Such A Lovely Man
Encyclopedia
Such A Lovely Man is the eighth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs
. It first aired on 26 October 1975 on ITV
.
and Alfred Shaughnessy
wished an episode to revolve around Hannah Gordon's character Virginia, and Rosemary Anne Sisson wrote Such A Lovely Man. The character of Sir Guy Paynter was inspired by Sir Philip Sassoon
, who was the Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Hythe
from 1912 until his death in 1939, and cousin of Siegfried Sassoon
.
for cowardice
, not knowing that Virginia's son Michael was court-martialed
for such an offense, but reprimanded, sent back into action, and killed. A few days later, Sir Guy sends flower
s to Virginia to apologise, and he then takes her to a luncheon. As a thank you, he gives her a signed first edition
of Browning's
poems
.
Virginia then agrees to attend a weekend at Shelburne while Richard is in Paris
. Richard tells James that he does not mind Virginia spending time with Sir Guy, but warns him that he is not the "marrying kind
". On the Sunday night, all the other guests leave, leaving Sir Guy and Virginia alone. Virginia then drops hints about the Foreign Office
post. Shortly after, the gossip columns of the newspapers are filled with rumours about the pair. Richard then asks Virginia not to see so much of him, and Virginia then turns down Sir Guy's invitation to holiday with him. He then comes round and asks for the Browning book back, saying he lent it to her. Moments later, Richard arrives and says he has been offered the post of Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by Stanley Baldwin
. Baldwin had received a note from Sir Guy recommending someone else, saying Richard was too old, and this made Baldwin decide on Richard as he does not like people being in Sir Guy's pocket.
Meanwhile, Ruby answers a newspaper advert for pen pal
s, and she chooses to write to a Herbert Turner, a 35-year-old post office clerk who lives with his parents in Balham
. They soon go to the cinema
, and Hudson and Mrs Bridges invite him round for Sunday tea. A few weeks after first meeting, Turner asks Ruby to marry him, but she turns him down, partly because he does not look enough like Rudolph Valentino
.
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
. It first aired on 26 October 1975 on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Background
Such A Lovely Man was recorded in the studio on 17 and 18 April 1975. John HawkesworthJohn Hawkesworth (producer)
John Hawkesworth was an English television and film producer and writer best known for his work on the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...
and Alfred Shaughnessy
Alfred Shaughnessy
Alfred James Shaughnessy , sometimes known as Freddy Shaughnessy, was an English scriptwriter and producer best known for being the script editor of Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...
wished an episode to revolve around Hannah Gordon's character Virginia, and Rosemary Anne Sisson wrote Such A Lovely Man. The character of Sir Guy Paynter was inspired by Sir Philip Sassoon
Philip Sassoon
Sir Philip Albert Gustave David Sassoon, 3rd Baronet, GBE, CMG , was a British politician, art collector and social host, entertaining many celebrity guests at his homes, Port Lympne, Kent, and Trent Park, Hertfordshire, England.-Family:Sassoon was a member of the prominent Sassoon family and...
, who was the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Hythe
Hythe (UK Parliament constituency)
Hythe was a constituency centred on the town of Hythe in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons until 1832, when its representation was reduced to one member...
from 1912 until his death in 1939, and cousin of Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Sassoon
Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC was an English poet, author and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. His poetry both described the horrors of the trenches, and satirised the patriotic pretensions of those who, in Sassoon's...
.
Cast
- Gordon JacksonGordon Jackson (actor)Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE was a Scottish Emmy Award-winning actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals....
- HudsonAngus HudsonAngus Hudson was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs, portrayed by actor Gordon Jackson from 1971 until 1975.-Biography:... - Hannah GordonHannah GordonHannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...
- Virginia Bellamy - Angela BaddeleyAngela BaddeleyAngela Baddeley, CBE , born Madeline Angela Clinton-Baddeley, was an English actress best remembered for her role as Mrs Bridges in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Mrs Bridges - David LangtonDavid LangtonDavid Muir Langton was a British actor who is best remembered for playing Richard Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early years:...
- Richard Bellamy - Jean MarshJean MarshJean Lyndsey Torren Marsh is an English actress, occasional screenwriter, and co-creator of the television series Upstairs, Downstairs and The House of Eliott....
- Rose - Robert HardyRobert HardyTimothy Sydney Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA is an English actor with a long career in the theatre, film and television. He is also an acknowledged expert on the longbow.-Early life:...
