Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC One, confirmed today that six new 60-minute episodes of the show will air in early 2012.

Originally airing on ITV from 1971 to 1975, Upstairs Downstairs was revived in 2010 for three episodes which aired on BBC One at Christmas. The mini-series attracted an average of 8.4 million viewers, with former Spooks star Keeley Hawes as Lady Agnes Holland and Anne Reid (Marchlands) as Mrs Thackeray, the cook.

Ben Stephenson, Controller of BBC Drama Commissioning, commented: “Upstairs Downstairs is the BBC’s biggest drama series launch, alongside Sherlock, since Doctor Who in 2005. When it returns in the first half of next year viewers will find everything they loved at Christmas, but with bold new stories that shed a fascinating light on a changing society. A huge shock will ensure events at 165 Eaton Place are never the same again.”