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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 344012" data-attributes="member: 23">On Trial / The Mistress and The Maids continued... As for the rest of the players, well, the news is good. It’s a wonderful ensemble.Gordon Jackson is a familiar name to me. The Professionals is the first thing to spring to mind, since that was my first awareness of him, but these days I know him best through many, many warm mentions of him in Kenneth Williams’s writings, since Gordon and his wife Rona were among Kenneth’s closest friends and held in very high esteem by him. Shamefully I’ve seen him in very little, apart from a handful of The Professionals episodes and the immortal Whisky Galore. As Hudson, he has gravitas and a nice balance of crisp professionalism and warmth. I suspect it will take time to get to know him, and that’s fine. It was impressive to see that he initially got his character across almost wordlessly as he silently ordered Sarah to the servant’s entrance rather than the front door, then glided ahead of her ignoring her with just the occasional throwaway signal that got across how far below him he considers her. And as he reminds Sarah:Mrs Bridges is the most familiar character name from the series and it’s easy to see why. Angela Baddeley’s performance is thunderous - almost Dickensian. There’s a welcome humour to her performance, but it’s also very earthy and so feels quite real. Her delivery - her whole presence - feels big while staying just the right side of over the top. There’s a bit of Lou Beale here. A touch of Eighties Joan Sims there. And it’s perfect. She also had some of the best lines in the opening episode:Patsy Smart is another familiar face, mostly from sitcom appearances in the Seventies and Eighties where she invariably played the dotty old bat. Her regular role of Miss Dingle in the latter days of Terry & June is where I know her best. I’ve found her to be an endearing actress, if not a good one. But I’m already questioning if I’ve underestimated her, since she feels a little more forceful as Maud Roberts, if still comfortingly dippy as she’s beside herself about lost buttonhooks or whatever. I love her character’s aesthetics: the long flowing dark clothes and the silver love-heart hairdo give her a gothic, vampiric air.With Sarah in particular getting a lot of screen-time, other  downstairs characters have felt more background and are less clear to me.If I’ve got the characters straight, Sarah has been MeTooed by both Alfred and Mr Pearce (as well as Scone’s blouse ripping throwdown on the bed in Episode Two). However, Pearce (at least I think it’s him) is more friendly and (goosing aside) harmless and was one of the first to support Sarah. Alfred’s a much darker character, with suggestions he at the very least sexually harassed Sarah’s predecessor Kate, as well as hints of mental illness and perhaps even post-traumatic stress of some kind. There’s dramatic potential there. He had one of the first episode’s most memorable lines as well:Incidentally, it strongly comes across that downstairs is “us” and upstairs “them”. It’s the staff we meet first and get to know best, while the wealthy employers remain somewhat distanced from us. Even here, though, there are insights into the Bellamys’ outlook on the changing society and life in general:Lady Marjorie’s easy interactions with Sarah were magic. She seemed to find the lack of grace, propriety and boundaries thoroughly refreshing. I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.Part of the reason I’d avoided Upstairs, Downstairs for so long was a bit of an aversion to period dramas in general. Mid century is one thing, but the Edwardian Era is another matter. Once we hit anything prior to The Great War my interest frequently wanes. I was expecting something of an earnest and serious drama, so the injections of quirky, lighthearted tones and colourful characters were the loveliest of surprises. It was evident right from the opening scene with its upbeat soundtrack and wonderful timing from Pauline Collins and Gordon Jackson, and it only got better and better as it progressed. I hesitate to say "comedy drama" or "dramedy", but this is definitely a drama with a sense of fun. I also feel quite invested in the stories so far. I suspect each episode might focus on a different character, allowing me to get to know them better and this is something that I await with a little excitement.</blockquote>

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