Upstairs, Downstairs
Sounds

All of the following are in the popular mp3 format. To play a file right here in the player below, click the icon in the last column. To download a file to your machine, do a right-click on the icon in the second column the and select "save link as" (or "save target as").

ThemesDown­load (right-click save) Play in this page
Upstairs, Downstairs theme: The Edwardians (Alexander Faris) – South Bank Orchestra. This is the "official" LWT version of the full theme music but differs slightly from the arrangements heard on the actual TV show, and includes a "new" melody part. (Stereo)
Thomas & Sarah full theme (Harry Rabinowitz) – South Bank Orchestra. (Stereo)
The opening waltz theme in the version heard on the episodes themselves. (Stereo)
The "Uncle Arthur" version of the closing theme in the version heard on the episodes themselves. (Stereo)
The third and last screen version of the theme music, known by the composer, Alexander Faris, as the "Elgar" version. (Mono)
Opening of the second part of The Mistress and the Maids. This trails off into a high trumpet (cornet?) part which was never heard again in the series.
Pauline Collins sings What Are We Going To Do With Uncle Arthur? for her 1973 Decca single. (Stereo)
The B side of Collins' single with an interesting vocal version of the slow, waltz theme to the series. (Stereo)
The wonderful haunting theme music used for American PBS showings in Masterpiece Theatre. (Rondeau from Symphonies & Fanfares For The King's Supper – JJ Mouret arr. Cellier) (Stereo)
Australian DJ Les Solomon interviewed some of the stars for his radio show World of Entertainment (part of Australia Overnight) at the end of the 1980s to coincide with a nationwide rescreening of the entire series. With many thanks to Les, his original interviews are presented here.Down­load (right-click save)Play in this page
Pauline Collins (Sarah) talks about how she got the role, and how she met John Alderton (Thomas).
Pauline Collins talks about Gordon Jackson's death.
Pauline Collins on the UpDown "family", and books about the series.
Simon Williams on playing James.
Simon Williams comments on the scene where he argues with Richard for the last time in All the King's Horses.
David Langton on playing Richard.
David Langton comments on one of his many argument scenes with Simon Williams (James).
Meg Wynn Owen (Hazel) on how special the show turned out to be.
Meg on her wild riding scene from The Bolter.
Meg's reactions to the scene from Distant Thunder where she is arguing in the kitchen with Simon Williams (James).
InterviewsDown­load (right-click save) Play in this page
Jean Marsh (co-creator and Rose) talks about the genesis of the show.
Jean Marsh on the read through of the first episode, On Trial.
Jean Marsh on Gordon Jackson's nervousness as an actor.
Gordon Jackson talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about his attitudes to his own domestic staff.
Gordon Jackson talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about public recognition.
Jenny Tomasin (Ruby) on Angela Baddeley's attention to detail.
John Hawkesworth (producer) on how Angela Baddeley would sometimes slip into her Mrs Bridges persona.
Angela Baddeley talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about being padded up for her role as Mrs Bridges.
Angela Baddeley talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about a proposal of marriage from a viewer!
Angela Baddeley talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about her sister Hermione's TV show of the time, South Riding.
Simon Williams talks about his inspiration for how to play James.
Jean Marsh on the real food used on the set.
Jean Marsh on her poor eyesight.
Jean Marsh on the different dressing rooms given to the "upstairs" and "downstairs" members of cast.
Jenny Tomasin on her interview for the series.
Chris Beeny (Edward) and John Hawkesworth on Beeny's near-fatal road accident during the second season.
Jean Marsh on her initial impressions of A House Divided.
Jackie Tong, Lesley-Anne Down and Simon Williams on their relationship on and off screen. Narrated by actress Linda Robson.
Gordon Jackson talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about the return of the series for Season Four.
Jean Marsh talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about her publicity trip to the USA.
Jean Marsh talks to Russell Harty (in 1974) about a proposed Upstairs, Downstairs massed streak!
John Hawkesworth on writing out Hazel.
Clip from the Russell Harty.... Goes Upstairs, Downstairs special from 1975 which was broadcast shortly after the last ever episode, and interviewed the cast on the Upstairs, Downstairs set.
MIDI files of the theme etc.Down­load (right-click save)Play in this page
The Upstairs, Downstairs waltz theme. (Thanks to Jill Bond.)
