Thomas & Sarah is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 drama series

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 that aired 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...

 in 1979. The only spin-off

Spin-off (media)

In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 from the BAFTA Award

British Academy Television Awards

The British Academy Television Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . They have been awarded annually since 1954, and are analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States.-Background:...

-winning series 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 stars John Alderton

John Alderton

John Alderton is an English actor who is best known for his roles in Upstairs, Downstairs, Thomas & Sarah and Please Sir!. Alderton has often starred alongside his wife, Pauline Collins.-Early life:...

 and Pauline Collins

Pauline Collins

Pauline Collins, OBE is an English actress of the stage, television, and film. She first came to prominence portraying Sarah Moffat in Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah during the 1970s. She later drew acclaim for playing the title role in the play Shirley Valentine for which...

 reprising their Upstairs, Downstairs roles.

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 by Alfred Shaughnessy

Alfred Shaughnessy

Alfred James Shaughnessy , sometimes known as Freddy Shaughnessy, was an English scriptwriter and producer best known for being the script editor of Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...

 and John Hawkesworth

John Hawkesworth (producer)

John Hawkesworth was an English television and film producer and writer best known for his work on the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...

. At a memorial service for Cyril Bennett, the LWT Controller who had died in November 1976, his successor Michael Grade

Michael Grade

Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth CBE is a British broadcast executive and businessman. He was BBC chairman from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV plc from 2007 to 2009.-Early life:...

 agreed to do a programme with John Alderton and Pauline Collins, now a celebrated television couple, reprising their former roles. In October 1977, John Hawkesworth was commissioned to write a synopsis for the programme, and it was filmed from September 1978 to March 1979. The writers, many of whom had worked on Upstairs, Downstairs, were Terence Brady and Charlotte Bingham

Charlotte Bingham

Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham is an English novelist who has written over 30 mainly historical novels and has also written for many television programmes including Upstairs, Downstairs, Play for Today and Robin's Nest...

, Alfred Shaughnessy

Alfred Shaughnessy

Alfred James Shaughnessy , sometimes known as Freddy Shaughnessy, was an English scriptwriter and producer best known for being the script editor of Upstairs, Downstairs.-Early life:...

, Jeremy Paul, Anthony Skene, Alick Rowe

Alick Rowe

Alick Rowe was a British writer born in 1939. He died on 30 October 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand of a suspected heart attack.He was head boy at Hereford Cathedral School before graduating from St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. From the early 1970s onwards he wrote prolifically for radio and...

 and Angharad Lloyd.

Plot

Thomas & Sarah follows the adventures of Thomas Watkins

Thomas Watkins

Thomas David Watkins is a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah. He was portrayed by John Alderton.-Greenwich:...

, the chauffeur

Chauffeur

A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...

, and Sarah

Sarah Moffat

Sarah Moffat , also known as Sarah Delice and Clémence Dumas, is a fictional character in the ITV drama Upstairs, Downstairs and its spin-off Thomas & Sarah...

, the house

Maid

A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...

 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

TV Times

TVTimes is a television listings magazine published in the United Kingdom by IPC Media, a subsidiary of Time Warner. It is known for its access to television actors and their programmes. In 2006 it was refreshed for a more modern look, increasing its emphasis on big star interviews and soaps...

 in the 23 December and 6 January issues.

Episodes

Title	Airdate	Overview
Birds of a Feather	14 January	Thomas and Sarah have split, and Sarah is working in a village in Surrey Surrey Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of... , thinking Thomas is a part of her past. However, he soon appears in the village.
The Silver Ghost	21 January	After a Rolls Royce Rolls-Royce Limited Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....  is delieved to Thomas's garage for servicing, he unwitting becomes involved in a smuggling operation involving stolen property.
The Biters Bit	28 January	Having been mistaken for members of the aristocracy Aristocracy Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy... , Thomas and Sarah gatecrash a weekend house party. However, the hostess soon realises they're not who they say they are.
The Vanishing Lady	4 February	Sarah is back working in the music hall Music hall Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts... s, and after seeing a vanishing act, wonders if herself and Thomas could turn this into their own act.
Made In Heaven	11 February	Thomas decides to start a matchmaking business for lonely couples, and an empty house he is caretaking will be the ideal base for the business.
Alma Mater	18 February	Thomas and Sarah get jobs in a rundown boarding school, and soon discover that the headmaster is swindling the parents of the pupils.
A Day at the Metropole	25 February	The couple travel to Brighton Brighton Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...  so Thomas can use his skills to help a wealthy gentleman win a motor race.
The Poor Young Widow of Peckham	4 March	After a photograph of Sarah taken on the streets of London London 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...  brings Thomas both to the point of death and nationwide fame.
There Is A Happy Land	11 March	After Sarah tricks Thomas in turning his back on his dream of emigrating to America United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... , he sets to seek his revenge.
Return to Gethyn	18 March	Thomas and Sarah visit to his family in rural Wales gives Sarah the opportunity to establish whether Thomas really did rape Bessie Evans.
Putting On The Ritz	25 March	They pair plan a con trick at the Ritz Hotel Ritz Hotel The Ritz London is a luxury 5-star hotel located in Piccadilly and overlooking Green Park in London.- History :Swiss hotelier César Ritz, former manager of the Savoy Hotel, opened the hotel on 24 May 1906... , but they wonder whether the waiter all he seems.
The New Rich	1 April	After a lucky gamble, Thomas and Sarah move up in the World and get servants of their own. However, their butler Butler A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...  (Nigel Hawthorne Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the... ) is not impressed by their behaviour.
Love Into Three Won't Go	8 April	Thomas and Sarah have to return to domestic service, in the employ of the reclusive Richard de Brassey. Between him and Sarah a strange love blossoms.

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

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...

 meant work was halted and never finished. The location work has since been wiped

Wiping

Wiping or junking is a colloquial term for action taken by radio and television production and broadcasting companies, in which old audiotapes, videotapes, and telerecordings , are erased, reused, or destroyed after several uses...

. 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

Sphere Books

-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...

 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

Mollie Hardwick

Mollie Greenhalgh Hardwick was an English author who was best known for writing books that accompanied the TV series Upstairs, Downstairs....

, who also wrote many Upstairs, Downstairs books.

DVD 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 Home Video

A&E Television Networks

A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...

released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 on 27 April 2004.