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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!

Binge this in 2d 8h•Peaking at 9.2/10

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 London’s posh Belgravia neighborhood, surviving social change, political upheaval, scandals,

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Upstairs, Downstairs Season 5 Episode 15 - All the King's Horses
    9.2/10(123 votes)

    #1 - All the King's Horses

    S5:E15

    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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  2. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 5 Episode 16 - Whither Shall I Wander?
    9.2/10(122 votes)

    #2 - Whither Shall I Wander?

    S5:E16

    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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  3. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 2 - A House Divided
    8.7/10(136 votes)

    #3 - 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.

    Director:Christopher Hodson
    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson

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  4. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 13 - The Sudden Storm
    8.7/10(113 votes)

    #4 - 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.

    Director:Bill Bain
    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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  5. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 4 Episode 9 - Another Year
    8.7/10(114 votes)

    #5 - 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.

    Director:Cyril Coke
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  6. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2 Episode 5 - Guest of Honour
    8.6/10(136 votes)

    #6 - 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.

    Director:Bill Bain
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs

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  7. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 4 Episode 8 - The Glorious Dead
    8.6/10(118 votes)

    #7 - The Glorious Dead

    S4:E8

    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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  8. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 4 Episode 13 - Peace Out of Pain
    8.6/10(105 votes)

    #8 - 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.

    Director:Christopher Hodson
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  9. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 1 Episode 8 - I Dies from Love
    8.5/10(186 votes)

    #9 - 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.

    Director:Raymond Menmuir
    Writers:Charlotte Bingham, Terence Brady

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  10. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2 Episode 13 - A Family Gathering
    8.4/10(117 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.

    Director:Raymond Menmuir
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  11. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 12 - Distant Thunder
    8.4/10(113 votes)

    #11 - Distant Thunder

    S3:E12

    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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  12. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 5 Episode 13 - Joke Over
    8.4/10(103 votes)

    #12 - Joke Over

    S5:E13

    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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  13. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 5 Episode 14 - Noblesse Oblige
    8.4/10(99 votes)

    #13 - Noblesse Oblige

    S5:E14

    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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  14. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 1 Episode 9 - Why is Her Door Locked?
    8.3/10(151 votes)

    #14 - 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.

    Director:Brian Parker
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  15. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 1 - Miss Forrest
    8.3/10(135 votes)

    #15 - 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.

    Director:Bill Bain
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  16. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 3 - A Change of Scene
    8.3/10(126 votes)

    #16 - 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.

    Director:Bill Bain
    Writer:Rosemary Anne Sisson

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  17. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 9 - Goodwill to All Men
    8.3/10(124 votes)

    #17 - 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.

    Director:Christopher Hodson
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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  18. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 5 Episode 10 - The Understudy
    8.3/10(97 votes)

    #18 - The Understudy

    S5:E10

    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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  19. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2 Episode 11 - The Fruits of Love
    8.2/10(117 votes)

    #19 - 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.

    Director:Christopher Hodson
    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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  20. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2 Episode 12 - The Wages of Sin
    8.2/10(108 votes)

    #20 - The Wages of Sin

    S2:E12

    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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  21. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 3 Episode 4 - A Family Secret
    8.2/10(111 votes)

    #21 - A Family Secret

    S3:E4

    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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  22. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 4 Episode 11 - Missing Believed Killed
    8.2/10(99 votes)

    #22 - 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.

    Director:Christopher Hodson
    Writer:Jeremy Paul

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  23. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 1 Episode 6 - A Cry for Help
    8.1/10(156 votes)

    #23 - 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.

    Director:Derek Bennett
    Writer:Julian Bond

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  24. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 1 Episode 7 - Magic Casements
    8.1/10(175 votes)

    #24 - 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.

    Director:Joan Kemp-Welch
    Writer:John Hawkesworth

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  25. Upstairs, Downstairs Season 2 Episode 2 - A Pair of Exiles
    8.1/10(128 votes)

    #25 - A Pair of Exiles

    S2:E2

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

    Director:Cyril Coke
    Writer:Alfred Shaughnessy

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Best Episodes Summary

"All the King's Horses" is the best rated episode of "Upstairs, Downstairs". It scored 9.2/10 based on 123 votes. Directed by Simon Langton and written by Jeremy Paul, it aired on 12/14/1975. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "Whither Shall I Wander?".