"On Trial" is the first episode of the first series of the British television series, '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. The episode is set in November 1903. Due to an

industrial dispute Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Working class, work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Str ...

over extra payments for using newly introduced colour equipment, during which broadcasting unions refused to allow their members to use colour cameras, the first six episodes of the first series were shot in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

, and when colour production resumed, the first episode was remade in colour. There are 2 endings shot for the colour version of this episode, one where Sarah quits was to air when the black and white season 1 episodes are not part of the broadcast package, as was the case for the original USA broadcasts, and one where she stays (she eventually leaves in the later episode 3, which was black and white). The original black-and-white version of this episode is believed to have been

wiped Lost television broadcasts are television programs that were not preserved after their original airing, rendering them permanently unavailable for both public and private screening. Because of this, they are considered a form of lost media, par ...

Plot

Sarah Moffat Sarah Moffat (born Clémence Moffat; July 1882 - unknown), also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, is a fictional character in the ITV (TV network), ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' and its Spi ...

is engaged at 165 Eaton Place, on trial. Rose Buck and Sarah become good friends.''On Trial ''
/ref> Sarah tells the staff she is French but is caught out in making out she is above her station.

References

Upstairs, Downstairs series 1 episodes 1971 British television episodes Fiction set in 1903 {{tv-episode-stub Television episodes set in the 1900s