The Nine Days Wonder
Encyclopedia
The Nine Days Wonder is the ninth episode of the fifth and final series of the period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs
. It first aired on 2 November 1975 on ITV
.
and in the nearby Theed Street. The director of the episode, Simon Langton, was the son of David Langton, who played Richard Bellamy.
is called. Virginia is in Scotland
, and unable to return because of the strike, while Mrs Bridges is in Felixstowe
on holiday. She telephones 165, Eaton Place, and is worried about food shortages, and unbeknown to anyone else soon orders some food to be delivered to 165. Hudson gets permission from Richard to volunteer as a Special Constable
, as he did during the war
. Within days on the start of the strike, Edward is attacked by a striker while in the car.
Georgina and her circle of friends see the event as a chance to have fun by volunteering to drive buses or trains. James takes it far more seriously, and himself volunteers to drive a bus, and Frederick accompanies him. On one journey they encounter a group of strikers, who are unwilling to let them pass. The conductor on the bus is University
student Andrew Bouverie. When Bouverie is briefly at Eaton Place, he remembers having briefly met Georgina at a party, and drops hints about not having anywhere nice to stay. However, Lady Prudence then offers him a bed in her house, as she has decided to help out by becoming a "landlord
", having already got two University students staying.
Ruby's uncle Len Finch comes down from Barnsley
with a friend Arnold Thompson. Both are down for a delegates meeting. They take tea
in the Servants' Hall, when Mr. Hudson is out, and Thompson gives Edward, who is sympathic to the strikers', a copy of The British Worker newspaper. When Mr Hudson comes back and finds this, he orders it to be burned. On 12 May, minutes after the strike is called off Len Finch and Arnold Thompson arrive to say goodbye to Ruby. When told of the strike's end, they are both deflated.
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 2 November 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
The Nine Days Wonder was recorded in the studio on 1 and 2 May 1975. The location footage was filmed, on 22 April in Eaton Place, BelgraviaBelgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
and in the nearby Theed Street. The director of the episode, Simon Langton, was the son of David Langton, who played Richard Bellamy.
Cast
- 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... - 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:... - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Martin Wimbush - Andrew Bouverie
- Tommy Wright - Picket Leader
- John Breslin - Len Finch
- Roy Pattison - Arnold Thompson
Plot
The Nine Days Wonder opens on 1 May 1926, and three days later on 3 May the General StrikeUK General Strike of 1926
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
is called. Virginia is in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and unable to return because of the strike, while Mrs Bridges is in Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
on holiday. She telephones 165, Eaton Place, and is worried about food shortages, and unbeknown to anyone else soon orders some food to be delivered to 165. Hudson gets permission from Richard to volunteer as 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...
, as he did during the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Within days on the start of the strike, Edward is attacked by a striker while in the car.
Georgina and her circle of friends see the event as a chance to have fun by volunteering to drive buses or trains. James takes it far more seriously, and himself volunteers to drive a bus, and Frederick accompanies him. On one journey they encounter a group of strikers, who are unwilling to let them pass. The conductor on the bus is University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
student Andrew Bouverie. When Bouverie is briefly at Eaton Place, he remembers having briefly met Georgina at a party, and drops hints about not having anywhere nice to stay. However, Lady Prudence then offers him a bed in her house, as she has decided to help out by becoming a "landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
", having already got two University students staying.
Ruby's uncle Len Finch comes down from Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
with a friend Arnold Thompson. Both are down for a delegates meeting. They take tea
Tea (meal)
Tea can refer to any of several different meals or mealtimes, depending on a country's customs and its history of drinking tea. However, in those countries where the term's use is common, the influences are generally those of the former British Empire...
in the Servants' Hall, when Mr. Hudson is out, and Thompson gives Edward, who is sympathic to the strikers', a copy of The British Worker newspaper. When Mr Hudson comes back and finds this, he orders it to be burned. On 12 May, minutes after the strike is called off Len Finch and Arnold Thompson arrive to say goodbye to Ruby. When told of the strike's end, they are both deflated.