The Joy Ride

Last updated

"The Joy Ride"
Upstairs, Downstairs episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 4
Directed by Bill Bain
Written by Alfred Shaughnessy
Production code4
Original air date28 September 1975 (1975-09-28)
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Laugh a Little Louder Please"		Next →
"Wanted - a Good Home"
List of episodes

"The Joy Ride" is the fourth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs . It first aired on 28 September 1975 on ITV.

Contents

Background

"The Joy Ride" was recorded in the studio on 20 and 21 February 1975. Originally, Elizabeth Jane Howard had written a script called The Price of Rubies, which would have shown James Bellamy gambling and getting involved with an unsuitable woman. However, for an unknown reason, this was quickly dropped and in the space of one long weekend Alfred Shaughnessy produced "The Joy Ride". A later episode, An Old Flame , written by John Hawkesworth, had a storyline similar to The Price of Rubies. [1]

Cast

Plot

Fall, 1921: Following the death of his aunt Kate, Lady Castleton, James uses £375 of the £1,000 she left him to buy an Avro 504 aeroplane. He has been taking flying lessons at Brooklands. On a clear, sunny day, James invites Virginia to go to Brooklands with him so he can take her flying. However, Richard wants her to sit in the Strangers Gallery in the House of Lords while he delivers an important speech, and then to go to tea with him and some friends. Virginia chooses to go with James, and Richard is visibly annoyed with her decision as well as James's use of the money.

On very short notice, Lady Prudence accompanies Richard to the Lords debate. When they return to Number 165 at 6.15pm, James and Virginia are still not home. Not long afterwards, Richard rings the flying club secretary, who tells him the two are missing. By 8.00pm the news has reached the front page of the Evening News . The article implies there is something improper going on between James and Virginia. There are reports that a plane was seen over James' ancestral home, Southwold in Wiltshire, that afternoon; and later on there is a sighting of a plane over the sea at Swanage.

Lady Prudence insists on staying at 165 Eaton Place, and sleeps on a morning room sofa as Richard dozes. In the morning, Richard gets a call that explains what happened. The plane had landed on a mudflat at Poole Harbour night, having gone south rather than east, and James and Virginia had to spend the night in the plane. In the morning, they were taken to Bournemouth and reported the accident, returning to London by train the same day. When they arrive, Richard is extremely angry, mainly due to fear of what might have happened to them. Richard and Virginia make up.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Marson, Richard (2005). "Inside UpDown - The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs". Kaleidoscope Publishing.

Related Research Articles

<i>Upstairs, Downstairs</i> (1971 TV series) British drama television series (1971–1975)

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.

Tug of War (<i>Upstairs, Downstairs</i>) 5th episode of the 4th season of Upstairs, Downstairs

"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 (<i>Upstairs, Downstairs</i>) 6th episode of the 4th season of Upstairs, Downstairs

"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.

"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.

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.

"On with the Dance" is the first episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 7 September 1975 on ITV.

"Laugh a Little Louder Please" is the third episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 21 September 1975 on ITV.

"Wanted – A Good Home" is the fifth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 5 October 1975 on ITV.

"An Old Flame" is the sixth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 12 October 1975 on ITV.

Disillusion (<i>Upstairs, Downstairs</i>) 7th episode of the 5th season of Upstairs, Downstairs

"Disillusion" is the seventh episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 19 October 1975 on ITV.

"Such a Lovely Man" is the eighth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 26 October 1975 on ITV.

"The Nine Days Wonder" is the ninth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 2 November 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.

Alberto (<i>Upstairs, Downstairs</i>) 11th episode of the 5th season of Upstairs, Downstairs

"Alberto" is the eleventh episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 16 November 1975 on ITV.

"Will Ye No Come Back Again" is the twelfth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 23 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.

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.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.