Humanitarian of the Week: Keeley Hawes

Model, actress and voice artist, Keeley Hawes is known throughout the U.K. for her notable appearances on long-running television programs. Her image has graced dozens of magazines and she has lent her voice to a variety of popular projects including video games.


In 2010, Miss Hawes joined the elegant and always wonderful Jean Marsh, the redoubtable Eileen Atkins (who created the program with Marsh) and Ed Stoppard for the long-awaited continuation of Upstairs, Downstairs for BBC 1. Portraying Lady Agnes Holland, the newest mistress of 165 Eaton Place, Hawes had some rather imposing shoes to fill as she continued in the path started by Rachel Gurney’s “Lady Marjorie Bellamy,” Meg Wynn Owen as Lady Marjorie’s successor, “Hazel Bellamy,” and, later, Hannah Gordon as “Virginia Bellamy, Viscountess of Haversham.” Still. Hawes doesn’t mimic her predecessors and makes her Lady Agnes a unique creation, a woman of the 1930’s with her own mind. While her portrayal offers a respectful nod to the previous ladies of 165, she commands both the address and the show with strong and sensitive performances.

In addition to her work in television, Miss Hawes has performed in several major motion pictures: The Avengers (1998), The Last September, Complicity (2000), A Cock and Bull Story (2006), The Bank Job (2008),and Flashbacks of a Fool with Daniel Craig.

Despite her impressive work, Hawes most lasting contribution, however, is her work with CHASE (Children’s Hospice Association for the South East). For quite some time, Miss Hawes has donated her time and talents to supporting CHASE, even recording voice-overs for a virtual tour of the hospice’s Surrey location, Christopher House.

For her wonderful work both onstage and off, Keeley Hawes is our “Humanitarian of the Week.” Enjoy this clip of Miss Hawes as Lady Agnes from the recent reincarnation of Upstairs, Downstairs. Here, we see Agnes encountering her mother-in-law (and her monkey-in-law) for the first time.

Sunday Morning Special: “Upstairs, Downstairs” Guest of Honour

One of the most watched episodes of the much-beloved original Upstairs, Downstairs series was the fifth episode of the second “series” (in the U.S., we’d call it a “season”) entitled, “Guest of Honour.” In this episode, Lady Marjorie and Mr. Bellamy welcome a special guest into their home—King Edward VII. Of course, His Majesty’s dinner companion wasn’t his consort, Queen Alexandra. As Lady Marjorie put it, “Her Majesty doesn’t play bridge.” He was, instead joined by his longtime mistress, Alice Keppel.


Let’s pause for a moment to note an interesting historical fact which never ceases to amuse me. Alice Keppel, King Edward’s “friend,” is the great grandmother of the present Duchess of Cornwall and wife of Prince Charles, Camilla. As we know, Camilla was “friends” with Charles during his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales. So, it seems that “entertaining” members of the Royal family is a family tradition.

Okay, back to Upstairs, Downstairs. What’s most exciting about this episode is the glimpse into the preparations for such an event. Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Bridges, Rose, Edward and Ruby show us the care and detail that the staff of a great Belgravia townhouse would have taken in preparing a feast for the King.

It’s a lovely and interesting episode. Here’s a clip.

 
 
 
 

Sunday Viewing: The New Series of “Upstairs, Downstairs”

When I heard that Upstairs, Downstairs was going to be resurrected after nearly forty years, I worried that the new version of the show would undo the greatness of the original. My concerns were assuaged when I discovered that while new characters and circumstances would be introduced, this was more of a continuation of the program than a re-make.

When last we saw 165 Eaton Place, the Bellamy’s were forced to sell the house and move away. In a touching final scene, head house parlor-maid, Rose Buck, emotionally and silently bids farewell to the townhouse which had been her home most of her life.

The new series picks up in 1936 as England was in a period of change with the rise of Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. King George V’s impending death would cause further change in the Empire as his son, Edward, was set to take the throne amidst much controversy.

As much as things have changed, some things remained the same. Rose Buck (played by the lovely Jean Marsh) is running a domestic placement service and finds herself in charge of assembling the staff for a familiar location—165 Eaton Place. Rose’s first entrance into the house after many years is quite beautiful and the producers of the show treat us to fantastic visuals.

The house is soon to be the home of Sir Hallam Holland, his wife, Lady Agnes and his mother (played by series co-creator Eileen Atkins). While somewhat dilapidated and in disrepair, the familiar views of the sets of the original series are recognizable and very much appreciated. The house is soon restored. This was a very clever way to introduce differences between the original sets and the new ones.

Without giving too much away, Rose finds herself once again a key member of the household as the drama continues both below-stairs and above.

The new series is stunning and beautifully acted with a cast which includes Keeley Hawes and Ed Stoppard. I was thrilled when my parents recently treated me to an advanced preview of the series which has yet to be released in the U.S. It debuted on Christmas Eve in the U.K. American audiences will be able to see the program on PBS on April 10, 17 and 24. Check your local listings. At the end of April, the first three episodes of the new series will be available in the U.S.

