The Best Episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   REVEAL THE WINNER
   

   9.2/10(121 votes)

   #1 - All the King's Horses

   S5:E1512/14/1975

   James returns to England, with new found vigor and untold wealth, on the eve of the October 1929 stock market crash.

   Director:Simon Langton

   Writer:Jeremy Paul

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   Director:Simon Langton

   Writer:Jeremy Paul
2. 

   9.2/10(121 votes)

   #2 - Whither Shall I Wander?

   S5:E1612/21/1975

   After nearly 30 years, the Bellamy saga ends with the sale of 165 Eaton Place and a fresh beginning for every member of the household.

   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:John Hawkesworth

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   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:John Hawkesworth
3. 

   8.8/10(136 votes)

   #3 - A House Divided

   S3:E211/3/1973

   News of the Titanic disaster arrives at Eaton Place, and the entire household anxiously await word of Lady Marjorie's fate.

   Director:Christopher Hodson

   Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson

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   Director:Christopher Hodson

   Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson
4. 

   8.7/10(112 votes)

   #4 - The Sudden Storm

   S3:E131/19/1974

   A downstairs dalliance and a happy outing to a seaside resort divert the staff as war looms on the European continent.

   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:John Hawkesworth

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   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:John Hawkesworth
5. 

   8.7/10(112 votes)

   #5 - Another Year

   S4:E911/9/1974

   This difficult year finally comes to bumpy close. Helen and Richard meet Mrs. Charles Hamilton who wants Richard to help get her pet project off the ground. Edward is home on leave but all is not well. A bombing in London brings a familiar face back to Eaton Place.

   Director:Cyril Coke

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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   Director:Cyril Coke

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
6. 

   8.6/10(135 votes)

   #6 - Guest of Honour

   S2:E511/17/1972

   There is great excitement among the servants when King Edward VII attends a supper party at Eaton Place. During the evening the arrival of an unexpected visitor creates an emergency below stairs.

   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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   Director:Bill Bain

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
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7. 

   8.6/10(117 votes)

   #7 - The Glorious Dead

   S4:E811/2/1974

   Sadly, perhaps inevitably, a double dose of tragic news arrives for those at Eaton Place.

   Director:Raymond Menmuir

   Writer:Elizabeth Jane Howard

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   Director:Raymond Menmuir

   Writer:Elizabeth Jane Howard
8. 

   8.6/10(102 votes)

   #8 - Peace Out of Pain

   S4:E1312/7/1974

   Rose receives excellent news, James is depressed about his slow recovery, Richard is courting Virginia, and the Great War is winding down to a victorious conclusion, but there's still one more casualty to be claimed.

   Director:Christopher Hodson

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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   Director:Christopher Hodson

   Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
9. 

   8.5/10(184 votes)

   #9 - I Dies from Love

   S1:E81/30/1972

   April 1907: Believing destiny brought them together, Emily, the scruffy kitchen maid, falls deeply and hopelessly in love with a footman named William. When his mistress, Mrs. Van Groeben, learns about his relationship with Emily, she angrily orders William to stop seeing her, leaving Emily heartbroken and driven to an act of desperation.

   Director:Raymond Menmuir

   Writers:Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady

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   Director:Raymond Menmuir

   Writers:Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady
10. 

    8.4/10(116 votes)

    #10 - A Family Gathering

    S2:E131/19/1973

    Elizabeth's affair with Julius is over, James returns to England with his fiancée, Phyllis, and a major event marks the end of an era.

    Director:Raymond Menmuir

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Raymond Menmuir

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
11. 

    8.4/10(112 votes)

    #11 - Distant Thunder

    S3:E121/12/1974

    The disparity between James' and Hazel's background is cut wide open when Hazel suffers a miscarriage.

    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
12. 

    8.4/10(96 votes)

    #12 - The Understudy

    S5:E1011/9/1975

    On the eve of an important dinner party for a French diplomat, Hudson suffers a heart attack.

    Director:James Ormerod

    Writer:Jeremy Paul

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    Director:James Ormerod

    Writer:Jeremy Paul
13. 

    8.4/10(101 votes)

    #13 - Joke Over

    S5:E1311/30/1975

    After an evening of dissipated behavior and a reckless drive into the countryside, Georgina must appear at a coroner's inquest, when one of the locals is killed.

    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson

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    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson
14. 

    8.4/10(97 votes)

    #14 - Noblesse Oblige

    S5:E1412/7/1975

    Better the devil you know than the one you don't is the lesson Mrs. Bridges and Ruby learn after a terrible row. Upstairs, Lord Stockbridge proposes to Georgina, but there's a catch.

    Director:Cyril Coke

    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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    Director:Cyril Coke

    Writer:John Hawkesworth
15. 

