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Alderton and Collins
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This short-run series was a spin-off from Upstairs, Downstairs and produced nearly three years after the end of that show. It was the story of chauffer Thomas and parlour maid Sarah following their departure from the Bellamys and their 165 Eaton Place residence.
Beginning in 1910, John Alderton and Pauline Collins starred once more as Thomas and Sarah. In turns funny, surreal and dramatic, the series had sharp, entertaining scripts from the same people who brought Upstairs, Downstairs to life. This included writers such as Alfred Shaughnessy (All Creatures Great and Small), Jeremy Paul (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes), as well as the partnership of Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham (Love with the Perfect Stranger). The series proved to be as much a success as its parent series when it was first broadcast in 1979.
Due to the stand-alone nature of each episode, it will appeal to those who are not that familiar with the background of the two main characters and the history behind them. This does help, as observant fans of Upstairs, Downstairs are aware that according to that show’s episode “A Family Gathering”, the couple had already been married. In this sequel, they admit to having "never got around to it".
Supporting cast for the series included Graham Cull (Tubby), Maria Charles (Madge), Peter Thornton (Charlie), Norman Bird (Gilbert), and Charles West (Sir Joseph Weidler).
Despite being a ratings hit for ITV, a second series was never completed. The production was halted by the ITV strike that began in August 1979. Some early location footage, including a competition for man-powered flight filmed at the end of Hastings' pier, was recorded but has never seen the light of day. A great shame as the show had an assured nature to its production, and you could easily see it having run as long as its predecessor show if fortune had smiled more readily on it.
The lack of repeats at the time is also a mystery – in fact, the best-known aspect of the series has become a blooper featuring Pauline Collins failing to open a beer bottle, a regular feature on It'll Be Alright On The Night!
EPISODE GUIDE
01. Birds of a Feather
Sarah, the cockney parlour maid from the Bellamy household, and Thomas, who was the chauffeur, have left the Bellamys to carve a new life for themselves. Sarah has moved to a small village in Surrey and it is there that a car suddenly alters the course of her life.
Guest starring Maxwell Shaw (Monsieur Defarge), Jessica Benton (Grace Laughton), Sally Home (Lady Selina Wellingham), Ian Thompson (The Reverend Horkesly), Barbara Bolton (Edna), Gillian Hawser (Nanny), Ursula Hirst (Auntie Em), Susan Field (Mrs Monger)
Written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham
Directed by Christopher Hodson
Original ITV Transmission: 14 January 1979
02. The Silver Ghost
Thomas embarks on a dangerous journey after the Bellamys' Rolls Royce Silver Ghost is brought to the Watkin’s garage for a service.
Guest starring Richard Grant (Lord Pendleton), John Castle (Sid Pollitzer), John Bryans (Louis Pollitzer), Richard Steele (Embarkation Officer), Barbara Keogh (Lady Pendleton), Helen Keating (Maggie), Dave Carter (Fred)
Written by Alfred Shaughnessy
Directed by John Davies
Original ITV Transmission: 21 January 1979
03. The Biters Bit
Thomas and Sarah accidentally become guests at a weekend house party, where their relationship comes under stress.
Guest starring Kevin Stoney (George Aston), Sarah Badel (Felicity Stokeleigh-Pomeroy), Rupert Frazer (Lord Peter Purley), Georgina Melville (Lady Victoria Arlington), Christopher Godwin (Sir Roger Arlington), Norman Ettlinger (Duke of Lindfield)
Written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham
Directed by David Askey
Original ITV Transmission: 28 January 1979
04. The Vanishing Lady
Thomas goes in search of Sarah and enters a world of fantasy and illusion.
Guest starring Stephen Greif (Pocock), Peter Gordon (Maurice), Andy Ho (Chang Le Yen), Jacqui Chan (Naomi), Sally Sanders (Carlotta), Charles Cork (Bert), Frank Lee (Barnaby)
Written by Jeremy Paul
Directed by Christopher Hodson
Original ITV Transmission: 4 February 1979
05. Made in Heaven
Thomas gets a job as a caretaker in an empty house. A chance meeting in a tea shop gives him and Sarah the chance to take advantage of their surroundings.
Guest starring Thora Hird (Mrs Entwistle), Raymond Francis (Captain Dooley), Helen Lindsay (Lady Rudge), Hilary Mason (Mrs Sedley), Anne Jameson (Miss Pike), Anne Blake (Mrs Hoo-Fung), Leon Eagles (Potter), Lucinda Gane (Emily Rudge), Hugh Waters (Harold Entwistle), Valerie Phillips (Miss Webster), Sharon Morgan (Alice Williams), Anthony Woodruff (Mr Crichley), Joan Scott (Mrs Humble), Daphne Anderson (Mrs Armitage), Nina Thomas (Hilda Armitage), Peter Spraggon (PC Bodkin)
Written by Anthony Skene
Directed by John Davies
Original ITV Transmission: 11 February 1979
06. Alma Mater
Thomas gets an unlikely job in a school and exposes a scandal.
