Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35660 in DVD
• Brand: A&E
• Released on: 2002-08-27
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 816 minutes

Amazon.com
Beloved by audiences in more than 70 countries, this seminal British television series is just as enjoyable now as when it first aired in the mid-1970s. Richard, his new wife Virginia, and recently widowed son James comprise the aristocratic Bellamy family who resides upstairs while their loyal servants maintain the London household from downstairs. These final 16 episodes cover the swinging '20s to the stock market crash (1919-30). The episodes of the fifth season are more self-contained than other seasons' and every bit as entertaining.

The household mood reflects the events of the day--jubilation at the armistice, a fancy-dress party amidst the gaiety of the early '20s, divided allegiances during the general strike of 1926, the fever of stock market wealth, and overnight ruin in October 1929. James, with too much time and money on his hands, is single again and up to his usual antics. Nor is life dull for the other members of the household--Hudson almost resigns his position after he's caught holding hands with Lily, the housemaid, and Georgina winds up in court after she hits and kills a man while taking a group of irresponsible socialites to Sussex in the Bellamys' Rolls. While James and Richard focus their political activities outside the home, Edward and Frederick vie to see who will fill in for Hudson while he recuperates from his heart attack. Finally, after the market crash and James's subsequent death, the family is forced to sell 165 Eaton Place to pay off his creditors. The series ends with Rose locking up the empty house, closing the door on one of TV's most popular and acclaimed shows. Whether you first met the Bellamys and their delightfully enjoyable downstairs entourage in the 1970s or are just getting to know them now, the superb acting and compelling character development will always be the real reason to watch Upstairs Downstairs. --Tara Chace

Customer Reviews

The end to an incredibly great series
I watched this 16 hour-set in a mini-marathon over a four-day period (having seen many episodes of this and the other seasons on a piecemeal basis over the years). By the fifth season, the writers and cast were at their best and truly knew and understood the characters. The writers also seemed to reach the optimal balance between the Upstairs (aristocracy) and Downstairs (servants) characters. These episodes are all superb.

The aftermath of WW1, the Roaring '20s and the stock market crash of 1929 are the great events affecting the characters in this fifth series. If you're a fan of the series, these closing episodes are a must. If you're interested in the early 20th century history, this series realistically shows how some people were affected by the events. And if you just enjoy good drama (i.e., PBS's Masterpiece Theatre), you'll love all five series of Upstairs Downstairs. Highly recommended.

165 Eaton Place in the "Roaring Twenties"...
The fifth and final season of UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS picks up just after the First World War. It's the dawn of a new age, the Roaring Twenties. However, despite all the trevails, life continues at good old 165 Eaton Place.

"On with the Dance" - Richard (David Langton) and his new wife Virginia (Hannah Gordon) start thinking about buying a house in London, when lonely James (Simon Williams) suggests that they move back into Eaton Place.

"A Place in the World" - Bored and dissatisfied with his life, James decides to enter politics...with disastrous results. Edward (Christopher Beeny) and Daisy (Jacqueline Tong) reluctantly return to Eaton Place after finding little employment in the 'outside world'...

"Laugh a Little Louder, Please" - Georgina (Lesley-Anne Down) and James decide to throw a lavish fancy dress party for their society friends. Meanwhile, the new governess Miss Treadwell (Shirley Cain) is due to arrive.

"The Joy Ride" - James buys an aeroplane, and Virginia defies her husband in order to join James for a joy-ride across Southwold. But when they are reported missing, Richard and Lady Prudence (Joan Benham) fear the worst...

"Wanted- A Good Home" - William (Jonathan Seely) is packed off to boarding school, and Alice (Anne Yarker) gets a puppy, which soon upsets Miss Treadwell and puts the servants in an awkward position.

"An Old Flame" - James finds himself back in the arms of Lady Diana Newbury (Celia Bannerman) and they decide to spend the weekend at a golfing cottage. Edward fends off the advances of Diana's flirty maid Violet (Georgina Hale).

"Disillusion" - Hudson (Gordon Jackson) has been seen publicly in the company of maid Lily (Karen Dotrice), which threatens his future in the household.

"Such a Lovely Man" - Virginia is enjoying the attentions of the well-known 'safe man' Sir Guy Paynter (Robert Hardy) while Ruby (Jenny Tomasin) decides to get a pen-pal.

