Upstairs Downstairs

Ridiculously fast-paced and painfully one-dimensional characters make this series inevitably forgettable and impersonal. Indeed, the two characters that could upgrade the series to near excellence were "dismissed" after the first season for some unknown reason (that is, Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins). In fact, the only persuasive character remaining was Adrian Scarborogh, although his splendid performance was held back by the lacking work of the directors. The cinematography is cheesy and unoriginal, the casting predictable, and the editing eats even further into the little talent present in the whole production. The entire thing makes for a robotic chablon of a spectacle.

These factors, amongst many others, make 165 Eaton Place the only common denominator between UD 2010 and that from the early 70s.