Masters and Servants

It's strange in a recession how we suddenly hanker for nostalgia. There's been an upsurge in period dramas on TV in recent months. Chief among them Downton Abbey. If you are a viewer in the STV region you, like me will have been deprived of this. There had been so much hype that over the festive holidays I bought it on DVD and watched it in one sitting! Written by Julian Fellows it's as good as everyone says. Starting with the sinking of the Titanic and ending on the eve of the First World War, if you haven't watched this - don't miss it.

Since we're in a recession the makers saved money by minimising the set building by filming at Highclere Castle and one magazine showed how most of the glorious costumes had made appearances in several other period films, previously worn by Nicole Kidman, Gillian Anderson and Kate Winslett among others.

Next up was the BBC update of Upstairs Downstairs one of the 1970s most popular dramas. The original series followed the lives of an aristocratic Edwardian family, this time it's updated to the period between the wars.

This didn't get the rave reviews that Downton did but I thought it was really well done and the storylines engaging.