The international success of Downton Abbey has led to a revived
interest in period dramas, with older programs like The Forsyte
Saga being rediscovered by a new generation of fans whose tastes
also include grittier fare like Ripper Street. Though often
criticized as a form of escapist, conservative nostalgia, these
shows can also provide a lens to examine the class and gender
politics of both the past and present. In Upstairs and Downstairs:
British Costume Drama Television from The Forsyte Saga to Downton
Abbey, James Leggott and Julie Anne Taddeo provide a collection of
essays that analyze key developments in the history of period
dramas from the late 1960s to the present day. Contributors explore
such issues as how the genre fulfills and disrupts notions of
"quality television," the process of adaptation, the relationship
between UK and U.S. television, and the connection between the
period drama and wider developments in TV and popular culture.
Additional essays examine how fans shape the content and reception
of these dramas and how the genre has articulated or generated
debates about gender, sexuality, and class. In addition to Downton
Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs, other programs discussed in this
collection include Call the Midwife, Danger UXB, Mr. Selfridge,
Parade's End, Piece of Cake, and Poldark. Tracing the lineage of
costume drama from landmark productions of the late 1960s and 1970s
to some of the most talked-about productions of recent years,
Upstairs and Downstairs will be of value to students, teachers, and
researchers in the areas of film, television, Victorian studies,
literature, gender studies, and British history and culture.
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