My Luve Is Like A Red, Red Rose. The song sung to Lady Marjorie by Captain Hammond in Magic Casements. (Thanks to Jill Bond.)
The Butcher Boy – Emily's song from I Dies From Love. (Thanks to Jill Bond.)
The Upstairs, Downstairs waltz theme – version two. (Thanks to Bunty Pritchard Jones.)
The Butcher Boy – Emily's song from I Dies From Love – version two. (Thanks to Frank Lennon.)
With Every Passing Day. (Thanks to Bunty Pritchard Jones.)
My Luve Is Like A Red, Red Rose – version two. (Thanks to Bunty Pritchard Jones.)
What Are We Going To Do With Uncle Arthur? (Thanks to Bunty Pritchard Jones.)
Miscellaneous versions of the theme music (mp3s not made by me) Down­load (right-click save)Play in this page
Version A. A sort of violin/piano version of the waltz theme.
Version B.
Version C.
Version D. A Mantovani-style version (cascading violins).
Version E. A guitar version.
Version F.
Version G. Performed by the Sovereign Collection.
Versions of the theme music made (by the public) to introduce the Upshares, Downshares business segment of Radio 4 afternoon programme PM. Extraordinary thanks to Eric Olson, who downloaded all these for the site!Down­load (right-click save) Play in this page
ZIP archive of all the versions below (except the full Elvis one, which was added here later).  
PM Alexander Faris interview.
Reggae version – Jeremy Bentliff.
Banjo version – Dr Martin Johnson.
Jazz waltz version – Oliver Sheen.
Spaghetti-western version – Jeremy Bentliff.
Classical guitar version – Emma Vinyard.
Stylophone version – Caroline Jackson.
"Incarcerated as I am, with a badly broken arm, I wanted to contribute to the Upshares theme ... but what can I do (musically speaking, you understand) being one handed? And it came to me ... the trusty Stylophone – a present from my somewhat wry but ever-thoughtful other half."
Organ version – the 1802 (George Pike England) organ in St George Colegate, Norwich – Anne Duart.
Virtual Wurlitzer version – Richard Mack.
Heavy-metal version – Nick Roesen.
Vibraphone version – Janet Fulton.
Version in the style of George Shearing – Simon Whiteside.
Hurdy-gurdy version – Matt Williams.
Bossa-nova version – Frances Butt.
Sung version – Ralph Woodward and the Fairhaven Singers.
Musical Saw (accompanied by the pin-barrel harp) version – Henry Dagg.
Steel-band version – John Clemow.
Punk jazz version – Led Bib.
Bee Gees-style version – Francis de Pellette.
Xylophone version – Maurice Cheetham.
Electric disco version – Foxymoron.
Accordion version – Andrew Giddings.
Computerised morris-dance version – Mark Iliff.
Fugue version – Paul Spanton.
Crumhorn trio version – David Force, Ruth Force and Michael Withers of the early music group Faronel.
Version in the style of Stockhausen's Electronic Study II – Ed Stefaniuk.
"Five tones of 200ms duration put in a loop then through a reverberation chamber, to give a sound block, or dominant with quieter overtones."
Guitar version – Matt Garrad.
Accordion version #2 – Sue Coppard.
Harp version – Annasee, Gossipmistress and Miss Pooh Bear.
Ukelele version – Michael Jennings.
Accordion version #3 – Anthony Calnan.
Marimba version – Janet Fulton.
Ukelele version #2 – Al Wood, Woodshed.
Barbershop quartet version – Hullabaloo (Anne, Anne, Geraldine and Susan).
"This version was recorded for Barbershop Awareness Week."
Acid-house version – Chris Miller.
Version in the style of Russ Conway – John Tavner.
Organ version #2 – Nicholas Scott-Burt.
Tango version played in Hispanic style, to the rhythm of a tango in the minor key – Graham Davies.
Swing version – David Wright of Jazzmatazz.
A melancholy version – Andy Williamson.
Theremin version – Nic Bradford.
Morris-dance version #2 – Rob Kearsley Bullen.
"The Morris side is New St George Morris from the Vale of Belvoir, and I play the melodeon (a variety of button accordion) for them on the track. The dance is Balance The Straw from the Fieldtown tradition."
Flamenco version – Kit Morgan.
Addams Family-style version – Richard Mack.
Morris-dance version #3 – Wickham Morris and Cath Watkins.
A heavy rock version – Kit Morgan.
"Just to scare the listeners. Ha haaa!"
