"Alberto" is the eleventh episode of the fifth and final series of the

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

'' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It first aired on 16 November 1975 on ITV.

Plot

It is June 1927. Lady Prudence accompanies James to

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, about 25 miles west of London. Ascot is used for thoroughbred horse racing, and it hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 races and three Gra ...

, and they stay near there for five days. Edward, who is Under Butler while

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

is in Berlin with

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

and Lady Bellamy, goes with them. Meanwhile, Lady Dolly Hale invites Paul Marvin, a

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, to 165 Eaton Place to see Georgina. Marvin arranges for Georgina to appear in the film he is currently making, ''Paris by Night''. Lady Dolly takes a liking to Frederick, and they soon become secret lovers. When James returns from Ascot he dislikes the idea of Georgina appearing in a film, especially as a prostitute, and is worried when she tells him he is going for a costume fitting with Marvin. Later, James and Lady Prudence go to the film studio to see Georgina's scene being shot, unbeknownst to her. However, Lady Dolly has planned for Frederick, who is also in the film, and Georgina to have to kiss in the scene. Both Georgina and Frederick are unaware of this until the scene is about to be filmed, and when James sees the scene beginning he is furious and berates Lady Dolly, who has come to watch. Frederick then leaves, as do James and Lady Prudence. Georgina stays on the set, but Marvin advises she go back to her dressing room. However, they later dine together. When James and Lady Prudence get back to Eaton Place, James admits that he is jealous when Georgina has fun, and Lady Prudence correctly guesses that he is in love with Georgina. Shortly after, an unrepentant Frederick gives in his notice, which a furious James accepts. Frederick then leaves the same day, telling the other servants that he has seen a new life for himself, appearing in films and escorting rich women.

Cast

* Simon Williams – James Bellamy *

Joan Benham Joan Benham (17 May 1918 – 13 June 1981) was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She was born in London and was the first cousin of Hollywood actr ...

– Lady Prudence Fairfax *

Angela Baddeley Madeleine Angela Clinton-Baddeley (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 laste ...

– Mrs Bridges *

Jean Marsh Jean Lyndsey Torren Marsh (1 July 1934 – 13 April 2025) was an English actress and writer. She co-created and starred in the ITV series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1975), for which she won the 1975 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actr ...

–

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

Lesley-Anne Down Lesley-Anne Down (born 17 March 1954) is a British actress and singer. She made her motion picture debut in the 1969 drama film '' The Smashing Bird I Used to Know'' and later appeared in films ''Assault'' (1971), '' Countess Dracula'' (1971) a ...

– Georgina Worsley *

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 Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

Gareth Hunt Alan Leonard Hunt (7 February 1942 – 14 March 2007), known as Gareth Hunt, was a British television actor best remembered for playing footman Frederick Norton in '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' and Mike Gambit in '' The New Avengers''. Early lif ...

–

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

Jacqueline Tong Jacqueline Tong (born 21 February 1950) 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 C ...

– Daisy * Madeline Cannon – Lady Dolly Hale * Seymour Green – Paul Marvin * Rowland Davies – Assistant Director

Background

''The Understudy'' was recorded in the studio on 15 and 16 May 1975. This episode marks the final appearance of Gareth Hunt as Frederick Norton.

Footnotes

References

Richard Marson Richard Marson (born July 1966) 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 m ...

, "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:Alberto Upstairs, Downstairs series 5 episodes 1975 British television episodes Fiction set in 1927 Television episodes set in the 1920s