"All the King's Horses" is the fifteenth 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 14 December 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
''All the King's Horses'' was recorded in the studio on 12 and 13 June 1975.
The director of the episode, Simon Langton, was the son of David Langton, who played Richard Bellamy. ''All the King's Horses'' is the final appearance of Simon Williams as James Bellamy.
Cast
*
Simon Williams -
James Bellamy
*
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 ...
*
Hannah Gordon -
Virginia Bellamy
*
David Langton -
Richard Bellamy
*
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 ...
*
Angela Baddeley -
Mrs Bridges
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Pippa Page - Mary
*
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
*
Lindsay Campbell - Inspector Rodwell
Plot
James Bellamy returns from America with renewed enthusiasm for life and hope for his future. He has taken to speculating on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
and is making a lot of money. After bestowing lavish gifts on Virginia and Georgina, James proposes to pay for Georgina's wedding and even suggests moving to a bigger house as a direct result of his increasing wealth. He even manages to persuade Rose to invest her entire inheritance, from the estate of her deceased fiance Gregory, but sadly this is just before the
Wall Street Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...
of 1929. James loses everything, as does Rose.
The disclosure of the losses - particularly Rose's - leads to an argument with his father where James is berated for his failures. Richard tells James that he is glad his mother did not live to see the mess their son has created. Retreating to his room, James later upsets Georgina by burning the letters she wrote to him in happier times. He then leaves Eaton Place, ostensibly to visit a friend. In reality he goes to a small hotel where he takes his own life with his service revolver.
Footnotes
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:All the King's Horses
Upstairs, Downstairs (series 5) episodes
1975 British television episodes
Fiction set in 1929