Update for anyone having the same problem.
Now about 7 hours later and windows 10 is fully installed.
I followed the advice from Windows Central and left the computer to get on with it. The problem with the download failing might have been due to the computer's power saving settings. I set the computer to 'never' shut down and just left it-taking the dog for a long walk. I also monitored the download speed and progress using the 'status' window on my router. The download rate was much lower than it could have been. This might have been to lots of people downloading at the same time.
Hope this is useful to anyone looking at a boring 'working for it' screen perhaps one that says "Stay Calm and Carry On" would be better.