How could anybody who has ever seen and loved the original Upstairs, Downstairs show not love Thomas & Sarah, the only spin-off series from the former show? In reading some of the other comments, viewers say T&S doesn't have this or didn't have that as opposed to what 'Updown' had. People!, it's not supposed to. If one remembers, the characters Thomas Watkins and Sarah Moffatt were the chauffeur and under-house on the original Updown having left at the death of Edward VII, in May 1910. This new show is about them and their adventures, or misadventures, depending on how you look at it. It takes place roughly 1910-1912, but certainly before WW1. In Updown Sarah and many of the other characters always talked about their adventures away from 165 Eaton Place, where they had been, ...for instance James Bellamy had taken Sarah to Paris near the end of series one or earlier when Sarah had first left she had been with a circus for two years. But we never see her and James at Paris, just talking about it. Here in T&S much more is played out. T&S has more location photography that only some Updown episodes had ie the trip to Scotland in the final series. In T&S we get to see the kinds of things Sarah always bragged about to Rose in Updown when they used to share the same bedroom in the first Updown series. The decision to do more adventurous stories and location work is a good extension or extrapolation from the original Updown which was more studio bound, but couldn't help to be with a much larger cast and more subplots. The decision to shoot Updown & T&S on videotape is why these two period pieces are quite viewable today.Alfred Shaughnessy(1916-2005) is the main producer/writer T&S and in 1990s commentaries on Updown, we learn he had grown up in large wealthy houses and knew about the era just preceding his 1916 birth, the prewar era in which T&S takes place. It seems the only person missing is Shaughnessy's writing partner from Updown, John Hawkesworth. On his own and right after Updown ended in 1975, Hawkesworth produced "The Duchess of Duke Street", with as much attention to period detail as Updown and T&S. When T&S began in 1978 Hawkesworth was about to produce the excellent WW2 series "Danger UXB", so his absence from T&S is understandable. The final episode has a 'Jules & Jim' nature to it joining Thomas and Sarah with a grieving landowner named Richard De Brassey whom Sarah falls for and wants to marry. Others have commented on how this episode ends and what was later to be contemplated with a second series. The finale ends ambiguously with Thomas and De Brassey going into a burning barn. We later see Sarah at a graveside attending the burial of one of them, the name is not on the wooden coffin or is surrounded by a wreath or laurel of flowers. Just my opinion Thomas faked his death in the fire and used the opportunity to flee Sarah, leaving her to marry De Brassey, and go to America as he always wanted to seek his fortune.

Upstairs Downstairs is often cited as the pinnacle of British TV drama during the 1970's. Fine acting and writing overcame low budgets and the occasional contrived plot point, and the show never strayed too far from the orbit of the the Bellamy household and staff. The consistent quality kept viewers coming back for years.As a spin off of Upstairs Downstairs, Thomas and Sarah started with similar high hopes, but poor writing and a heavy reliance on the comparatively inexperienced lead actors of the title doomed the show to a single season before folding.There was little consistency between episodes, and halfway through the first season Thomas and Sarah end up wandering the British countryside, going from adventure to adventure in a style more suited to Dr Who or the Goodies than fine drama. Some of the episodes were pure farce played with a straight face and one can only guess what the writers were thinking. The character of Thomas veered between lukewarm "husband" to soulless raconteur and conman with alarming regularity. Sarah's character was similarly opaque and one dimensional, and the show lacked supporting cast capable of filling out the storyline. The final episodes are excruciatingly bad even by 1970's standards.Although the demise of Thomas and Sarah is blamed on a writers strike, it was destined for failure after the rapid decline in quality. The funeral attended by Sarah in the last episode is not that of Thomas or her recent beau, but almost certainly one or more of the writers responsible for running this show into the ground.

We had great expectations for Thomas and Sarah after enjoying them so much on Upstairs/Downstairs. Sarah was always flighty and unpredictable and continues to be so in this series. However, Thomas appeared to be more level headed and sensible in U/D and in this series, he seems to have followed Sarah into unbelievable situations. I just couldn't picture this staid auto mechanic doing a Chinese magic act in a theater or running a matchmaking service? Sarah yes, but Thomas? I don't believe the writing of this series was on a par with U/D. They are both fine actors but I think it was too much to ask for them to carry this series alone for that many episodes. U/D had the benefit of an excellent ensemble supporting cast which is lacking in this series. Finally, did anyone notice that the main character of the final episode, Richard DeBrassey, was played by the same actor (Anton Rodgers) who played the artist in an early episode of U/D who painted portraits of Lady Marjorie and Rose and Sarah?

Although the time frame covered a number of years and started in 1910, World War I seems to have been skipped altogether and Thomas would have been prime cannon fodder. Although the stories seemed to cover the time during the money making on Wall Street, they skipped the war. The plots seemed to shift Thomas from being just a rogue looking for an opening to get ahead and to America to a man with a really ugly soul, at least as far as Sarah was concerned. Sarah's character seemed always to think things would sort themselves out for the better even on the gloomiest day. The title for the finale was very apt. After doing some research, I think I know whose funeral it was or at least whose funeral I hope it was.In some episodes Ms Collins seemed uncomfortable, as though she'd rather have been doing something else.Perhaps Thomas'attitude was wearing thin. I'm a fan of both Ms Collins and Mr. Alderton and saw them on the stage in London in 1980 when we lived in England.