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Downton Abbey

January 07, 2023

This article is about the TV series. For the 2019 film, see Downton Abbey (film). For the 2022 film, see Downton Abbey: A New Era.

Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on PBS, which supported production of the series as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011.

Downton Abbey
GenreHistorical drama
Created byJulian Fellowes
Written by
Starring
Opening theme"Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"
ComposerJohn Lunn
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series6
No. of episodes52 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Liz Trubridge
  • Nigel Marchant
Production locationHighclere Castle
CinematographyGavin Struthers
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time47–93 minutes
Production company
Release
Original networkITV
Picture format1080i HDTV
Audio formatStereo
Original release26 September 2010 (2010-09-26) –
25 December 2015 (2015-12-25)

The series, set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era—the great events of the time having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; the Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series; the Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series; the British general election of 1923 and the Beer Hall Putsch in the fifth series. The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy.

Downton Abbey has received acclaim from television critics and won numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011. It earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, with twenty-seven in total (after the first two series).[1] It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited.[2]

On 26 March 2015, Carnival Films and ITV announced that the sixth series would be the last. It aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015. The final episode, serving as the annual Christmas special, was broadcast on 25 December 2015. A film adaptation, serving as a continuation of the series, was confirmed on 13 July 2018 and subsequently released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019, and in the United States on 20 September 2019. A second feature film, Downton Abbey: A New Era was released in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022 by Universal Pictures, and in the United States and Canada on 20 May 2022 by Focus Features.[3]

Plot overview

Main article: List of Downton Abbey episodes
SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAve. UK viewers
(millions)[4]
First airedLast aired
1726 September 2010 (2010-09-26)7 November 2010 (2010-11-07)9.70
2818 September 2011 (2011-09-18)6 November 2011 (2011-11-06)11.68
Special25 December 2011 (2011-12-25)
3816 September 2012 (2012-09-16)4 November 2012 (2012-11-04)11.91
Special25 December 2012 (2012-12-25)
4822 September 2013 (2013-09-22)10 November 2013 (2013-11-10)11.84
Special25 December 2013 (2013-12-25)
5821 September 2014 (2014-09-21)9 November 2014 (2014-11-09)10.40
Special25 December 2014 (2014-12-25)
6820 September 2015 (2015-09-20)8 November 2015 (2015-11-08)10.42
Special25 December 2015 (2015-12-25)

Series 1: 2010

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 1)
 
 
Series 1 introduces the Crawley Family, headed by the 7th Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern).

The first series, comprising seven episodes, explores the lives of the fictional Crawley family, the hereditary Earls of Grantham, and their domestic servants. The storyline centres on the fee tail or "entail" governing the titled elite, which endows title and estate exclusively to male heirs. As part of the backstory, the main character, Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, had resolved his father's past financial difficulties by marrying Cora Levinson, an American heiress. Her considerable dowry is now contractually incorporated into the committal entail in perpetuity; however, Robert and Cora have three daughters and no son.

As the eldest daughter, Lady Mary Crawley had agreed to marry her second cousin Patrick, the son of the then-heir presumptive James Crawley. The series begins the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 14/15 April 1912. The first episode starts as news reaches Downton Abbey that both James and Patrick have perished in the sinking of the ocean liner. Soon it is discovered that a more distant male cousin, solicitor Matthew Crawley, the son of an upper-middle-class doctor, has become the next heir presumptive. The story initially centres on the relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew, who resists embracing an aristocratic lifestyle, while Lady Mary resists her own attraction to the handsome new heir presumptive.

Of several subplots, one involves John Bates, Lord Grantham's new valet and former Boer War batman, and Thomas Barrow, an ambitious young footman, who resents Bates for taking over the position he had desired. Bates and Thomas remain at odds as Barrow works to sabotage Bates's every move. After learning Bates had recently been released from prison, Thomas and Miss O'Brien (Lady Grantham's Lady's maid) begin a relentless pursuit that nearly ruins the Crawley family in scandal. Barrow – a homosexual man in late Edwardian England – and O'Brien create havoc for most of the staff and family. When Barrow is caught stealing, he hands in his notice to join the Royal Army Medical Corps. Matthew eventually does propose to Lady Mary, but she puts him off when Lady Grantham becomes pregnant, understanding that Matthew would no longer be heir if the baby is a boy. Cora loses the baby after O'Brien, believing she is soon to be fired, retaliates by leaving a bar of soap on the floor next to the bathtub, causing Cora to slip while getting out of the tub, and the fall resulting in a miscarriage. It is later revealed that the miscarried foetus was a male. Although Lady Mary intends to accept Matthew, Matthew believes her reluctance is due to the earlier uncertainty of his heirship and emotionally rescinds his proposal, leaving Lady Mary devastated. The series ends just after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914.

Series 2: 2011

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 2)
 
Michelle Dockery plays Lady Mary Crawley, the eldest Grantham daughter.
 
Dan Stevens plays Matthew Crawley.