Retro arcade-game version – Ivan Baines.
Delta blues version – Kit Morgan.
Version for recorder – Alice, Stephanie, Claudia, Joseph, Renee, Nadine, Luis, Grace and Ewan of the St Joseph's Junior School Recorder Club.
Theremin and mini-Moog version – Symon White.
Hillbilly version on banjo and guitar – John Shield.
Rag version – John Hartley.
Dance version – Parker.
Awesome version – Dr Well Awesome and the Blue Murderers.
Handbell version – rung on 100-year-old English handbells, by the Laurie Turner Ringers, of Wimborne Minster, in Dorset.
A Christmas version – Neil Meredith.
Theremin version in the style of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop – Kit Morgan.
A toe-tapping version – Dave Bosanquet.
Version in the style of Bach – David Thorne.
A New Orleans brass-band version – Roy Hudson and Joel Moors.
Irish bouzouki version – Mike Addelman.
Zorba the Greek-styled Mediterranean version – Tom Miles.
Gypsy-style version – Dan Baker.
"I'm playing all the instruments on it, and I have used a telephone mouthpiece as a microphone, to obtain the sound of a gypsy outfit on a 78rpm record."
A "genteel retro" arrangement in the style of JS Bach – Richard Hibbs.
Piano version. Sandy Faris – the composer of the original theme tune – performs his composition on piano.
An alternative rendition on the piano – Sandy Faris.
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra version – Sandy Faris, conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.
Carillon version – John Ridgeway-Wood.
"Recording has to be done on the nave roof, about 160 feet above street level! We have to contend with pigeons, traffic, and the minster clock bells. The minster carillon is unique as is it the only one in a UK cathedral. It was installed in June/July 2008 and has been acclaimed as a very fine instrument by some of the world's top carillonneurs. It is played every day for half an hour before evensong, and there are regular recitals, usually on Saturday afternoons. On the run up to Christmas, it is also being played before the many carol services which are held at York Minster."
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's extended version – BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sandy Faris.
Version played on blown bottles, mallets, shakuhachi, kalimba, penny whistle and a koto – Simon Parker.
A "tribute to Henry Mancini" version – Kit Morgan.
Electro-dance interpretation – Timothy Brook.
Tchaikovsky ballet-style version – Dominic Leitner.
A version to commemorate Elvis' 75th birthday – Personym.
Full version of the Elvis' 75th birthday theme, above, by Personym.
"Being septuagenarians ourselves, the timing of a vocal version for PM to coincide with his birthday seemed appropriate. We were of course inspired by that lovely Pauline Collins vocal version and used as much of the Benny Green lyric as possible. We used the Acoustic Guitar MIDI track from Bunty Pritchard Jones' MIDI file (which I downloaded from your site), fiddled with it a bit, and added a simple bass line. The instrumental and vocal backings were based on the structure of Elvis' Are You Lonesome Tonight. We were aiming at an Elvis/Jordanaires 'feel' ... it was not intended as an Elvis impersonation! It was of course too long to be broadcast in full on PM."
Loony Tunes version – Kit Morgan.
The Godfather version – Caroline Devine.
"... sampled a musical box that plays the Godfather love theme with the idea of manipulating the fragments to create a new piece for the 'meta-musical box' to play."
News-pips version – Nicholas Webb.
"Upsitars, Downsitars" – a raga-influenced version – Michael Godfrey.
An a-cappella version – Sputnik Weasel.
"The Upshares theme slot is fast becoming the aural equivalent of Gormley's Plynth."
Country version – Kit Morgan.
Mediterranean version – Tom Miles.
Latin-American version – Juan Escudo Y Su Orquesta.
For wind trio in the style of a classical minuet – Dominic Gannon.
Circus version – Nigel Middleton.
Spanish guitar and tabla version – Jon Leadbetter and Owain Clarke.
Trailers etc. (See also Videos page.)Down­load (right-click save)Play in this page
TV trailer for the LWT repeats of 1996/7. (Stereo)
Opening of the first episode in LWT's 1996 reruns (Stereo)
TV trailer for Granada Plus transmissions of the show.
The late Frank Muir introduces the first episode for Channel 4's TV Heaven in 1992. The anecdote about Gordon Jackson actually applied to the junked black-and-white version of On Trial and not to the colour version which was then presented! The episode is prefaced by the 1970's LWT jingle which would have been heard before all the original transmissions.

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