 |
| "News from the Front" | |
|---|---|
| Upstairs, Downstairs episode | |
| Episode no. | Series 4 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Derek Bennett |
| Written by | John Hawkesworth |
| Production code | 2 |
| Original air date | 21 September 1974 |
"News from the Front" is the second episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs . It first aired on 21 September 1974 on ITV.
"News from the Front" had the working title of "Straight from the Horse's Mouth" and it was recorded on 18 and 19 April 1974, with the location work being filmed on 8 April 1974. Miles Bennett, who made a brief appearance as a telegraph boy, was the son of director Derek Bennett. The plot has some similarity to the Shell Crisis of 1915 in which the Liberal Government was brought down because it was widely perceived that the production of artillery shells for use by the British Army was inadequate, with the story being reported in The Times .
"News from the Front" is set in April 1915. Hazel receives a telegram, something which everyone dreads as it usually brings bad news. However, it merely says that James is coming home from the Western Front on leave following the Second Battle of Ypres. On his first night home, he has dinner with Richard, Hazel, Sir Geoffrey Dillon and General Nesfield. During the evening, he talks about the incompetent running of the war, saying the Army is "being squandered by a lot of amateurs who don't know their job". Sir Geoffrey, who is the lawyer for newspaper baron Lord Northcliffe, wants to use James' comments to bring down Asquith's Liberal Government, and days later a report of James' account is published in The Daily Mail , which is owned by Lord Northcliffe. While the account does not name James, his commanding officer, Colonel Buchanan, soon works out it can only have been him, and he is transferred, against his wishes, to the post of General Staff Officer, miles behind the front line. James is furious with the decision, but there is nothing he can do to stop it.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Edward, now Private Barnes, comes back to Eaton Place for the weekend after training on Salisbury Plain. He proposes to Daisy while in a picture palace, and she says yes. The night before he goes back to camp, they make love for the first time, after both admitting they are still virgins.
"News from the Front" was reviewed in The Daily Mail by Shaun Usher, who called the programme "distinguished" and said how John Hawkesworth "takes pains to show what it was like to live half a century ago". However, Usher would later go on to be critical of Upstairs, Downstairs after the episode Missing Believed Killed .
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series produced by London Weekend Television (LWT) for ITV. It ran for 68 episodes divided into five series on ITV from 1971 to 1975.
"If You Were The Only Girl In The World" is the seventh episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 26 October 1974 on ITV.
"The Beastly Hun" is the third episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 28 September 1974 on ITV.
"Women shall not Weep" is the fourth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 5 October 1974 on ITV.
"Tug of War" is the fifth episode of the fourth series of the television period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 12 October 1974 on ITV.
"Home Fires" is the sixth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 19 October 1974 on ITV.
"The Glorious Dead" is the eighth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It was first broadcast on 2 November 1974 on ITV.
"Another Year" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 9 November 1974 on ITV.
The Hero's Farewell is the tenth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 16 November 1974 on ITV.
"Missing Believed Killed" is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 23 November 1974 on ITV.
Peace Out of Pain is the thirteenth and final episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 7 December 1974 on ITV.
"Facing Fearful Odds" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 30 November 1974 on ITV.
"A Place in the World" is the second episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 14 September 1975 on ITV.
"The Understudy" is the tenth episode of the fifth and final season of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 9 November 1975 on ITV.
"Joke Over" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 30 November 1975 on ITV.
"All the King's Horses" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 14 December 1975 on ITV.
Major The Honourable James Rupert Bellamy is a fictional character in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975. He was portrayed by Simon Williams.
Whither Shall I Wander? is the final episode of the fifth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, and the concluding episode of the original 1970s run of the programme. It first aired on 21 December 1975 on ITV. For many years it represented the conclusion of the story of 165 Eaton Place, until 2010 when the BBC revived the programme with a new series.
"The Sudden Storm" is the last episode of the third series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 19 January 1974 on ITV.