- Sir Guy Paynter - Joan BenhamJoan BenhamJoan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Lady Prudence Fairfax - Simon WilliamsSimon Williams (actor)Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
- James BellamyJames BellamyMajor The Honourable James Rupert Bellamy MC is a fictional character in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975... - Christopher BeenyChristopher BeenyBorn in London, Beeny began his career at the age of six when he danced for the ' Ballet Rambert. He spent several years at the ' Arts Educational School before later progressing to 'RADA.His first screen role was in the 1952 film The Long Memory...
- Edward - Gareth HuntGareth HuntAlan Leonard Hunt was an English actor, known as Gareth Hunt, best remembered for playing the footman Frederick Norton in Upstairs, Downstairs and Mike Gambit in The New Avengers.-Early life:...
- Frederick - Jenny TomasinJenny TomasinJenny Tomasin is an English actress best known for her roles in Upstairs, Downstairs and Emmerdale.-Career:Tomasin became well known in the early 1970s when she joined the cast of Upstairs, Downstairs as kitchen maid Ruby. She stayed with the series until the end in 1975, appearing in 41 episodes...
- Ruby - Polly AdamsPolly AdamsPolly Adams is an English actress best known for her work on the stage both in England and in the United States, and for her portrayal of Mrs. Brown on the television series Just William. She made her Broadway debut in the critically acclaimed 1975 revival of London Assurance as Grace Harkaway...
- Mrs. Polly Merivale - Jacqueline TongJacqueline TongJacqueline Tong is an English actress who is best known for playing Daisy Barnes in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in the Primetime Emmy Awards.-Early life:Tong was born in Bristol,...
- Daisy - John NormingtonJohn NormingtonJohn Normington was an English actor who appeared widely on British television from the 1960s until the year of his death. Normington was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company performing in more than 20 RSC productions...
- Herbert Turner - Leonard Kavanagh - Parsons
- Stephen Ismay - Footman
Plot
It is summer 1925, and Richard wants the soon to be vacant post of Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He thinks that Sir Guy Paynter, a wealthy and influential industrialist who is also a bachelor, would be able to use his influence to help Richard obtain the post. Virginia agrees, and invites Sir Guy to lunch. However, the lunch ends abruptly when Sir Guy makes a comment regarding death by firing squadExecution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
for cowardice
Cowardice
Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
, not knowing that Virginia's son Michael was court-martialed
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
for such an offense, but reprimanded, sent back into action, and killed. A few days later, Sir Guy sends flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s to Virginia to apologise, and he then takes her to a luncheon. As a thank you, he gives her a signed first edition
First edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed “from substantially the same setting of type,” including all minor typographical variants.- First edition :...
of Browning's
Robert Browning
Robert Browning was an English poet and playwright whose mastery of dramatic verse, especially dramatic monologues, made him one of the foremost Victorian poets.-Early years:...
poems
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
Virginia then agrees to attend a weekend at Shelburne while Richard is in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Richard tells James that he does not mind Virginia spending time with Sir Guy, but warns him that he is not the "marrying kind
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
". On the Sunday night, all the other guests leave, leaving Sir Guy and Virginia alone. Virginia then drops hints about the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
post. Shortly after, the gossip columns of the newspapers are filled with rumours about the pair. Richard then asks Virginia not to see so much of him, and Virginia then turns down Sir Guy's invitation to holiday with him. He then comes round and asks for the Browning book back, saying he lent it to her. Moments later, Richard arrives and says he has been offered the post of Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin of Bewdley, KG, PC was a British Conservative politician, who dominated the government in his country between the two world wars...
. Baldwin had received a note from Sir Guy recommending someone else, saying Richard was too old, and this made Baldwin decide on Richard as he does not like people being in Sir Guy's pocket.
Meanwhile, Ruby answers a newspaper advert for pen pal
Pen pal
Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
s, and she chooses to write to a Herbert Turner, a 35-year-old post office clerk who lives with his parents in Balham
Balham, London
Balham is a neighbourhood of south London, England, and is part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and the London Borough of Lambeth.-History:...
. They soon go to the cinema
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, and Hudson and Mrs Bridges invite him round for Sunday tea. A few weeks after first meeting, Turner asks Ruby to marry him, but she turns him down, partly because he does not look enough like Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
.