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The Best Episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs

Every episode of Upstairs, Downstairs ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs!

The Best Episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs

Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs: their loyal and lively servants. For nearly 30 years, they share a fashionable townhouse at 165 Eaton Place in...

Seasons5

  1. Background image for A House Divided
    8.7/10(130 votes)

    #1 - A House Divided

    S3:E2

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

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  2. Background image for Another Year
    8.7/10(107 votes)

    #2 - Another Year

    S4:E9

    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.

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  3. Background image for The Sudden Storm
    8.6/10(106 votes)

    #3 - The Sudden Storm

    S3:E13

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

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  4. Background image for I Dies from Love
    8.5/10(173 votes)

    #4 - I Dies from Love

    S1:E8

    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.

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  5. Background image for Guest of Honour
    8.5/10(130 votes)

    #5 - Guest of Honour

    S2:E5

    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.

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  6. Background image for The Glorious Dead
    8.5/10(111 votes)

    #6 - The Glorious Dead

    S4:E8

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

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  8. Background image for Peace Out of Pain
    8.5/10(96 votes)

    #7 - Peace Out of Pain

    S4:E13

    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.

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  9. Background image for Distant Thunder
    8.4/10(106 votes)

    #8 - Distant Thunder

    S3:E12

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

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  10. Background image for Why is Her Door Locked?
    8.3/10(141 votes)

    #9 - Why is Her Door Locked?

    S1:E9

    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.

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  11. Background image for A Family Gathering
    8.3/10(110 votes)

    #10 - A Family Gathering

    S2:E13

    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.

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  12. Background image for Goodwill to All Men
    8.3/10(115 votes)

    #11 - Goodwill to All Men

    S3:E9

    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.

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  13. Background image for The Fruits of Love
    8.2/10(111 votes)

    #12 - The Fruits of Love

    S2:E11

    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.

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  14. Background image for A Change of Scene
    8.2/10(117 votes)

    #13 - A Change of Scene

    S3:E3

    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.

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  15. Background image for Missing Believed Killed
    8.2/10(95 votes)

    #14 - Missing Believed Killed

    S4:E11

    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.

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  16. Background image for Magic Casements
    8.1/10(160 votes)

    #15 - Magic Casements

    S1:E7

    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.

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  17. Background image for A Pair of Exiles
    8.1/10(122 votes)

    #16 - A Pair of Exiles

    S2:E2

    Sarah tells James she's having his baby and the Bellamys make provisions to avoid a major scandal.

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  18. Background image for Your Obedient Servant
    8.1/10(115 votes)

    #17 - Your Obedient Servant

    S2:E7

    The brothers of both Richard and Hudson are visiting, causing both men to do things they otherwise would not. For Hudson, it means putting on airs, and for Richard, the visit causes him to snoop, an action he considers beneath him.

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    Director:Derek Bennett
    Writer:Fay Weldon
  19. Background image for The Wages of Sin
    8.1/10(103 votes)

    #18 - The Wages of Sin

    S2:E12

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

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  20. Background image for Miss Forrest
    8.1/10(130 votes)

    #19 - Miss Forrest

    S3:E1

    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.

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  21. Background image for A Family Secret
    8.1/10(106 votes)

    #20 - A Family Secret

    S3:E4

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

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  22. Background image for A Patriotic Offering
    8.1/10(103 votes)

    #21 - A Patriotic Offering

    S4:E1

    In a gesture of goodwill, the Bellamys offer generous hospitality to a family of Belgian refugees and Edward is feeling increased pressure to enlist.

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  23. Background image for The Beastly Hun
    8.1/10(98 votes)

    #22 - The Beastly Hun

    S4:E3

    The sinking of the Lusitania has Hudson on a tirade and his anti-German fervor pervade the servants hall. Upstairs, Richard is made Civil Lord of the Admiralty in the newly-formed coalition government.

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    Director:Bill Bain
  24. Background image for A Suitable Marriage
    8.0/10(153 votes)

    #23 - A Suitable Marriage

    S1:E5

    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.

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  25. Background image for A Cry for Help
    8.0/10(144 votes)

    #24 - A Cry for Help

    S1:E6

    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.

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    Director:Derek Bennett
  26. Background image for Whom God hath Joined...
    8.0/10(112 votes)

    #25 - Whom God hath Joined...

    S2:E4

    Elizabeth comes home for Christmas without Lawrence. The Bellamys face another family crisis when it is discovered that Elizabeth is expecting a baby.

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    Director:Bill Bain

Best Episodes Summary

"A House Divided" is the best rated episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs". It scored 8.7/10 based on 130 votes. Directed by Christopher Hodson and written by Rosemary Anne Sisson, it aired on 11/3/1973. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Another Year".