After a three part revival in late 2010, the 1970s favourite Upstairs Downstairs is back again, this time with a whole 6 hours of people walking, and sometimes running up and down stairs. After making the combination of pre-eclampsia and Miranda a ratings winning on Sunday night, Call the Midwife writer Heidi Thomas will be hoping some of that popularity of will rub off onto her other creation. She also seems to be clinging on to some hope that everyone will stop banging on about Downtown Abbey long enough to allow another tale of posh nobs and their skivvies into their lives.

Of course, it’s massively unfair of everyone to keep comparing the two. All they have in common is that they are both period dramas, both focussing on the servants and masters of a wealthy household, both with war as a backdrop, both with similar plot-lines and both with pretty good looking casts, occasionally going at it both above and below stairs. Well good, we’ve cleared that up.

Anyway, it’s all change at 165 Eaton Place. Co-creators of the original series, Eileen Atkins (Lady Maud) and Jean Marsh (Rose Buck) are both absent from proceedings. Jean Marsh was sadly too ill to film the first episodes but will be back mid-way through the run, however Eileen Atkins departure is permanent after some rumoured disagreements about the direction of the show.

The producers are very proud to be introducing Alex Kingston as Dr Blanche Mottershead [“The ace of spades, the ace of spades!” sorry – Ed] which they’re claiming is the first lesbian character in a period drama. Presumably Keeley Hawes completely misunderstood what she was up to in Tipping the Velvet? Emilia Fox will be joining as a love interest later in the series, but for now we get Dr Blanche mostly hanging around being obnoxious. Downstairs there are a couple of new maids - one hapless, one attractive. You know the score by now - one will accidently do something hilarious while trying to stuff a chicken, the other will get a good stuffing from a footman.  

Upstairs Downstairs proved last time it’s not afraid to go heavy on the GCSE History and this latest run is no exception. With Sir Hallam being a diplomat, he is of course involved in every aspect of the possible war with Germany, so we’ve got Neville Chamberlain, Nazis, gas marks and ARP Wardens aplenty, all at the expense of developing characters you might care about.

The cast and crew are incredible keen to stress it’s nothing like Downtown Abbey. With more poorly developed characters, ridiculous accents and Alex Kingston being so irritating she’s barely watchable they needn’t worry. The difference is clear.

Upstairs Downstairs starts again on BBC1, Sunday, February 19 at 9.30pm. Homeland is on Channel 4 at the same time and that’s got Claire Danes in it, being all mad.