Facing Fearful Odds
Encyclopedia
Facing Fearful Odds is the twelfth episode of the fourth series of the period drama
Upstairs, Downstairs
. It first aired on 30 November 1974 on ITV
.
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, Michael, has been arrested in Dover
for cowardice
. On 23 April, he was in charge of a coastal motorboat off Ostend
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.
Meanwhile, James is feeling depressed and neglected and Rose is on holiday at Southwold
. Edward goes AWOL
the day before he is due to go back to France. The Royal Military Police
arrive at 165, and after Hudson tells Daisy that the punishment for going AWOL is the firing squad
, she tells them that Edward is hiding in his father's bombed out house in Walthamstow
. He is then sent to France
.
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
. It first aired on 30 November 1974 on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
Cast
- Gordon JacksonGordon Jackson (actor)Gordon Cameron Jackson, OBE was a Scottish Emmy Award-winning actor best remembered for his roles as the butler Angus Hudson in Upstairs, Downstairs and George Cowley, the head of CI5, in The Professionals....
- HudsonAngus HudsonAngus Hudson was a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs, portrayed by actor Gordon Jackson from 1971 until 1975.-Biography:... - Angela BaddeleyAngela BaddeleyAngela Baddeley, CBE , born Madeline Angela Clinton-Baddeley, was an English actress best remembered for her role as Mrs Bridges in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs...
- Mrs Bridges - David LangtonDavid LangtonDavid Muir Langton was a British actor who is best remembered for playing Richard Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early years:...
- Richard Bellamy - Meg Wynn OwenMeg Wynn OwenMeg Wynn Owen is a Welsh actress, who is best known for her role as Hazel Bellamy, née Forrest, in the television series Upstairs, Downstairs....
- Hazel Bellamy - Hannah GordonHannah GordonHannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...
- Virginia Hamilton - Raymond HuntleyRaymond HuntleyRaymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
- Sir Geoffrey Dillon - Simon WilliamsSimon Williams (actor)Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
- James BellamyJames BellamyMajor The Honourable James Rupert Bellamy MC is a fictional character in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975... - Christopher BeenyChristopher BeenyBorn in London, Beeny began his career at the age of six when he danced for the ' Ballet Rambert. He spent several years at the ' Arts Educational School before later progressing to 'RADA.His first screen role was in the 1952 film The Long Memory...
- Edward - Jacqueline TongJacqueline TongJacqueline Tong is an English actress who is best known for playing Daisy Barnes in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs from 1973 to 1975. In 1975, she was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in the Primetime Emmy Awards.-Early life:Tong was born in Bristol,...
- Daisy - Jenny TomasinJenny TomasinJenny Tomasin is an English actress best known for her roles in Upstairs, Downstairs and Emmerdale.-Career:Tomasin became well known in the early 1970s when she joined the cast of Upstairs, Downstairs as kitchen maid Ruby. She stayed with the series until the end in 1975, appearing in 41 episodes...
- Ruby - Richard ReevesRichard Reeves (actor)Richard Reeves was an American actor best known for playing henchmen and thugs. He appeared in many television series, particularly those based on comic books, and his height and build made him suitable for roles involving muscle.-External links:...
- Michael Hamilton - Hilary MinsterHilary MinsterRoger Michael Hilary Minster, better known as Hilary Minster, was an English character actor....
- Lt. Lightfoot, RN - Laurence HarringtonLaurence HarringtonLaurence Harrington 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 Agony, Jeff Sadler in Boon, Cyril Harrington-Morse in Lovejoy, Vic Lawson in Love Hurts and James...
- Chief Petty Officer Webb - Anthony Nash - President of the Court
- Peter WhitakerPeter WhitakerPeter Whitaker was an English actor who appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in the first series of Rumpole of the Bailey. He also appeared in many other roles. He is the grandfather of actor/director/writer David Shopland, soon to be appearing in a national tour of Lord of The Flies.-Notes:...
- Judge Advocate
Plot
On 27 April 1918, Virginia Hamilton arrives in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
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, Michael, has been arrested in Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
for cowardice
Cowardice
Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...
. On 23 April, he was in charge of a coastal motorboat off Ostend
Ostend
Ostend is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke , Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the largest on the Belgian coast....
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.
Meanwhile, James is feeling depressed and neglected and Rose is on holiday at Southwold
Southwold
Southwold is a town on the North Sea coast, in the Waveney district of the English county of Suffolk. It is located on the North Sea coast at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is around south of Lowestoft and north-east...
. Edward goes AWOL
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
the day before he is due to go back to France. The Royal Military Police
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
arrive at 165, and after Hudson tells Daisy that the punishment for going AWOL is the firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
, she tells them that Edward is hiding in his father's bombed out house in Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
. He is then sent to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.