Episode no. Season 1
Episode 5 Written by Jeremy Paul | Directed by Joan Kemp-Welch Original air date 1971 | |
"A Suitable Marriage" was the fifth episode of the first series of the British television series, Upstairs, Downstairs. The episode is set in 1904.
Contents
Cast
Plot
In December 1905, Elizabeth Bellamy falls in love with Baron Klaus von Rimmer, a German who turns out to be a homosexual.
He flees Eaton Place with the footman Alfred to Germany after they are caught by Rose in a sexual situation having sexual relations, before the police arrive to arrest him. Not wishing Elizabeth to know the real reason for his departure, she is told that he is a spy. The ″baron fled, dumping Elizabeth and taking Alfred with him instead!″
Background
The episode was very controversial. The actors Baron Klaus von Rimmer (Horst Janson) and Alfred Harris (George Innes) had events in the episode, which never got to the stage:″The episode was considered too controversial for American TV (at any time of the day or night), even though in Britain it got an afternoon repeat in 1973. Nevertheless, events in the episode never got to the stage shown in the lower photo, which is presumably the actors messing around!″