"The Nine Days Wonder" - The chaos of the 1926 General Strike severely divides the Bellamy household. James and footman Frederick (Gareth Hunt) decide to take action...

"The Understudy" - The household is expecting several important guests for a dinner party and Hudson suffers a mild heart attack. Tensions soon run riot downstairs when Edward and Frederick fight over who should take the butler position.

"Alberto" - Georgina gets star struck and decides to become a movie actress. However, when James discovers the skimpy costume she's wearing and that her co-star is none other than Frederick, he decides to cut short her ambition. Frederick leaves Eaton Place to become a gigolo for society women.

"Will Ye No Come Back Again" - Richard, James, Georgina and the servants set out for a holiday in the Scottish Highlands, which takes a bit of getting used to...

"Joke Over" - Following a madcap 'scavenger party', Georgina and her mindless society friends decide to take the Bellamy car on a drive in the country, with deadly results...

"Noblesse Oblige" - Georgina falls madly in love with kindly Robert, the Marquis of Stockbridge (Anthony Andrews); whilst Mrs Bridges (Angela Baddeley) brings in a new kitchen-maid, the rude and lazy Mabel (Elaine Donnelly). Ruby goes to work for the social-climbing matron Mrs Waddilove (Joan Sanderson).

"All the King's Horses" - James returns from visting Elizabeth and her husband in America, full of big ideas and big dreams, mostly concerning the Stock Exchange. James recklessly invests all of Rose's (Jean Marsh) money in bad shares, when the crash of the Stock Exchange heralds the beginning of the Depression...

"Whither Shall I Wander?" - Following James's suicide, all of his property is confiscated, and Eaton Place is to be sold off to pay creditors. What will become of Richard, his family and the servants?... Meanwhile, Georgina marries Robert in a lavish ceremony.

Fans of UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS are bound to shed a tear or two when the series reaches its emotional conclusion. Again, fabulous direction and scripts, as well as top-drawer performances from Angela Baddeley, Gordon Jackson, Jean Marsh and Simon Williams.

Also featuring Michael Logan, Ann Mitchell, Jay Neill, Jack LeWhite, Derek Martin, Una Brandon-Jones, Brian Nolan, Osmund Bullock, Trevor Ray, Ursula Howells, John Quayle, Madeleine Cannon, Raymond Huntley, Marsha Fitzalan, Julia Schofield, Victor Langley, Nicholas Hunter, Peter Forest, Tracey Childs, Tom Chatto, Mike McKenzie, John Caesar, Polly Adams, John Normington, Leonard Kavanagh, Stephen Ismay, Martin Wimbush, Tommy Wright, John Breslin, Roy Pattison, Anthony Woodruff, Andre Charisse, Barbara Bolton, Natalie Caron, Philip Webb, Lorna Kilner, Roy Knight, David Nicoll, Seymour Green, Rowland Davies, Jack Watson, Georgine Anderson, Kenneth Ward, Nigel Havers, Patsy Blower, Terence Bayler, Barry Stanton, Bernard Barnsley, Robert Hartley, Daphne Lawson, Kenneth Thornett, Sue Crossland, Deddie Davies, Frank Duncan, Pippa Page and Lindsay Campbell.

4 single-sided, dual-layer discs.

Not as good as the previous four seasons....
I enjoyed the Final season, but I didn't care for it as much as the previous four seasons. Season Five, felt almost as though the writers knew the series was ending and they didn't need to 'try' so hard to pull it off. Several characters change radically: Daisy becomes a nagging shrew, and kitchenmaid Ruby shows a 'spark' of the original character design in that she is a bit 'larcenous,' (claiming in the end, that she planned to outlive Mr. Hudson and Mrs. Bridges and inherit the business).

Favorite episode was: "Will they no come back again?" where the staff and master James and the rest go to Scotland for vacation. Hudson manages to handle things with his usual aplomb and dignity, and the staff are forced to confront a mysterious 'ghost.'

The ending, I felt was sad and almost 'tacked on.' I would've liked a more 'happier ending' than the one which was given. Overall, while I enjoyed season five, it lacked the vitality and hopefullness of season four.... And, at least for me, has far less 'rewatch-ability.'