"Disillusion" is the seventh episode of the fifth and final series of the
period drama
A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...
''
Upstairs, Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to:
Television
*Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975
*Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...
''. It first aired on 19 October 1975 on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
.
Background
''Disillusion'' was recorded in the studio on 3 and 4 April 1975, and was the final appearance of Karen Dotrice as Lily Hawkins.
Cast
*
Gordon Jackson -
Hudson
Hudson may refer to:
People
* Hudson (given name)
* Hudson (surname)
* Henry Hudson, English explorer
* Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back
* Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
*
Jean Marsh
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jea ...
-
Rose
A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
*
Angela Baddeley -
Mrs Bridges
*
Lesley-Anne Down -
Georgina Worsley
Georgina, Marchioness of Stockbridge (née Georgina Worsley, born 28 November 1895), is a fictional character in the British television series, '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She was portrayed by Lesley-Anne Down.
Georgina Worsley arrives to liv ...
*
David Langton -
Richard Bellamy
*
Hannah Gordon -
Virginia Bellamy
*
Karen Dotrice
Karen Dotrice ( ; born 9 November 1955) is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's ''Mary Poppins'', the feature film adaptation of the ''Mary Poppins'' book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey in t ...
-
Lily
''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in mu ...
*
Christopher Beeny -
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
*
Jenny Tomasin -
Ruby
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...
*
Gareth Hunt -
Frederick
*
Jacqueline Tong
Jacqueline Tong (born 21 May 1951) is an English actress. She is best known for playing Daisy Peel in the television series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1973–1975), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Contin ...
-
Daisy
Plot
It is spring 1924, and Georgina returns from
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, having stayed with
Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Daisy gets annoyed when Lily is given time off to go shopping by Mr Hudson. A few days later, while at the
Wembley Exhibition, Georgina spots Hudson and Lily together holding hands. That evening she tells Virginia what she saw, and Virginia then asks Rose if Lily is seeing any one. Rose says she knows nothing, but then goes to see Lily and asks her if she is going out with Mr Hudson. Lily confirms this and tells Rose how he has taken her to concerts and museums. Very soon, the whole house knows what has been going on.
Hudson explains to Mrs Bridges that Lily brings him hope and joy, and he tells Virginia that he has "very deep feelings" for her. Mrs Bridges is upset, as she and Hudson had agreed that one day they would marry. Hudson soon decides to resign and gives four weeks notice. Hudson wants to go with Lily on Sunday to see her mother in
Banbury to ask for Lily's hand in marriage, however Lily cannot bring herself to tell him that she does not love him. On the Sunday morning, having spoken to Georgina, Lily talks to Hudson, and hurts him by saying insulting him and calling him boring.
The following morning, Lily leaves 165, Eaton Place without telling anyone and goes back to live with her mother. She leaves a note for Mr Hudson, explaining she did not mean the hurtful things she said the day before, she only wanted to stop him caring for her. Hudson then withdraws his resignation, and Virginia writes a very good reference for Lily.
References
*
Richard Marson, "Inside UpDown - The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs",
Kaleidoscope Publishing
Kaleidoscope Publishing is a publishing house founded by Richard Down and Chris Perry, and based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1988 and exists to promote the appreciation of British television, including classic and cult programming. No ...
, 2005
Updown.org.uk- ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' Fansite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Disillusion
Upstairs, Downstairs (series 5) episodes
1975 British television episodes
Fiction set in 1924