Upstairs, Downstairs

Watching a "best of" PBS documentary last spring which listed someone's choice for the best 12 shows ever on PBS, I found the British series "Upstairs, Downstairs" to be number one. While I certainly hadn't watched most of the rest of the top ones, I was only intrigued enough to hunt this down.

When I began my hunt I had no idea that I'd be in for 24 DVDs, each with 3-4 episodes, each episode 45-50 minutes long. That's without commercials! I needed something fresh (to me) to watch while I walked on the treadmill each morning, so this seemed tailor-made. It would last a long time (4 months) and if I didn't want to keep it, it would make a nice addition to the local library.

The library can find their own. I was immediately hooked, sucked into the lives of the Bellamys and their servants. I would even drag the ironing into the exercise area so I could continue watching. Now, after I've finished the series and watched the 25th anniversary show, I feel a bit alone, like good neighbors have moved off and left me!

I can console myself with "Thomas and Sarah", the spin-off series, which will last me a week or two. Then I shall have to move on, revisiting 165 Eaton Place occasionally perhaps, and remembering it always with a fondness for a great story well told.