Missing Believed Killed
| "Missing Believed Killed" | |
|---|---|
| 'Upstairs, Downstairs' episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Christopher Hodson |
| Written by | Jeremy Paul |
| Production code | 11 |
| Original air date | 23 November 1974 |
Missing Believed Killed is the eleventh episode of the fourth series of the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It first aired on 23 November 1974 on ITV.
Missing Believed Killed was recorded in the studio on 22 and 23 August 1974. The outside scenes at the hospital were filmed at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire on 13 August. Waddesdon Manor had also been used for the French château scenes in the earlier episode If You Were the Only Girl in the World. In this episode, Gareth Hunt made what was then a one-off appearance as James's batman Trooper Norton. However, he impressed the programme makers and was offered a regular part and in series five returned to become the footman.
It is October 1917, and it has been a week since James was reported "missing believed killed" and his batman, Trooper Norton, delivers his belongings to Eaton Place. However, days later he turns up at Georgina's hospital in France. A piece of shell is removed from just above his right knee, which went slightly gangreneous and a shell also grazed his forehead. He is also suffering from shock and exposure, and he has run a high fever.
James is comforted by Georgina's presence in the hospital, and Georgina has become attached to caring for her step-cousin. Richard and Hazel travel out to France and intend to bring him home with a private ambulance hired by Lady Southwold, Lady Marjorie's mother. Georgina thinks James will not survive the journey and argues with Hazel and Richard, but they take him back anyway. James later lends some credence to Georgina's concerns, admitting that the journey over muddy roads and the channel crossing "nearly killed [him]."
Once back at Eaton Place, James has a private nurse to look after him, but it is clear that James is much more gravely ill than the staff expected. He tells Hazel that the scent from the flowers she has placed in his room remind him of the smell of gas, and he expresses regret that she has become a nurse, not a wife. One night he feels hungry, having previously lost his appetite, and a delighted Hazel and Mrs Bridges make him a snack. However, James has begun to exhibit the flashes of irritation and temper that would characterize his behavior for the rest of the season, lashing out not just about his hunger but about the comfort of his wound dressings and even the appearance of a decorative urn. To thank the servants for their hard work and support, Hazel treats them and pays for them to go and see a George Robey show.
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