Jean Marsh wants to revive The House of Eliott

Veteran British actress Jean Marsh is putting the cancellation of her Upstairs, Downstairs reboot behind her by making plans to revive another of her period dramas, The House Of Eliott. Marsh co-created Upstairs, Downstairs with her friend Dame Eileen Atkins, and she played housemaid Rose Buck in the original 1970s show and a revived 2010 version of the TV drama, which was axed after two seasons due to poor ratings.
However, she is now looking to reteam with Atkins to make a new version of the other TV show they created together – popular period drama The House of Eliott.
Marsh insists she wants the show to be able to avoid comparisons with hugely successful Downton Abbey, telling Britain’s Daily Telegraph, “I want to bring House of Eliott back. You see, we have thought about it for a while, but now seems like the right time. We would like to set it in the Forties and Fifties rather than the Twenties. That way we would be a couple of decades ahead of Downton and wouldn’t have to worry about comparisons.
“Everyone always compares period dramas… With House of Eliott, there would be fewer comparisons, anyway, because it centres around a fashion house rather than an aristocratic home.”
Announcing her plans to revive the show, Marsh took a subtle swipe at Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, claiming he borrowed many ideas from Upstairs, Downstairs.
She adds, “Truthfully, it feels like every good original idea Eileen and I had appeared in Downton Abbey.”
The House of Eliott, which revolved around sisters running a dress-making business, ran between 1991 and 1994.