I first viewed this series in the 1970's on PBS and have taken up the habit again. It is just so entertaining and classy that I can't shake my addiction to this wonderful period drama. Sadly, most of the actors have passed, only the younger ones are still alive. But that doesn't reduce the rich legacy of the whole cast. During the five seasons of this series, viewers witness the evolution of an aristocratic London family from 1901 to the early 1930's.

We journey with the family upstairs and their downstairs staff through many of the pivotal events of the era: the Titanic disaster, the Great War, the clash between labour and wealth, the market crash and depression. Not all the episodes are riveting but most of them kept this viewer transfixed to the screen. Lord and Lady Bellamy, performed by David Langton and Rachel Gurney, are the main characters upstairs as the series begins. Richard Bellamy is a Member of Parliament; Lady Marjorie, who comes from the landed gentry, oversees the staff with grace and a strict code of behaviour. She has her society friends and Lord Bellamy comes in touch with the leading figures of the day, from Lloyd George to Churchill. We even watch the family welcome Edward VII, the King of England, whose visit is punctuated by a servant giving birth.

Downstairs is dominated by the butler Angus Hudson, performed by Gordon Jackson, as an upright, no-nonsense Scot who runs the household with admirable efficiency and strict discipline. Angela Baddeley is the cook, a true perfectionist in the kitchen who tolerates no insubordination. If things go wrong, she can become unhinged until Hudson steps in to calm her down. Jean Marsh, who conceived the series with Eileen Atkins, is the head parlourmaid, Rose. Rose typifies many of the changes going on in her world and manages to be a friend and confidante to characters upstairs and down. Atkins never did appear...more the pity, but with the rest of this stellar cast, the series always sparkled anyway.

The cast changes as time passes and some remain to the end. Some characters with minor roles rise in prominence and more prominent ones disappear or recede. In this respect, it resembles family life in any era. The audience feels like a fly on the wall over the period as we see the intimate details of the lives of characters upstairs and down amid the changing face of British society. When the series ends, we feel the loss of the characters but with a great sense of satisfaction for knowing them and the world in which they lived.

My wife and I are just starting the fifth and last season. Last fall we started going through all the episodes on DVD in order. We do around 3 per week.

I never saw the series in the 1970s, though I heard of it. Some time in the mid 80s the local PBS station in New York showed most of them in order, a couple per week. I was absolutely enthralled. It's been about 20 years so we decided to have another look.

They absolutely stand up well. Better than well. I will emphatically repeat the judgment I made twenty years ago: this series is the finest thing that has ever been on television.

Yes, I know, you can't compare "apples and oranges" like that. I suppose the single ONE best thing that's ever been on television (in the sense of a one day or briefer event) in my experience was the moon landing in July 1969.

Still, in spite of that, all in all, if I had to pick, Upstairs-Downstairs is the best PROGRAM that has ever been on television. Far and away. If you are new to it, I envy you. I am already mourning the last episode, which I will see again in a few weeks at most. My only consolation is that in twenty years, I can watch it all again.

I love a good period drama, and Upstairs, Downstairs is that and more. Everything about it is wonderful, and it is also very classy and a delight to watch. The series looks sumptuous; the photography is marvellous while the locations, scenery and costumes are a delight to the eyes. The music is beautifully composed, the pace is warm and lively without being too rushed or draggy and the direction is always controlled. There is also the fabulous writing, the engrossing stories and the rich characters and their development. And the acting is great across the board, I personally do not think there is a weak link in the cast. All in all, this is a wonderful series and worth looking out for. 10/10 Bethany Cox

No other television drama made in any country has equaled or surpassed this one in quality from the beginning to the end of the series. Interesting and relevant themes, historical background, outstanding writing, plots, characters, sets, direction, acting, photography, editing - every aspect is executed brilliantly and and so well that you don't even notice them. And yet it's more than just the sum of those elements - it's a complete package that is compelling and unforgettable. What else can you say? This is a milestone in television production. If you haven't seen it, you're missing a major event in television history. Get the entire series, and watch all 68 episodes, in order. You will never forget this show.

Today's dramas are a bit too flashy and cinematic for my taste, but what really gets my goat is the way they try to impose 21st century morals and mannerisms onto past generations. Happily none of that nonsense applied to the very classy Upstairs Downstairs which follows the fortunes of the Bellamy family and their servants from about 1903-1930. U,D cleverly juxtaposed the two 'families'; Richard Bellamy and Hudson were both traditionalists, Lady Marjorie and Mrs Bridges powerful matriarchs, and Elizabeth and Sarah were their rebellious offspring. Other strong characters included the caddish James Bellamy, the sensible Rose and poor, downtrodden Ruby. Cast members and events frequently came and went, but the real strength of Upstairs Downstairs was its historical accuracy and consistently excellent writing, and the show barely suffered at all when Lady Marjorie left at the start of series 3; in fact series 5 is probably my favourite, with the penultimate episode being arguably the best of the entire run. In 2010 the BBC revived Upstairs Downstairs but made all the mistakes i alluded to earlier, and it isn't a patch on the original - but then again very few tv shows are.

