Danny Cohen, Controller of BBC1, confirmed this week that costume drama Upstairs Downstairs will return with a 6 x 60-minute series in 2012.

“The return of Upstairs Downstairs was fantastically well-received,” says Cohen, “but what drove us to recommission was the wonderfully imaginative and distinctive plans the team have to take the drama forward.”

The revival of the classic series Upstairs Downstairs was a hit for BBC1, attracting an average of 8.4 million viewers across the three episodes. The new batch will consist of six episodes and will chart “a period of social change in Britain in which class structures are tested to their limits”.

Ben Stephenson, Controller, BBC Drama Commissioning, added: “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 stories that shed a fascinating light on a changing society.”

Upstairs Downstairs was recommissioned by Cohen and Stephenson. Made by BBC Cymru Wales Drama, the exec producers are Piers Wenger, Heidi Thomas and Kate Harwood. It is a co-production with Masterpiece on PBS.