Plot Synopsis

Just like the original, this sequel tells the intertwining stories of the upper class and working class of 165 Eaton Place set against the backdrop of world events. This time the story starts in 1936, six years after the Bellamy family moved out of the residence at the end of the original series, and with the abdication crisis of Edward VIII, the growing belligerence of Hitler and Mussolini on the continent, and the rise of the British Union of Fascists under Sir Oswald Mosley. Sir Hallam Holland inherited the long vacant house, and his wife Lady Agnes hires Rose, who was previously the head house-parlourmaid at 165. Rose retains a butler, cook, housemaid and other staff, but realizes she may be of no further use to the new family. Season 2, the program's final season, opens in 1938, the year before WWII started. Lady Agnes and Sir Hallam's family is now complete with the addition of two small children, but Sir Hallam is drawn into dangerous waters by his preoccupation with the threat of Nazi Germany and the return of troubled Lady Persie. Lady Agnes catches the eye of charismatic American multi-millionaire Caspar Landry, and Sir Hallam's aunt, Dr. Blanche Mottershead, has made herself comfortable in the house after Lady Maud's death. Meanwhile, life downstairs adjusts to the absence of Rose and the addition of the spirited new nursery maid, Beryl. With upstairs and downstairs harboring life-changing secrets, and the menace of war creeping ever closer, the smooth running of Eaton Place threatens to come to a halt. Series creator Jean Marsh, who also portrays Rose Buck, suffered a minor stroke before Season 2 was filmed, causing the series to be rewritten, de-emphasizing the role of her character. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS as part of MASTERPIECE CLASSIC on three consecutive Sundays at 9pm ET, starting on Sunday, April 10, 2011. On Sunday, October 7, 2012 at 9pm ET, PBS presented the U.S. premiere of the show's second season.