Firstly, Sunday evening saw a particularly attention-grabbing installment of Upstairs Downstairs, as the mystery of Blanche's lover was revealed to the residents of 165 ... although whether or not this will have the required effect on the show's falling ratings remains to be seen this weekend. Elsewhere, Hallam finds himself drawn into yet another secret rendezvous with sister-in-law, Lady Persie, whilst Lady Agnes makes a trip to the hospital and Rose makes a welcome return to the show (her part significantly reduced due to Marsh's ill health).
©BBC 2011
Given that the latest hot gossip from Downton Abbey has already been hitting the headlines this week, and the show is not even on-air until the Autumn.... I fear that Upstairs Downstairs still has a long way to go if it wants to be seen to in any way emulate its success! For Downton fans, celebrations are afoot in response to certain pictures released of this week's filming ... however, before we get too excited, caution is advised, as it has also been revealed that both Dan Stevens and Dame Maggie Smith have yet to renew their contracts beyond this year .... could Mary be about to lose Matthew after all?! Only time will tell ....
©ITV 2010
Likewise, this week saw the first glimpse of the latest series of Not Going Out on the BBC HD channel, signaling we hopefully shouldn't have too much longer to wait, whilst the early stages of production have started for Merlin series 5 ... checkout the official twitter for a glimpse of a returning character ....
Back to the present, and Tuesday night saw the conclusion of the brilliant series, Prisoners' Wives. From Gemma's desperate race through the city centre to the inevitable consequences of Francesca's latest windfall, this episode had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.
Starting out with a weekly spotlight on each character, the series has successfully drawn us in to the worlds of these four women, leaving me desperate for at last a glimmer of a happy ending .... and whilst I thought it unlikely, for the most part, I wasn't disappointed. Leaving Harriet in the arms of the prison chaplain, having reconciled with her son after last week's disastrous Family Day, Lou returns to the prison to start her own sentence, but we can live in hope that this is a turning point for the well-intentioned mother and her family ....
©BBC 2011
Elsewhere, a mixed ending for Gemma and Steve seems the most believable outcome we could have had, as Gemma makes one last trip to the prison before leaving to start a new life for her and the baby. In the end, the only tragedy came as Francesca finally realised the cost of her lifestyle, but sadly too late for the rest of her family ...
Similarly, we can only hope that Josh has, at long last, turned a corner in Waterloo Road, whilst I suspect both staff and pupils are in for something of a rough-awakening as ex-army Nicki joins the team. However, I stand by my suspicions that there is more to this new character than meets the eye ... there's confident, and then there's too confident ...
Sadly, with the exception of Sunday's Upstairs Downstairs, the weekend is currently the one part of the weekly sadly laking on the drama front, this being the season of game shows and reality tv .... but never fear, from Titanic to Doctor Who, April is only just around the corner ...
