Show that's '1970s Downton Abbey' has fans begging 'how did we miss this'

proved a massive hit for when it first aired in 2010 - and it's since launched its own series of feature films based on the hit franchise. With five series under its belt, the period drama, which is available to stream on Netflix, launched the careers of stars like Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael into the stratosphere.

But some of its keenest fans are only just discovering the programme that inspired the series. Upstairs Downstairs first aired in 1971 and, like its spiritual successor, ran for five series. Starring Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, the ITV show was set in a large Belgravia townhouse, depicting the lives of the 'downstairs' servants and the 'upstairs' masters.

Like Downton Abbey, the series follows major events of the 20th century, including the , women's suffrage and the Wall Street Crash. It spans from 1903 until 1930, while Downton is set in a Yorkshire country estate from 1912 to 1926.

Not only that, but the programme was picked up by the BBC in 2010, where a continuation of the original was run until 2012. The series picked up from 1936 London, with Jean Marsh reprising her role as Rose Buck and Keeley Hawes joining the cast as Lady Agnes Holland. The reprisal finished just at the outbreak of World War 2.

Fans have been going wild for the show since discovering it, with one tweeting: "Without Upstairs Downstairs, there would never have been a Downton Abbey..." Another agreed: "I loved Upstairs Downstairs. It was the Downton Abbey of the 1970s."

Somebody else posted: "A friend of mine who loved Downton Abbey started to watch Upstairs Downstairs at my recommendation. My friend preferred it much more than Downton! I, of course, also thought Upstairs Downstairs was far superior."

Sadly lead actress Jean Marsh passed away earlier this month at the age of 90. She suffered a stroke in 2011 and scaled down her acting commitments, and ultimately died from dementia complications at her London home.