Upstairs Downstairs (2010)
ITV try, bless their hearts, but nobody does period drama like the BBC.
I never really got into 'Downtown' (thanks, Harry!) Abbey, ITV's recent spin on the 1970s series Upstairs Downstairs (oh yes it was, Julian Fellowes, don't try and deny it), but the BBC's new version of 'Updown' is excellent. It's set five years after the old series finished, in the 1930s, and has diplomat Sir Hallam Holland and his wife (and mother) moving into number 165 Eaton Place. I'm not usually a fan of Keeley Hawes - whose only saving grace is that she is married to Matthew MacFadyen - but she's found her niche as posh and pushy Lady Agnes, and Dame Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh, creators of the original series (and The House of Eliott) are excellent in their respective roles as Maud, Lady Holland, and Rose the housekeeper (the only character carried over from the first time around). Dame Maggie Smith had some corking one-liners as the Dowager Countess in Downton, but Eileen Atkins' mother-in-law from hell definitely trumps her, what with her multi-coloured stockings and pet monkey!
I think the appeal for me is just the glamour - both the sets and the costumes are absolutely stunning, and the 1930s were such a clash of tradition and change, that really 'anything goes', as the song has it! Ed Stoppard is very dashing and proper as Sir Hallam, Claire Foy embodies the era as wayward, Mitford-esque younger sister of Keeley, and Ellie Kendrick is a comic gem as the stroppy, outspoken kitchen maid Ivy. Not only could I watch this series again and again, but I'm awfully tempted to rent/buy the original series, replete with wobbly cardboard sets and dubious costumes! (Anyone have an opinion as to whether I would regret forking out for the DVDs? I've only ever seen an occasional episode, because an epic series like 'Updown' should really be watched in order.)
Also, in Christmas-related news, I have become a traitor to the printed word. Yes. I am now the giddy owner of a Kindle! I'm still getting used to 'turning the page' by clicking on a button, but oh! The speed at which I can download a brand new book, the convenience, the ability to underline favourite passages without scribbling down page numbers on my bookmark! (I'm a very thorough reviewer, what can I say?) And my poor, stuffed bookshelves are now sighing with relief. I won't stop buying books, obviously, because I like to collect pretty hardbacks (like the Penguin Austen books I also received for Christmas), but I am having way too much fun with my new gadget!