New Upstairs Downstairs Movie coming to PBS Masterpiece Series in 2011!

I have recently watched and enjoyed many of the recent Masterpiece Theatre Specials on PBS... from Cranford, Return to Cranford, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, etc...

Upcoming Specials are -
Sharpe's Challenge - March 28, 2010, 9pm
Sharpe's Peril - April 4, 2010, 9pm
The Diary of Anne Frank - April 11, 2010, 9pm
Small Island - April 18-25, 2010, 9pm

Next year, 2011, there will be many more Great Productions on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre, including Upstairs Downstairs, Sherlock, and three Aurelio Zen mysteries.

For anyone who watched the original series, Upstairs Downstairs... this is exciting news! I know because I am one of them... I recall being quite captivated with this series when our family watched it (I believe) in the late 1980's or maybe, early 90's. However, the shows were originally created in the 1970s... but that didn't matter to us... we still enjoyed them emmensely! I was also excited to read that the screen-writer for this upcoming series also wrote for Cranford! That's terrific news, because I adore the Cranford Series!

A little about Upstairs Downstairs...
(from Wikipedia)

Upstairs, Downstairs is a BAFTA and Emmy award-winning British drama television series set in a large townhouse in Edwardian, First World War and Inter-War London, that depicted the lives of the servants "downstairs" and their masters "upstairs".

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PRESS RELEASE from PBS:

Masterpiece on PBS and BBC Worldwide Sales and Distribution, Americas have announced a major co-production deal that includes a new production, with the BBC, of Upstairs Downstairs — one of the most-loved and honored television series of all time. Upstairs Downstairs will air in the U.S. in 2011 as part of Masterpiece's 40th anniversary season on PBS.




The deal also includes Sherlock, a 21st-century spin on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes novels, and three Aurelio Zen mysteries, adapted from the bestselling novels by Michael Dibden set in Italy.





"I'm so proud of this particular group of programs," says Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton. "These three series say everything about what Masterpiece aims to be: iconic, rich with wonderful actors, witty, literate, and timeless. I can't wait to see them all."





"These three co-productions offer a new spin on well-known, treasured stories and we're thrilled to be working with Masterpiece to bring them to life," says Matt Forde, EVP Sales & Co-Productions, BBC Worldwide, Americas. "A valued, long-standing production partner, our past collaborations with Masterpiece produced a number of critically acclaimed, award-winning-series — a testament to the success of our partnership."





An enormous success worldwide, the original Upstairs Downstairs won seven Emmys® during its run on Masterpiece Theatre in the mid-1970s — including Best Actress for Jean Marsh, who will reprise her role in the new three-part series as Rose, the parlor maid. Dame Eileen Atkins, the co-creator of the original program, will also star. Screenwriter Heidi Thomas (Cranford) is setting the new Upstairs Downstairs in the same house at 165 Eaton Place in 1936, during the period leading up to World War II.


The thrilling new Sherlock series is a fast-paced, witty take on the legendary crime drama, now set in present day London and starring Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement, The Last Enemy) as the eponymous detective. Martin Freeman (The Office UK, Hot Fuzz) plays his loyal friend, Doctor John Watson, and Rupert Graves (God on Trial, The Forsyte Saga) is Inspector Lestrade. Co-created by Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Coupling, Jekyll) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen, Crooked House), the iconic details from Arthur Conan Doyle's original books remain: same address, same names — and somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting.
 Rufus Sewell (The Eleventh Hour, Middlemarch, John Adams) will star as Italian detective Aurelio Zen in three episodes based on the popular mysteries by Michael Dibden. The series is being shot on location in Italy by Left Bank Pictures, the production company behind the acclaimed Wallander television series.





Upstairs Downstairs is a BBC/Masterpiece co-production; Sherlock is a Hartswood Films (Jekyll, Coupling) and Masterpiece co-production; Aurelio Zen is produced by Left Bank Pictures for the BBC in association with RTI (Mediaset Group), Masterpiece and ZDF with additional funding from BBC Worldwide, Ingenious and Lipsync.

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