Thomas and Sarah [TV Series]  (1978)

Theatrical Release Information:
Thomas and Sarah [TV Series]

Thomas and Sarah was the much-heralded spin-off to the long-running British historical drama series Upstairs Downstairs. Antedated to 1911 (Upstairs Downstairs itself had already moved forward to the 1930s), the weekly, 50-minute series focused on Thomas Watkins (John Alderton) and his sweetheart Sarah (Pauline Collins), respectively the former chauffeur and parlormaid of the Bellamy family. Although the hero and heroine were said to have married when spoken of in passing on Upstairs Downstairs, here Thomas and Sarah set up housekeeping without benefit of clergy, as Thomas attempted to make a go of his new auto-garage business. Ultimately the couple ended up broke and back in domestic service, albeit to a different family. Telecast from January 14 to April 8, 1979, on London Weekend Television, the 13-episode Thomas and Sarah proved popular enough to warrant a second season -- which, alas, was permanently scuttled as the result of a network technicians' strike. Unlike Upstairs Downstairs, Thomas and Sarah was never widely broadcast in America. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide