Background
Following the end of ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' in 1975 there were many ideas for spin-offs, and the idea for ''Thomas & Sarah'' was originally given the name ''In Confidence'' byPlot
''Thomas & Sarah'' follows the adventures of Thomas Watkins, the chauffeur, and Sarah Moffat, Sarah, the maid, house and nursery maid, after leaving service at Eaton Place in 1910. Sarah is pregnant, and according to their last episode of ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' they have married, but according to ''Thomas & Sarah'' they "never got round to it". In addition, a two-part short story, entitled ''The Spin of the Wheel'', that bridges the gap between them leaving Eaton Place and the start of ''Thomas & Sarah'', was written by Alfred Shaughnessy and published in the ''TV Times'' in the 23 December and 6 January issues.Episodes
Cliffhanger
The last minutes of the first series saw Sarah mourning at a graveside. The public were not to know whether this was Thomas or Richard de Brassey, her last employer, but the public knew that a second series had been commissioned, so it was clear that it couldn't have been Thomas in the grave.Second series
The public reaction to the series was good enough to have a second series commissioned, and some location work was filmed in July 1979. However, a strike at ITV meant work was halted and never finished. The location work has since been wiping, wiped. The names of four of the episodes are known, ''"Where There's A Will", ''"For Richer, For Poorer"'', ''"Favours"'' and ''"Flying the Foam"''. Again, these were written by Terence Brady & Charlotte Bingham and Jeremy Paul.Novelisations
Like ''Upstairs, Downstairs'', novelisations of the series were written. The first book, titled simply ''Thomas & Sarah'', was published in 1978 by Sphere Books and covers the first seven episodes of the programme. The second book, titled ''Thomas & Sarah: Two for a Spin'', was also published by Sphere Books and released in 1979. Both books were written by Mollie Hardwick, who also wrote many ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' books.Home releases
''Thomas & Sarah'' was released in Region 2 (UK) by VCI in 2004. This followed releases of all episodes of ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' by VCI in similar packaging. VCI stopped making copies of the DVDs in 2005. The whole series was released by Network DVD on 16 April 2007, Network having previously released all episodes of ''Upstairs, Downstairs''. A&E Television Networks, A&E Home Video released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 on 27 April 2004. In 2012 Acorn Media re-released the series (as they had ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' in 2006 with DVD commentaries) in a 4-disc DVD set indicating the best possible digital resolution was attained in conjunction with the age of the series and the technology (1978–79) used to make it. There is no DVD commentary from either Alderton or Collins or surviving cast or crew.References
Bibliography
*Richard Marson, "Inside UpDown - The Story of Upstairs, Downstairs", Kaleidoscope Publishing, 2005External links
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas and Sarah 1970s British drama television series 1979 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings British drama television series British television spin-offs Fictional couples ITV television dramas London Weekend Television shows Television series by ITV Studios Upstairs, Downstairs