Guest starring Geoffrey Toone (General), Derek Godfrey (Dr Groom-Crombie), John Welsh (Mr Chater), Pat Keen (Mrs Battersby), Norman Scace (Bishop), John Saunders (Drew)
Written by Alick Rowe
Directed by David Askey
Original ITV Transmission: 18 February 1979
07. A Day at the Metropole
Thomas uses his mechanical skill to help a wealthy motoring enthusiast win a wager.
Guest starring Geoffrey Whitehead (Sir George Truscott), Yvonne Antrobus (Lady Elise Truscott), Ruby Head (Madame Gladwin), Jill Hellerman (Ronnie), Victor Brooks (Phelps), Elena Secota (Mathilde), Phil Ryan (Mr Hill), Pam St Clement (Mrs Hill)
Written by Jeremy Paul
Directed by David Askey
Original ITV Transmission: 25 February 1979
08. The Poor Young Widow of Peckham
A photograph of Sarah taken in the streets of London brings Thomas to the point of death and nationwide acclaim.
Guest starring Norman Jones (Cyril Warboys), Charles Lamb (Arthur Dooley), Rosemary Martin (Mrs Burridge), Eve Pearce (Sister Teresa), Hilary Gasson (Nurse Cecilia), John Moore (Irvine)
Written by Jeremy Paul
Directed by Marek Kanievska
Original ITV Transmission: 4 March 1979
09. There is a Happy Land
Thomas sets out for revenge after being tricked by Sarah into turning his back on America in favour of a life of suburban respectability.
Guest starring Doreen Mantle (Mrs Ryder), Marion Mathie (Mrs Bradley-Norton), Mary Macleod (Miss Jenkins), Mia Nadasi (Juli), Raymond Adamson (Dr Gordon), Gertan Klauber (Max), Neville Barber (The Rev Ryder), Harry Walker (Mr Tremaine), Maggie Wilkinson (Rosie Meadows)
Written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham
Directed by David Askey
Original ITV Transmission: 11 March 1979
10. Return to Gethyn
Opportunists Thomas and Sarah visit Thomas’s long lost family in a remote Welsh village. The visit enables Sarah to clear up a mystery.
Guest starring Gary Raymond (Eli), Shirley Cain (Mrs Hughes), Aubrey Richards (Byron Jones), Pamela Miles (Olwen Watkins), Nesta Harris (Mrs Watkins), Marged Esli (Bessie), Lee Sparke (Melchior)
Written by Angharad Lloyd
Directed by Christopher Hodson
Original ITV Transmission: 18 March 1979
11. Putting on the Ritz
Thomas and Sarah try their luck at the Ritz Hotel but fall foul of the head waiter.
Guest starring Sheila Gish (Polly), Jonathan Hyde (Charles), Peter Howell (Lord Andover), Michael Lees (Henry), Monica Grey (Lady Andover), Frances Bennett (Lady Weidler), Zoe Bright (Dolly)
Written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham from an original story by Alfred Shaughnessy
Directed by Marek Kanievska
Original ITV Transmission: 25 March 1979
12. The New Rich
A daring gamble by Thomas results in a complete change of social status for him and Sarah, but this soon turns sour.
Guest starring Nigel Hawthorne (Wilson), Barbara Hicks (Mrs Ambrose), Marjorie Hogan (Mrs Fitzgerald), Sarah Carthy (Ethel), Jonathan Darvill (John The Footman), Linda Robson (Nelly), Kate David (Dot), Morris Perry (Henry Tanby), Mark Elwes (Lord Dawnay)
Written by Anthony Skene
Directed by John Davies
Original ITV Transmission: 1 April 1979
13. Love into Three Won’t Go
Thomas and Sarah are forced to return to domestic service, but their strange new employer is not what he first appears.
Guest starring Anton Rodgers (Richard De Brassey), William Moore (Doctor Savile), George Malpas (Old William)
Written by Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham
Directed by Christopher Hodson
Original ITV Transmission: 8 April 1979
Thomas and Sarah – The Complete Series is in a four disc set with a running time of approx 650 minutes, and has a RRP of £29.99, or less from www.culttvstore.com from 16 April 2007. Those who may have secured earlier versions of the series when released in the UK should note all the episodes are complete and uncut here – previous versions had snips and amendments in them due to music clearance problems.
Also featured on this set are a couple of extracts from Gloria Hunniford’s Sunday Sunday programme, featuring an interview with John Alderton from 1986, and one with Pauline Collins from 1989.
And now, thanks to Cult TV and Network DVD, you could have had the opportunity to put a copy on to your mantelpiece. All you had to do was tell us the answer to the following question: What type of Rolls Royce do the Bellamys have?. The answer was a SILVER GHOST, and the winner was Graham Webster of Hull.
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