I am sure that when it was aired, it must have been a great tv series. But now, it seems extremely dated. I love period dramas, but this i couldn't bear to sit through. Its seems comic, slow paced. The characters are over the top. I guess one would need to be British & should have nostalgic value towards this show to be able to sit through this. With so much excellent tv to watch, its criminal to waste time on this dated elephant. 4 stars only to soothe the feelings of others here.

Probably the best TV series ever! For someone Anglophile like me it is the perfect time machine to enter a typical household of the Victorian/Edwardian era. Although it shows an "upper class" household, the focus is on the "downstairs" personnel. The problems and stories of the kitchen maidens, footmen etc are much more colorful and sympathetic than the actions of "her ladyship" and Lord Bellamy upstairs. Nevertheless absolutely all characters are designed thoroughly, sympathetic and authentic. Furthermore this series shows a sort of real "theater" which has left TV long time ago and will never appear again! Long close-ups which show the affection of every actor, long dialogs with full sentences and - long pauses between them to enable the actors and the viewer to reflect everything. In addition the fine set design, the costumes, the "funny stuff" around, for example an early - hand-crafted! - vacuum-cleaner! Another extraordinary fact is the combination of fictional characters with real history: Everything finds its way into the story, the death of Queen Victoria, the Titanic Disaster, WW I, the Spanish Influenza, Wall Street and so on. A period of nearly 30 years is described, and with the last episode you are crying, just because you wish to know how everything will continue... But, that was a lack of this absolutely brilliant series: The main characters hardly age during the decades! Butler Hudson and cook Mrs. Bridges for example are already "old people" in the first episode, playing 1901. In the last episode - 1929 - they have not changed in any way, they even plan to "start a new life", running a small guest-house. After having seen it in German TV, where several episodes are not shown, I bought the complete DVD edition and can only recommend this to everyone!

Brainchild of actress Jean Marsh, who plays the house parlor maid, Rose Buck. Gordon Jackson is remarkable as Mr. Hudson, the butler. Set in Edwardian England, much of the story is told from the servant's POV, which makes this series unique imo. The series doesn't shy away from issues of class and sexism. You get to see the changes in this period of history; the manners, fashion, and decor... from horse-drawn carriages to "motor cars," from gas lights to electricity, from bells to buzzers, etc. And the events leading up to and surrounding WWI. Some people call it a "soap opera," but it's so much more, really.

This early series eclipses the newer remake imo, and also much of the first few episodes of Downton Abbey are practically lifted whole cloth from this original series. When it began, Upstairs Downstairs was on a tight budget, and while it lacks the lavish production of Downton Abbey, it surpasses DA in substance and accuracy. I find the servants far more interesting than the bourgie or aristocracy. I love the way the meticulous labor of the servants is addressed, and how the daughter, Elizabeth rebels against the status quo and challenges social mores, albeit from her privileged position and in sometimes misguided fashion. This show is brilliant.

There is an episode where the rebel daughter Elizabeth bucks against conventions of society and takes great interest in the poor and working class, and in women's rights. I have seen no other series in the history of television address the suffragette movement, and the harsh prison punishments leveled against those women as this one. In fact, this series is sometimes a veritable history lesson re: crime and punishment and law circa Edwardian times in England.

Never seen another series that addresses the abject poverty and what was at stake for those of the servant class who were dismissed without reference from employment. Or addresses the widespread conditions of poverty for the poor and working class under an aristocracy/ monarchy/ imperialism (and can be related to today as well- the poor and working class suffering still in a world wide system that benefits the few at the expense of the many).

Season four is remarkable as well for it's serious depiction of WWI; not only addressing the futility of so much life lost, and for what, but also addressing xenophobia, prejudice, bigotry, and jingoism. It could seriously be a lesson for us today as the U.S. continues warring the globe over; and especially a lesson for the fomenting of hatred and bigotry against the victims of U.S. warfare, as we saw happen leading up to and during the "Iraq War;" many Americans ignorantly falling in line with the state-sponsored anti-Arab, anti-Muslim propaganda, while innocents abroad were being killed and bombed and displaced. In addition, the series was courageously anti-war during the Vietnam War and its ending. Even the character James Bellamy, one of the ruling elite class, is shown to have an epiphany and life-changing revelation of the extreme uselessness and destruction of imperial war. I would love to know more about other series that take this on, esp. WWI; as even the comedy Blackadder Goes Forth did so well. This series also shows how difficult life was for returning veterans.