    8.3/10(150 votes)

    #15 - Why is Her Door Locked?

    S1:E92/6/1972

    November 1907: Everyone's been concerned about Mrs. Bridges, who's been despondent ever since Emily's suicide, but when they discover she took a baby from his pram when his mother wasn't looking, and brought him home with her, they realize she's suffering from a mental breakdown. Hoping to keep the incident quiet and protect everyone's reputations, the Bellamys return the baby to his parents and offer compensation, but refuse to divulge Mrs. Bridges' identity. The father, furious that they consider themselves above the law, has Mrs. Bridges arrested and during her hearing, Hudson makes an extraordinary gesture he hopes will keep her out of prison.

    Director:Brian Parker

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Brian Parker

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
16. 

    8.3/10(116 votes)

    #16 - The Fruits of Love

    S2:E111/5/1973

    The Bellamys are in shock when they learn that Eaton Place, which is part of the Southwold estate, must be sold in order to satisfy the terms of the deceased Lord Southwold's will. Adding to their worries is news of Elizabeth's involvement with Julius Karekin, a man they strongly disapprove of, but in the end, the relationship proves very beneficial.

    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:John Hawkesworth
17. 

    8.3/10(134 votes)

    #17 - Miss Forrest

    S3:E110/27/1973

    In the spring of 1912, Lady Marjorie prepares to visit Elizabeth in New York and James takes an interest in Richard's comely and respectable new secretary, Miss Forrest.

    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
18. 

    8.3/10(125 votes)

    #18 - A Change of Scene

    S3:E311/10/1973

    James' weekend visit to Somerby Park, with Hudson in tow as his valet, presents an opportunity for both to appreciate their beloved Eaton Place and what they've left behind there.

    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson

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    Director:Bill Bain

    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson
19. 

    8.3/10(110 votes)

    #19 - A Family Secret

    S3:E411/17/1973

    The race is on downstairs -- who will marry first upstairs -- Captain James or his father, Richard?

    Director:Derek Bennett

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Derek Bennett

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
20. 

    8.3/10(123 votes)

    #20 - Goodwill to All Men

    S3:E912/22/1973

    It's Christmas 1913 and two young ladies, one from upstairs and the new parlor maid, conspire to spread holiday cheer to the less fortunate.

    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy
21. 

    8.2/10(107 votes)

    #21 - The Wages of Sin

    S2:E121/12/1973

    Sarah is pregnant with Watkins' baby and Lady Marjorie has run out of patience with both of them.

    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Anthony Skene

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    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Anthony Skene
22. 

    8.2/10(98 votes)

    #22 - Missing Believed Killed

    S4:E1111/23/1974

    Grasping at straws, the Bellamy family continue to search for any information to indicate James is still alive, but when Trooper Frederick Norton, James' servant, arrives to deliver James' personal belongings, Hazel loses all hope.

    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Jeremy Paul

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    Director:Christopher Hodson

    Writer:Jeremy Paul
23. 

    8.1/10(164 votes)

    #23 - A Suitable Marriage

    S1:E511/7/1971

    December 1905: Elizabeth falls for a young German baron, whom her father is suspicious of. Richard quickly uncovers the Baron's secret, but as it turns out, Baron Klaus von Rimmer is hiding another secret, which Rose accidentally stumbles upon. The events of the evening compel one of the servants to betray not only the family, but the country as well.

    Director:Joan Kemp-Welch

    Writer:Jeremy Paul

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    Director:Joan Kemp-Welch

    Writer:Jeremy Paul
24. 

    8.1/10(153 votes)

    #24 - A Cry for Help

    S1:E611/14/1971

    October 1906: Mary, the new housemaid confides in Richard that she's pregnant, the result of an assault by a man who drunkenly forced himself on her. Insisting he must bear responsibility, she reveals the man is Myles Radford, the son of Richard's friend (and her previous employer), General Radford. Myles, outraged that Richard has the gall to question his integrity, gets even with a classless move that could have enormous legal, financial, and moral ramifications.

    Director:Derek Bennett

    Writer:Julian Bond

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    Director:Derek Bennett

    Writer:Julian Bond
25. 

    8.1/10(173 votes)

    #25 - Magic Casements

    S1:E71/23/1972

    Summer 1906: Captain Hammond, a handsome young friend of James', graciously agrees to escort Lady Marjorie to the opera. Feeling a strong mutual attraction, they quickly realize how compatible they are, despite the age difference, Abuzz with gossip, the servants seem to be the only ones aware of what's going on.

    Director:Joan Kemp-Welch

    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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    Director:Joan Kemp-Welch

    Writer:John Hawkesworth