The New Upstairs Downstairs on BBC One draws 7 million viewers

The BBC has just aired the most recent version of Upstairs Downstairs, the wildly popular 1970's series about the Bellamy family and their servants who lived and worked in an Edwardian London townhouse. The new series is a complete makeover, with only one original cast member returning (Jean Marsh) and the action occurring before World War II. The reviews I have read have so far have been tepid, although the first episode drew 7 million viewers, the same number that Dowton Abbey attracted in its first week (the audience grew to an astonishing 9 million, prompting ITV to order up a second season.)

2010 Upstairs Downstairs. The only original cast member is Jean March, whose Rose (on stairs)  has graduated to housekeeper

These numbers bode well for costume dramas in general. The series will be shown in Great Britain over six weeks, and in the United States on PBS starting in April. PBS Masterpiece Classic will air the first episode of Dowton Abbey on January 9th, and each Sunday in January afterward.

The original cast in the 1970s series included Angela Baddley as Mrs Bridges, the cook, Christopher Beeny as Edward, and Gordon Jackson as Hudson the Butler.

The reviews are in:

• The New Upstairs Downstairs is More Period Than Drama
• Upstairs Downstairs, BBC One
• Upstairs Downstairs Episode One Review
• Upstairs Downstairs is Back
• Upstairs Downstairs: A Triumphant Return to UK Television
• What Would Mrs. Bridges Think? Upstairs Downstairs is Back with Keeley Hawes.

Jane Austen Movie Throwdown

Next time I visit England, I am definitely visiting some of the Jane Austen movie locations. Of the locations you have seen, which will take you off the beaten path?

Which Jane Austen Movie Location/s Would You Like to See?

Lacock Village, Wiltshire

Lacock has been the setting for Meryton in Pride and Prejudice 1995, Emma with Kate Beckinsale in 1996, and the recent Cranford series.

Stourhead Landscape Garden, Wiltshire

Remember the rain scene at the Temple of Apollo in Pride and Prejudice 2005? While the setting is inaccurate in terms of Jane Austen's description, the backdrop was wildly romantic for Mr. Darcy's (Matthew Macfadyen's) first proposal to Lizzie (Keira Knightley).

Box Hill, Surrey

The setting for all Box Hill scenes in Emma is, well, Box Hill. Emma's ridicule of Miss Bates, Mr. Knightley's justifiable anger and disappointment with Emma, Frank Churchill's dubious nature, and Jane Fairfax's pain upon seeing Frank flirt with another woman. The views from this hill are said to be spectacular, and it remains today much as it was during Jane Austen's time.


Stanage Edge, Hathersage Moor, Hathersage, Derbyshire, England, UK

Who can forget Elizabeth Bennet standing at the edge of Stanage Edge in the Peak District as she and the Gardiners traveled north? One might quibble with the end result of this film, but some of the visuals are stunning. This scene alone gave me a desire to see this part of England.

City of Bath

Jane Austen lived in Bath, which is also featured in Persuasion and Northanger Abbey. The Georgian center of town is a jewel and transports one back to the Georgian Era. The Jane Austen Centre is located in Bath, as are the Pump Room, Assembly Rooms, Molland's, and a host of other sites we associate with Jane Austen.

Multiple answers are allowed this week!

Jane Austen Film Location I Would Like to Visit
	Lacock Village, Wiltshire
	Stourhead Landscape Garden, Wiltshire
	Box Hill, Surrey
	Stanage Edge, Hathersage Moor, Derbyshire
	City of Bath, Somerset
pollcode.com free polls

Emma 2009: Episode 2 Slideshow

Episode 2 of BBC One's new adaptation of Emma aired on Sunday, October 11th in the UK. Here is a slideshow teaser for non UK viewers and a recap for others. Do not dispair. This four hour serial will air in the US this January on Masterpiece Classic.

Cheers, Laurel Ann, Austenprose