Flashback: Thomas and Sarah

The little remembered spin-off from Upstairs, Downstairs which featured on the ‘downstairs’ characters Thomas [John Alderton] and Sarah [Pauline Collins] as they make their way in the world. The spin-off evokes mixed opinions from fans of the LWT period drama because of its conflict of themes and characterisation.

In 1975 when it was decided by the producers to bring period drama Upstairs, Downstairs to an end the prospect of spin-offs was openly discussed. LWT, the production company and broadcaster behind the series, didn’t want the drama to end and had hoped the series wouldn’t into the ‘1930’s. They offered the producers an increased budget and changing the format of the show to become a twice weekly soap opera style affair similar to The Cedar Tree’s first season, an ATV produced drama that would launch in 1976 created by Alfred Shaughnessy. The producers of Upstairs, Downstairs felt however that the time was right to end the series but were open to continuing it in some form focusing on certain characters in spin-offs.

One early idea discussed by producers and which could have actually gone into production was a spin-off revolving around the boarding house to be opened by Hudson [Gordon Jackson], Miss Bridges [Angela Bradley] and Ruby [Jenny Tomaslin]. Producers felt the popular characters were ripe for their own series but the tragic death of actress Angela Bradley in 1976 meant the spin-off never happened. Another discussed spin-off was keeping the setting of 165 Eaton Place with the character of Georgina Worsley [Lesley-Anne Down] taking over the house with new husband Lord Stockbridge. However, actress Lesley-Anne Down wasn’t keen on the idea because most of the principle cast of Upstairs, Downstairs would not feature. Other spin-offs discussed including American backed productions – as the show was hugely popular there – involving Rose [Jean Marsh] and Hudson and another involving Frederick [Gareth Hunt].

In the end all the proposed spin-offs came to nothing expect for one and that took several years to come to being. Actress Pauline Collins had appeared in the first two seasons of Upstairs, Downstairs as the troublesome Sarah who had an affair with James Bellamy [Simon Williams], launched her own musical-hall career before ending up back in service at 165 Eaton Place where she encountered Thomas [John Alderton] the chauffer to the Bellamy family. At the conclusion of the shows second season Thomas and Sarah leave the series to start up their own family and find their own way in the world. It was discussed following their lives after this but it took several years for the idea to actually be made. In fact it wasn’t until 1978 that production started on the spin-off and 1979 when it was broadcast to viewers.

As the only spin-off ever to be produced from the hugely popular drama it evokes strong opinions from fans of Upstairs, Downstairs because of its conflicting themes, feel, episode narratives and characterisations. Despite being a spin-off from such an established show as Upstairs, Downstairs there was little reference made to the characters back stories and established continuities and no crossovers between the two shows at all. Fans were hopeful of seeing familiar faces crop up during the spin-off but favourites such as Rose or Ruby never appeared. Husband and wife duo Pauline Collins and John Alderton agreed to reprise their respective roles but reportedly there were behind the scenes difficulties between Alderton and producers over the direction of the series.

The episodes produced for the series are vastly different with some being more comic featuring larger than life characters with a light hearted nature while others tackle the familiar theme of class divide, social barriers and the hardships faced by the working classes during the period. The fact that these two different set of episodes appear in the same series has attracted criticisms from fans as they feel the show has no overall theme, no overall sense of continuity. The characterisation of Thomas also changes widely with some episodes portraying him as a devious manipulator of events, always looking out for money making schemes [reflecting his portrayal in some episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs], while others portray him completely differently as good-natured person.

The series was produced by Christopher Hodson and many of the writers of the spin-off had contributed towards the parent series such as Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham, Alfred Shaughnessy and Jeremy Paul. Although Pauline Collins and John Alderton were the only actors to appear in all 13 episodes several actors recurred throughout the series such as Maria Charles and Pam St Clement. To bridge the gap between Upstairs, Downstairs and Thomas & Sarah Alfred Shaughnessy wrote a special two-part story that featured in the TV Times before the show began airing in 1979. In all 13 episodes were produced for the first series and guest stars included Nigel Hawthorne, Thora Hird, Barbara Keogh, Kevin Stoney, Stephen Grief and Doreen Mantle.

The series rated well enough for LWT to commission a second season of 13 episodes with writers Jeremy Paul and Charlotte Bingham and Terence Brady commissioned to write several of them. In the summer of 1979 extensive location filming began of several of the completed scripts. But in August 1979 a huge strike closed down the ITV network completely. Production halted on all shows produced by ITV and the network went off air for an incredible ten weeks. The dispute between ITV and the Unions was over pay and the impact on the industry was hard. In October 1979 the strike ended and ITV returned to the airwaves but many programmes felt the impact of the strikes. LWT took the difficult decision to cancel the second season of Thomas & Sarah because so little material had been filmed and the allotted time to production was nearly up. The cast and crew of the series, included planned guest-stars, were paid by LWT and released from their contracts. The filmed location material was wiped by LWT as it was off little use to the broadcaster. Thomas & Sarah was a fatal victim of the 1979 strike and perhaps because it only lasted one season as a result is little remembered today.

Another reason why Thomas & Sarah may not be as widely known as its parent series is because most of the documentaries on Upstairs, Downstairs have either skipped over its existence or mentioned in briefly. This could be partly due to the fact that actors Pauline Collins and John Alderton have not featured in the many documentaries on Upstairs, Downstairs and so without their contribution it’s not been possible to cover the spin-off in any great detail. However, more recently the show has enjoyed a new lease of life of sorts thanks to a DVD release – following the complete seasons of Upstairs Downstairs being released – and has been repeated on digital television.

[Note: Later this year Upstairs, Downstairs will return to television on BBC One as the corporation revives the former ITV drama for two feature length episodes. Jean Marsh will reprise her role of Rose in the new episodes which will be set in 165 Eaton Place and follow a new family. Fellow actress Eileen Atkins is expected to appear in the new series as well.]