The Beastly Hun
Encyclopedia
The Beastly Hun is the third episode of the fourth series of the period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs
. It first aired on 28 September 1974 on ITV
.
spies
and horrific atrocities to the other servants. Later, while helping Rose, Daisy and Mrs Bridges pack some items for the Front
, Hazel finds a magazine
belonging to Hudson called The Beastly Hun. Hazel is disgusted by what she reads, and orders Hudson to stop spreading these "stories" and he is forced to give in, but clearly his views have not changed on "those pigs, the Huns". Within days, the Lusitania
has been sunk by a German submarine
and the anti-German feeling in Britain increases. This prompts Hudson into going and volunteering for the Army
. However, he is turned away because of poor eyesight and given an exemption certificate. Mrs Bridges then suggests that he become a special constable
. He gets permission from Richard, although Hazel is not impressed that Richard did not ask her first, and within days Hudson has had his first shift.
On the evening of Hudson's first shift as a special constable, the Bellamy's local baker
, Albert Schoenfeld, a second-generation British citizen, and his wife and son come round and seek refuge in the Servants' Hall. Their house had been attacked and vandalised due to their German surname. Mrs Bridges, Rose, Ruby and Daisy, who the Schoenfelds had baked a special birthday cake for days before, invite them in, but when Hudson returns he goes straight up to Mr Bellamy. He says that they may stay the night, but must go to the police
first thing in the morning. However, Maria Schoenfeld, aware of Hudson's feeling towards them, insists they go that evening.
Following the sacking of Winston Churchill
as First Lord of the Admiralty, Andrew Bonar Law and Arthur Balfour
come round to Eaton Place and Richard is offered the post of Civil Lord of the Admiralty. This makes him part of the Government. Also, Lt. Dennis Kemp, who had fallen in love with Georgina, is killed days after he arrives at the Front. When Hazel tells Georgina this, she doesn't react, telling Hazel she refuses "fall in love with any of them" because she doesn't "want to mourn them".
for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor for this episode.
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 28 September 1974 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
The Beastly Hun was recorded on 2 and 3 May 1974. It shows the anti-German feeling in Britain at the time and how the press reported it.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:... - Lesley-Anne DownLesley-Anne DownLesley-Anne Down is a British film and television actress, former model and singer.Down achieved fame as Georgina Worsley in the ITV drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Georgina Worsley - Meg Wynn OwenMeg Wynn OwenMeg Wynn Owen is a Welsh actress, who is best known for her role as Hazel Bellamy, née Forrest, in the television series Upstairs, Downstairs....
- Hazel 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Timothy Peters - Lt. Dennis Kemp
- Gertan KlauberGertan KlauberGeorge Gertan Klauber was a British character actor.He played small roles in many of the Carry On films, and appeared as mad king George III in Blackadder the Third....
- Albert Schoenfeld - Freda DowieFreda DowieFreda Dowie is an English actress.Her television credits include: Dixon of Dock Green, Doomwatch, Edna, the Inebriate Woman, Upstairs, Downstairs, The Carnforth Practice, I, Claudius, The Old Curiosity Shop, The Pickwick Papers, Lillie, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Our Friends in the North and...
- Maria Schoenfeld - Keith JayneKeith JayneKeith Jayne is a British actor, known for playing the title role in the 1981 television adaptation Stig of the Dump.A slow growth rate, due to a pituitary gland problem, made Keith a target of bullies at grammar school...
- Wilfred Schoenfeld - Robert SwannRobert SwannRobert Swann may refer to:*Robert L. Swann , comptroller of the State of Maryland in the United States*Robert L. Swann , American lawyer, and Colonel in the United States Armed Services...
- Medical Officer - Giles WatlingGiles WatlingGiles Watling is an English actor.Giles is the son of actor Jack Watling and actress Patricia Watling, and the brother of actresses Dilys Watling and Deborah Watling...
- 2nd Lt. James Marriott
Plot
It is May 1915, and Hudson is reading out reports about GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
spies
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and horrific atrocities to the other servants. Later, while helping Rose, Daisy and Mrs Bridges pack some items for the Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
, Hazel finds a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
belonging to Hudson called The Beastly Hun. Hazel is disgusted by what she reads, and orders Hudson to stop spreading these "stories" and he is forced to give in, but clearly his views have not changed on "those pigs, the Huns". Within days, the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
has been sunk by a German submarine
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
and the anti-German feeling in Britain increases. This prompts Hudson into going and volunteering for the Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. However, he is turned away because of poor eyesight and given an exemption certificate. Mrs Bridges then suggests that he become a special constable
Special Constabulary
The Special Constabulary is the part-time volunteer section of a statutory police force in the United Kingdom or some Crown dependencies. Its officers are known as Special Constables or informally as Specials.Every United Kingdom territorial police force has a special constabulary except the...
. He gets permission from Richard, although Hazel is not impressed that Richard did not ask her first, and within days Hudson has had his first shift.
On the evening of Hudson's first shift as a special constable, the Bellamy's local baker
Baker
A baker is someone who bakes and sells bread, Cakes and similar foods may also be produced, as the traditional boundaries between what is produced by a baker as opposed to a pastry chef have blurred in recent decades...
, Albert Schoenfeld, a second-generation British citizen, and his wife and son come round and seek refuge in the Servants' Hall. Their house had been attacked and vandalised due to their German surname. Mrs Bridges, Rose, Ruby and Daisy, who the Schoenfelds had baked a special birthday cake for days before, invite them in, but when Hudson returns he goes straight up to Mr Bellamy. He says that they may stay the night, but must go to the police
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
first thing in the morning. However, Maria Schoenfeld, aware of Hudson's feeling towards them, insists they go that evening.
Following the sacking of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
as First Lord of the Admiralty, Andrew Bonar Law and Arthur Balfour
Arthur Balfour
Arthur James Balfour, 1st Earl of Balfour, KG, OM, PC, DL was a British Conservative politician and statesman...
come round to Eaton Place and Richard is offered the post of Civil Lord of the Admiralty. This makes him part of the Government. Also, Lt. Dennis Kemp, who had fallen in love with Georgina, is killed days after he arrives at the Front. When Hazel tells Georgina this, she doesn't react, telling Hazel she refuses "fall in love with any of them" because she doesn't "want to mourn them".
Reception
Gordon Jackson won an Emmy AwardPrimetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor for this episode.