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Home > Drama > Dame Eileen Atkins will not appear in new series of Upstairs Downstairs August 22nd, 2011 by Sarah. No comments The BBC report today that Dame Eileen Atkins has announced that she won’t be starring in the forthcoming new series of Upstairs Downstairs, which she of course helped to create alongside Jean Marsh. Jean of course played maid Rose in the original TV drama – which ran from 1971 to 1975 – and she took on a new role in the latest revamp of the show. Atkins, who didn’t appear in the original series, starred as Lady Holland in the remake. Jean is in fact the only cast member to have starred in both the original and the 2010 version, which also featured Ed Stoppard, Claire Foy and Keeley Hawes. However, the BBC reports that Dame Eileen made her decision to quit the show amid rumours that she’s “unhappy” with the direction the scripts for the new series are presently taking. A statement from the BBC reads, “It’s with much sadness that we say goodbye to her wo...

December 18th, 2010 by Lisa McGarry. No comments The wreath above the mantelpiece is furred with dust. The chandelier is festooned with cobwebs. Then a key turns in the lock – and a handsome millionaire walks in, with the woman he loves in his arms… This Christmas, BBC One invites viewers old and new across the threshold of one of television’s most famous addresses – 165 Eaton Place. Set in 1936, this lavish three-part serial sees diplomat Sir Hallam Holland move into the iconic townhouse along with his wife, Lady Agnes. With the help of former parlourmaid Rose Buck, they launch a new whole new era for the sumptuous home at the heart of Upstairs Downstairs. As Lady Agnes remarks: “This house is going to see such life!” But storm clouds are gathering in Europe, and servants are no longer biddable and cheap. The Hollands’ first year at Eaton Place does not unfold as either Lady Agnes or Rose anticipates. The drama that results sets exquisite domestic detail against a sweeping historical...