be acknowledged from the outset that a costume drama, if done well, will almost always stand up because the audience goes in expecting to be transported to another time. Antiquated social views, language, fashions, etc. are accepted because the audience knows the creators are just telling it like it was or even making a point about how much attitudes have changed since the period they are depicting in history.
As a newcomer to Upstairs Downstairs, I had a lot to learn about the inhabitants of 165 Eaton Place. What follows are my impressions of the look, the characters and the tone of the first series of this classic drama set in that now famous Belgravia neighborhood of Edwardian era London.
