PBS renovates 'Upstairs Downstairs'

The handsome young aristocrat and his glamorous wife seem astonished as they turn the front-door key of the London mansion they've bought at 165 Eaton Place. "It's been shut up so long," says the husband, "I'm surprised the lock isn't full of cobwebs."

Their adventures in PBS' heartfelt new "Upstairs Downstairs" also are remarkably crisp, despite the passage of time between this robust three-hour "Masterpiece" saga (Sundays at 9 p.m. on WNET/13; Mondays at 9 p.m. on WLIW/21) and the 1970s' legendary five-season series import of the same name.

"It is, in fact, a very good time" to revisit the lives of servants working downstairs to support the posh family upstairs, says Jean Marsh, who co-created the '70s original, won an Emmy playing parlormaid Rose, and now, at age 76, resumes both roles. "There isn't going to be a whole lot of people saying, 'This isn't the same as the last one.' That was the '70s," Marsh says, "so you expect everything to be different. It's long enough away from the original. And going forward in time makes it that much easier to fit a new family into the situation."

In fact, almost everything but Marsh has changed. The original's Bellamy family exemplified the Edwardian horse-and-carriage era from the years 1903-1930. The new family of diplomat Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard, son of playwright Tom) arrives to renovate London's 165 Eaton Place in 1936, with radio in full swing, fascists in ascension and the would-be king dallying with American divorcee Mrs. Simpson.

Events unfold in a cinematic style mirroring the movies of that '30s time frame, all brisk movement and glossy production values. Contrast that with TV's original '70s staging, shot on videotape in a spartan studio and playing as a leisurely character study.

"We had at least eight days' rehearsal," Marsh recalls by phone from London, "and then a dress rehearsal, and the actual recording time was roughly three and a half hours. Now, it's one camera at a time, and it takes three weeks to shoot one episode. I think that's why it's a good idea to wait a long time . You get a totally different energy."

Comparisons are easy to make, since the '70s watercooler sensation is out in a new DVD set that includes hours of bonus features. "It was more like a play in the old days," notes Rebecca Eaton, "Masterpiece" producer at Boston's WGBH, which made the current three-hour drama with the BBC. (The '70s episodes were made by London Weekend Television/ITV, an independent commercial network.) The original was all the more riveting for resembling, a very, very well-educated and well-spoken soap opera," Eaton says.

The new "Upstairs Downstairs" isn't so much entirely fresh as it is a refreshing progression -- not remade or "reimagined," but resuming in the same basic spirit, despite its modern filmmaking language. "It absolutely has the feel of the old 'Upstairs Downstairs,' " as Eaton says by phone, "which is a combination of charm, great characterizations, great warmth and an ability to fictionalize social history."

Credit for that starts with writer Heidi Thomas, 46, who also scripted "Cranford," another "Masterpiece" BBC production. That one co-starred Eileen Atkins, who created the original "Upstairs" with best friend Marsh in the '70s. After promoting "Cranford" in the States, Thomas and Atkins sat together on a long flight back to London, "and 12 hours later," Eaton says, "the remake of 'Upstairs' had been hatched."

Of course, Marsh, the original's linchpin star, had to be back, playing Rose, now running an agency engaged to restaff her old house. Atkins, who was busy doing theater during the original, would certainly be onboard this time. "It's in our contracts," Marsh slyly admits. Atkins gets the colorful role of the diplomat's footloose mother, just returned from exotic travels, with an Indian manservant and a monkey named Solomon.

Perhaps with a bit more of a nod to the beloved '70s original, Marsh notes the current "Upstairs Downstairs" has much shorter scenes. "Heidi was saying that she would like to have in every episode at least one scene where two people just talk," she says. Eaton could go for that: "Who knows? Series 2 may settle down a little bit, and go more in-depth with fewer characters."

'Upstairs Downstairs': The first story

BY DIANE WERTS, Special to Newsday

'Upstairs Downstairs" helped change the landscape of American TV when 55 episodes aired here in four seasons from 1974 to 1977.

The British drama import boosted the viewership of "Masterpiece Theatre" (now "Masterpiece") and the entertainment image of the newly founded PBS network at a time it was widely still considered "educational" TV. "Upstairs" earned seven Emmys that inspired more airtime for other British imports. And its serial social/historical storytelling spurred American networks toward the miniseries craze of the following decade ("Rich Man, Poor Man," "Roots," "The Thorn Birds," "Shogun").

So it's fortunate that public TV revisited its initial decision not to import the saga. "There was considerable debate about whether this was 'good enough' for 'Masterpiece Theatre,' " says Rebecca Eaton, the series' American producer, who wasn't there at the time. (She took over in 1985.) PBS' flagship Sunday showcase had been bringing over biographical dramas like "The First Churchills" and literary adaptations like "The Last of the Mohicans." "And so here comes basically a very well-done adult soap opera," Eaton says, "and there was a lot of tut-tutting."

But eventually a lot of yes-yessing: For the series' 35th anniversary countdown special in 2007, viewers voted "Upstairs Downstairs" their all-time favorite "Masterpiece" presentation.