Can't say enough about Gordon Jackson's performance as Hudson, the butler; he shines throughout and is probably one of the most beloved and endearing characters of the show, though there are many.

Absolutely of the highest caliber, this series. Golden.

I've become a great fan of British Television. I especially like period pieces. Upstairs Downstairs is like a book that you can't put down until it is finished. The actors, the sets, the costumes, and the music all combine wonderfully to make a captivating experience. I literally forget where I am when I am watching and feel like I am actually in that time period.

It's all about what goes on in the household of an upper class family. 'Upstairs' refers to the Lady & Master of the house. 'Downstairs' refers to their servants. Upstairs they have 'carryings on'. Downstairs they have 'goings on'.

Historical events or people such as The King, The Suffragettes, The Titanic etc, and 'taboo' subjects such as homosexuality, pre-marital sex, the adherence to traditional roles & everyone 'knowing their place or social standing etc, becomes part of the Upstairs Downstairs subplot.

Lady Marjorie was the aristocratic daughter of an Earl & Countess. By contrast her husband Richard Bellamy was the working son of an Anglican Parson. Therefore 'The Bellamy's' lived as a modest upper class family, in a 'Town House' - 165 Eaton Place, Belgravia , Central London, 'quite' close to Richard's work as an MP in Parliament.

50 years since Upstairs Downstairs first graced the small screen but it remains the best ongoing period drama ever transmitted. Superb storylines from the beginning of the century to the depression of the early 1930s with the stories getting better and better the longer the 68 episodes progressed. Gordon Jackson had the role of a lifetime as the Butler Angus Hudson. Ive never seen a finer acting performance on British television but virtually all the cast were brilliant. The only weak point and i remember this from watching it 45 + years ago was the fact that over the 30 year storyline period no one aged at all which stretched credibility a little but a minor point

A brilliant series for any period drama lovers. The characters well defined and performed by a group of brilliant actors. The series contain 68 episodes with self-contained storylines with the fourth and fifth series being the strongest! A must-see!!!

After a shaky first series UD finds its feet with the second before evolving into the greatest family saga ever made. Series four set during WW1 is immaculate and lays bear the horror of the war for everyone. No one was untouched. The performances are all immaculate. Series five is a romp through the Roaring 20s encompassing every aspect of life from hilarity to the deepest tragedy. I dare you not to finish the whole series without not having fallen in love with many of its characters.

The original of its kind. Great writing and good actors. Re-watched a couple of times.

Having first watched this series as a mere boy of 10 years in the early 70's, it is indeed a pleasure to see it being repeated on UK cable TV as I write.

To me, it has lost none of it's charm and appeal, particularly the richness of characters, characters which were allowed to develop fully over the period it was screened.

If you haven't seen this, make an effort to do so - it was and is one of the most beautifully written and acted British drama series to grace the screen.

We watched all five series back to back and what a wonderful experience it was. One really got to know some of the characters and could see where the story was going (although there were definitely some sad surprises).

No wonder this was so highly rated and so highly watched during its release days.

You get a really good sense of what life was like in service, and the type of people that did well in that role. A totally different lifestyle to what we are used to today and certainly not one that I would enjoy.

Its sad that many of the actors in this series have now passed away.

I started watching this during the COVID-19 pandemic, really only for something to watch. I'm pleased I found it, it filled my afternoons very nicely! It's an enthralling tale of the aristocracy and their staff of servants and the relationships between them all. It's sometimes quite shocking for it's time, so don't expect a particularly wholesome show! If your're looking for something to watch, you could do a lot worse. Oh, and though the show spanned about 30 years, no-one ever got any older! :D

I loved this series the first time around and last watched it a few years ago when I bought it on VHS. I have since replaced the VHS tapes with DVD but have not yet gotten around to watching once more. This morning I caught most of the episode when the King came to dinner and it has me hooked all over again. When one knows a series, it's stories and it's characters so well there are lots of other things which catch one's attention. The superlative script and acting are brilliant - no-one can deliver a line like Gordon Jackson could. Everyone involved was perfectly cast as far as I could see, there was note an actor who did not completely inhabit their part. it is a lesson on how to make television - even though it was almost entirely studio-bound the viewer still got a feeling for the outside world and the events taking place there. The remake of this series had much higher production values but the casting was not always right and there were PC values applied which jarred with the viewer and a need to inject 21st century values to an Edwardian drama so it was not successful. If only the quality writing and acting could be applied to today's TV drama series then there would be success achieved that the original UD attained. TV studio bean counters take note. There is no substitute for quality.