Any lover of “UpDown” will be mesmerized by the program. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Sunday Morning Special: The First Episode of the Original “Upstairs, Downstairs.”

The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages

In 1971, executives at ITV worried that while “pretty,” their new program—Upstairs, Downstairs—would cause audiences to “tune out by the thousands.” The show, created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins concerned the goings-on at the posh townhouse of Mr. and Lady Bellamy at 165 Eaton Place. Set, at the start, in 1903, the drama told the tale of the lives of both the aristocratic residents of the house as well as the servants below-stairs. The show became a hit, growing in popularity over the run of the series and is now one of the most beloved television programs of all time.


It’s no secret that I adore Upstairs, Downstairs. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the original series and its superlative cast. It’s something that I can watch over and over again and find something new. The series is available on DVD and a new release of the original series was released on March 29.

Enjoy this clip from the first episode of the first series. It’s just such good television.

Person of the Week: Jean Marsh

As a passionate devotee of ITV’s Upstairs, Downstairs, I have a perennial soft-spot for the goings-on at the fictional 165 Eaton Place. I was quite delighted this weekend to get my first look at the continuation of the series which was broadcast on BBC 1 during Christmas of 2010. I have to say that it’s even more brilliant than I’d hoped! But, we’ll have more about that in our “Sunday Viewing” feature in a few days.


One thing is for sure, for me, the heart of Upstairs, Downstairs is Jean Marsh who not only plays “Rose Buck,” but also one of the two women who created the show in 1971. Eileen Atkins (who now stars in the newest version of the show) and Jean Marsh worked together to create a series which would truthfully depict the lives of the people “below stairs.” While most dramas dealt exclusively with the high-tone antics of the upper class, Marsh and Atkins knew that the staff members of grand homes had their own equally-interesting worries and tales. This concept developed into the program that we know today.

The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages

However, there’s more to Jean Marsh than just Rose Buck. Miss Marsh has enjoyed a distinguished and fascinating career. Born in Stoke Newington, London, Miss Marsh wished to pursue acting at an early age, and in the 1950’s and 1960’s won many roles on popular television programs both in the U.K. and the U.S. Some of her standout turns on television include appearances on The Twilight Zone, Gideon’s Way, I Spy and The Saint. In the late 1960’s, Miss Marsh appeared several times in Dr. Who as well as the serial, The Crusade.

The 1970’s were a fruitful and exciting time for Jean Marsh as Upstairs, Downstairs became an international hit which won her many awards, including an Emmy, for her work as house parlor-maid, Rose Buck. Following the initial conclusion of Upstairs, Downstairs in 1975, Miss Marsh continued to work in television and also picked up with her film career, appearing in prominent roles in several large productions.

In 1991, Atkins and Marsh again reteamed to create a new series—The House of Eliott—which ran through 1992. Now, with the revival of Upstairs, Downstairs, Miss Marsh and Rose are once again visiting our homes.

For her many contributions to the arts through her superlative acting, writing and overall beautiful way of thinking, Jean Marsh is our “Person of the Week.”

The original cast of Upstairs, Downstairs, 1971
The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages

The 2010 cast of the show
The Upstairs Downstairs Web Pages

Sunday Viewing: Upstairs, Downstairs

In 1971, London Weekend Television debuted a new drama on ITV in England.  Created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, Upstairs, Downstairs, focused on the lives of the residents of an elegant Eaton Place townhouse--the wealthy Bellamy Family (upstairs) and their devoted staff (downstairs)--from the start of the Edwardian period to the Inter-War era.  Running for five seasons (and in the U.S. on PBS), Upstairs, Downstairs was an enormous hit due to the superb writing and brilliant performances of a cast that included, Jean Marsh as the constant and loyal Rose Buck, Gordon Jackson as the devoted butler Angus Hudson, Angela Baddeley as the no-nonsense Mrs. Bridges, Christopher Beeny as cheerful footman Edward, Rachel Gurney as Lady Marjorie Bellamy, David Langton as Richard Bellamy, and Simon Williams as their mercurial son.  Other notable cast members were a very young Lesley-Anne Down and real-life couple Pauline Collins and John Alderton as the impetuous Sarah and scheming Thomas.  The ever-delightful Collins and Alderton later had their own spin-off program, Thomas and Sarah and also worked together on many other projects including Wodehouse Playhouse.

Upstairs, Downstairs is truly a brilliant program.  From its historical accuracy to exciting storylines, the show is both exciting and touching.  I recently had the chance to view the entire series again thanks to my parents who purchased the DVDs.  I highly recommend it for hours of fun and escape to a time that was decidedly more beautiful, and, yet, strangely like our own in many ways.

Above Image Courtesy of The Upstairs, Downstairs Web Pages.