Category Archives: Television

Upstairs Downstairs

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I was really pleased to discover from enchanted serenity of period films that Upstairs Downstairs is being done by the BBC next year. It will be set around 165 Eaton Place again with Jean Marsh playing the part of Rose as usual. She now has the position of housekeeper and the action takes place in 1936.

When I first heard about this I thought that they were going to do a straight remake, just casting different actors in the parts of Mrs. Bridges and Mr. Hudson and company, which I’m sure would have been disastrous, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Now I’m really looking forward to seeing the updated version, which should be very interesting given what was going on in the country at that time.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

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I first came across Elizabeth von Arnim when I was rooting around in a second-hand bookshop years ago. I saw a beautiful, small, slim volume bound in calf skin with lovely gold edges. I had to buy it whatever the contents were.

However I had struck gold as the book was called Elizabeth and Her German Garden and it turned out to be a book based on the author’s life as a wife, mother and gardener. As a keen gardener the whole thing appealed to me and I really loved it.

The book was first published in 1898 but my edition was printed in 1914, that fateful year. I was intrigued as there was no clue as to who the author was and as I bought the book before the existence of the internet I had to do a bit of detective work and I eventually discovered that it was written by Elizabeth von Arnim.

I managed to track down her other books and a few years after that (the BBC) made an adaptation of her most famous book, The Enchanted April.

It’s a story about four very different women who are unhappy with the lives which they are leading and are desperate for a change of scene. After seeing an advert in The Times for a medieval castle in Italy, available to rent for the month of April, they end up sharing it to make it more affordable.

San Salvatore turns out to be a magical place for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and went on to read everything else which von Arnim had written which I could find.

I later discovered that Elizabeth was the cousin of Katherine Mansfield, who was quite a famous short story writer. Katherine’s other claim to fame was that she ‘bolted’ from her husband after only one week of marriage. I’d love to know why she gave up so quickly. Must have been quite a scandal at the time.

Jane Austen’s Emma by the BBC

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I love reading Jane Austen’s books. I re-read them all from time to time, it’s comfort reading. I usually love watching any of the many productions, but even I think that the last thing which we need to see on our screens is yet another version of Emma. I really could scream. Everybody knows the story, upside-down and back to front, so why has the BBC made it again? At least they have made a decent job of the casting and everyone looks and acts the part.

It really is about time that they started taking some risks and giving us something entirely different to view. I know that costume drama is extremely popular, but anyone would think that there were only a handful of authors in the past as we only ever seem to get Austen, Dickens and the Brontes.

I’ve got shelves full of Virago books, any of which could be adapted for television I’m sure. But that isn’t likely to happen. I’ve come to the conclusion that the BBC is run by people who haven’t actually done any reading since they were forced to read for their courses – and guess what they read – Austen, Dickens and the Brontes.

I’ve just read in The Guardian that they are doing another version of David Copperfield. I won’t be watching it.