"Facing Fearful Odds" is the twelfth episode of the fourth 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 romances, adventure films, and swas ...

'' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It first aired on 30 November 1974 on ITV.

Background

''Facing Fearful Odds'' was recorded in the studio on 5 and 6 September 1974.

Cast

* Gordon Jackson - Hudson *

Angela Baddeley Madeleine Angela Clinton-Baddeley, CBE (4 July 1904 – 22 February 1976) was an English stage and television actress, best-remembered for her role as household cook Mrs. Bridges in the period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Her stage career ...

- Mrs Bridges *

David Langton David Muir Langton (born Basil Muir Langton-Dodds; 16 April 1912 – 25 April 1994) was a British actor who is best remembered for playing Richard Bellamy in the period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Early years David Langton was born Basi ...

- Richard Bellamy *

Meg Wynn Owen Margaret Wright ( Shuttleworth, 8 November 1939 – June 2022), better known as Meg Wynn Owen, was a British actress known for her role as Hazel Bellamy in '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in ''Gosford Park'', ''Love Actually, Pride ...

Hazel Bellamy Hazel Patricia Bellamy (née Forrest; circa 1883–1918), is a fictional character in the British television series, '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She was portrayed by Meg Wynn Owen. On 15 April 1912 Richard hires Hazel Forrest to type the biograp ...

Hannah Gordon Hannah Campbell Grant Gordon
Film reference website (born 9 April 1941) is a Scottish actress and presenter ...

Virginia Hamilton Virginia Esther Hamilton (March 12, 1936 – February 19, 2002) was an American children's books author. She wrote 41 books, including '' M. C. Higgins, the Great'' (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award in category Children's Bo ...

Raymond Huntley Horace Raymond Huntley (23 April 1904 – 15 June 1990) was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s to the 1970s. He also appeared in the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' as the pragmatic family s ...

- Sir Geoffrey Dillon * Simon Williams - James Bellamy *

Christopher Beeny Christopher Winton Beeny (7 July 1941 – 3 January 2020) was an English actor and dancer. He had a career as a child actor, but was best known for his work as the footman Edward Barnes on the 1970s television series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', ...

- Edward *

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 *

Jenny Tomasin Jenny Tomasin (22 March 1938 – 3 January 2012) was an English actress best known for her roles in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' and ''Emmerdale''. Early life Tomasin was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1938 to working class parents. S ...

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 ...

*Richard Reeves - A/ SLt. Michael Hamilton, RN *

Hilary Minster Roger Michael Hilary Minster (21 March 1944 – 24 November 1999) was an English character actor. Life and career Born in Surrey, England, he is best known for playing General Erich Von Klinkerhoffen in the sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' between 1984 ...

- Lt. Lightfoot, RN *

Laurence Harrington Laurence Harrington (born 30 September 1938) is a British actor who has played DS Probert in ''Z-Cars'', Lunar Guard in ''Doctor Who'', George Latimer in '' Softly, Softly'', the Lawyer in ''The Sweeney'', Jackson in '' Space: 1999'', Gary in '' ...

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxi ...

Webb *Anthony Nash - President of the Court *

Peter Whitaker Peter Whitaker was an English actor who appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in the first series of '' Rumpole of the Bailey''. He is also known for playing the murdered police inspector Gascoigne in the ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Faceless Ones'', ...

- Judge Advocate

Plot

On 27 April 1918, Virginia Hamilton, a navy widow, arrives in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

by train and Hazel takes her to 165 Eaton Place after finding her in her canteen. She tells Hazel and Richard how her elder son, Acting Sub-lieutenant Michael Hamilton, has been arrested in Dover for

cowardice Cowardice is a trait wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cowa ...

. On 23 April, he was in charge of a coastal motorboat off

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

after his commanding officer had been killed and has been accused of failing to encourage his inferior officers to fight. Sir Geoffrey Dillon suggested to represent him and Michael tells Sir Geoffrey how he just couldn't move at the time. He tells Michael not to admit his feeling to guilt to the hearing, which will be held in Dover. At the hearing, Sir Geoffrey sums up by saying that when Michael originally spoke to his superior after the attack, he blamed himself so the Chief Petty Officer could get the recognition he deserved. While the Court finds Michael guilty, Michael is only reprimanded due to the circumstances of the incident. However days later, Michael is killed in action in Ostend having acted bravely. Richard feels guilty as he has pulled strings, at Michael's request, to give a chance to prove himself, but Virginia reassures him her late husband would have done the same. Richard is equally impressed by her bravery James is feeling depressed and neglected and Rose is on holiday at

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is ...

. Edward, meanwhile appointed to

lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equi ...

, goes

AWOL Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ...

the day before he is due to go back to France. The

Royal Military Police The Royal Military Police (RMP) is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of army service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations ...

arrive at 165, and after Hudson tells Daisy that the punishment for going AWOL is the

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

, she tells them that Edward is hiding in his father's bombed out house in Walthamstow. He is then sent to France.

References

* *

Richard Marson Richard Marson (born c.1967) is an English writer, television producer and director, best known as a former editor-in-chief of the BBC's children's television programme ''Blue Peter''. In September 2007, Marson was sacked from his post for makin ...

, "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:Facing Fearful Odds Upstairs, Downstairs (series 4) episodes 1974 British television episodes Fiction set in 1918