Three Christmas Treats on Television in the UK
Christmas Sees the Return of Upstairs Downstairs and Ronnie Corbett
The BBC and ITV, the two main television companies in the UK, normally compete to see who has the best line-up on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (26th December), and there are a couple of really special shows to look forward to this year.
Viewers in the UK and many countries around the world will be familiar with the ITV series Upstairs Downstairs, which followed the lives and fortunes of a family in England from Victorian times up to 1930, and which aired from 1971-1975 in the UK.
ITV has had great success this year with the period drama Downton Abbey, and the BBC hopes to capture it's share of the period drama market with a remake of Upstairs Downstairs, following the fortunes of the family from 1930 onwards.
The new version of Upstairs Downstairs will be shown in three parts, each one hour long, beginning on 26th December.
The original series was the brainchild of Jean Marsh, who played one of the maids n the Bellamy household, Rose Buck. Jean Marsh reprises her role in the remake, and this should prove to be one of the most watched shows this holiday season.
Another long running series from the BBC, The Two Ronnies, which starred Ronnie Corbett and the late Ronnie Barker, and which ran from 1971-1987, sees a reprise with a Christmas Day special entitled The One Ronnie.
In The One Ronnie, Ronnie Corbett will be joined by a host of other well known British comedians, and from the previews the show looks to contain much of the same well loved humour that the original did.
Finally, another show that is eagerly awaited on Christmas Day is the Doctor Who Christmas Special, in which The Doctor tries to save the life of a lonely miser, the storyline playing along the lines of A Christmas Carol.
These three much anticipated shows air at the following times:
The One Ronnie - BBC1 5:10pm Christmas Day
Doctor Who Christmas Special - BBC1 6pm Christmas Day
Upstairs Downstairs - BBC1 9pm Boxing Day
Sources:
Published by Tony Payne
Tony Payne is a freelance writer who lives on the South Coast of England with his wife Debbie. He has worked in the IT Industry all his life, and has been writing on various sites for the last 10 years. T... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentWe got those new Upstairs Downstairs episodes on PBS this spring. It was a real time machine trip for me. I loved them and my addiction was stoked. I WANT MORE! (Hey, do a piece about U-D)
neat stuff
Sounds delightful.
Sounds delightful.
I remember Upstairs Downstairs. The BBC has some great shows. Merry Christmas to you and Debbie!
Will have to check further on the BBC channel!!!
I always remember some fabulous Christmas specials on British TV. Good report, Tony!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Doctor Who is a true classic. But I prefer British comedy overall. (In fact I prefer comedy, period lol) I hope my local PBS station will be showing some Christmas shows from "Good Neighbors," "Are You Being Served" and "As Time Goes By." If not, I'll pull my Monty Python collection out and settle for their not-so-British British humor.
I read about the Dr. Who episode and I'm so glad you reminded me about it. I loved Upstairs Downstairs. Totally loved the butler character. Merry Christmas to you and your family Tony.