The second series comprises eight episodes and runs from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. During the war, Downton Abbey is temporarily converted into an officers' convalescent hospital.

Matthew, having left Downton, is now a British Army officer and has become engaged. His fiancée is Lavinia Swire, the niece of a Liberal minister. William Mason, the second footman, is drafted, even after attempts by the Dowager Countess of Grantham to save him from conscription. William is taken under Matthew's protection as his personal orderly. Enduring trench warfare and charging against machine guns and artillery, both are injured by an exploding shell. William dies from his wounds, but only after a deathbed marriage to Daisy, the kitchen maid. While Daisy does not believe she loves William, she marries him in his last hours as his dying wish. It is not until a brief encounter with the Dowager Countess that she begins to realise that her love was real, but she could not admit it to herself.

Matthew is now paralysed from the waist down by his battle injury, and seemingly unable to father children. Lavinia remains true to him despite his attempts to set her free, and he finally accepts her devotion. Mary, while acknowledging her feelings for Matthew, becomes engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle, a powerful and overbearing newspaper mogul, but their relationship is rocky. Bates's wife, Vera, repeatedly causes trouble for John and Anna, who are now engaged. Vera threatens to expose Mary's past scandalous indiscretion, but Carlisle agrees to purchase and kill her story. Embittered, Mrs Bates mysteriously commits suicide with an arsenic pie after a visit by Bates, and he is arrested on suspicion of her murder. Matthew regains the use of his legs, and he and Mary realise they are still in love, but Matthew remains honourably committed to Lavinia after she stood by him during his misfortune. Unknown to them both, Lavinia, ill with Spanish flu, sees and overhears Matthew and Mary admit their love for one another while dancing to a song playing on the phonograph gifted as a wedding present to Matthew and Lavinia.

The Spanish influenza epidemic hits Downton Abbey further with Cora taken seriously ill, as well as Carson, the butler. During the outbreak, Thomas attempts to make up for his inability to find other employment after the war by making himself as useful as possible and is made Lord Grantham's valet after Bates is arrested. Lavinia dies abruptly, which causes great guilt to both Matthew and Mary. Bates is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death but the sentence is commuted to life in prison due to Lord Grantham's influence. After a talk with Robert, Mary realises that she must break off her engagement to Carlisle; he and Matthew fight in the drawing room, but in the end Carlisle goes quietly and is never heard from again. The annual Servants' Ball is held at Downton, and Mary and Matthew finally find their way to a marriage proposal on a snowy evening outside the Abbey.

Lady Sybil, the youngest Crawley daughter, beginning to find her aristocratic life stifling, falls in love with Tom Branson, the new chauffeur of Irish descent with strong socialist leanings. She is talked out of elopement by her sisters, but her wayward marriage eventually receives Lord Grantham's reluctant blessing.

Ethel Parks, a new housemaid, is seduced by a wounded officer, Major Bryant. Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper, finds them together in bed and dismisses Ethel, but takes pity on her and helps her when Ethel tells her she is pregnant. She has a baby boy and names him Charlie after his father, but Major Bryant refuses to acknowledge his paternity.

The filming location, Highclere Castle, in reality served as a convalescent home during World War I.[5]

Series 3: 2012

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 3)
 
Allen Leech plays Tom Branson, the chauffeur who marries into the Crawley family.

In episode one of the third series, covering 1920 to 1921, preparations are underway for Mary and Matthew's wedding. Tom and Sybil Branson arrive from Ireland, where they now live, to attend the wedding. Also arriving to attend the wedding of her granddaughter is Cora's mother, Martha Levinson, from America. Robert (Lord Grantham) learns that the bulk of the family's fortune (including Cora's dowry) has been lost due to his impetuous investment in the Grand Trunk Railway. Meanwhile Edith has fallen for Sir Anthony Strallan, whom Robert discourages from marrying Edith due to his age and crippled arm. At Edith's insistence, Robert gives in and welcomes Sir Anthony, but even though he loves her, Strallan cannot accept that the Grantham family disapproves the match, and at the altar announces that he cannot go through with the wedding, devastating Edith. Strallan flees the church and is never heard from again.

Meanwhile, Bates's cellmate plants a small surgical knife in his bedding, but Bates is informed by a fellow prisoner allowing him time to find and hide it (this same small knife is later used by Bates to threaten his cellmate when he had been using his connections through corrupt prison guards to keep a witness from testifying to Bates’s innocence of the crime for which he is incarcerated). At Downton, Mrs Hughes finds out she may have breast cancer, which only some of the household hear about, causing deep concern, but the tumour turns out to be benign. Tom Branson and Lady Sybil, now pregnant, return to Downton after Tom is implicated in the burning of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat's house. After Matthew's reluctance to accept an inheritance from Lavinia's recently deceased father and then Robert's reluctance to accept that inheritance as a gift, Matthew and Robert reach a compromise in which Matthew accepts that the inheritance will be used as an investment in the estate, giving Matthew an equal say in how it is run. However, as time goes on Robert repeatedly resists Matthew and Tom's efforts to modernise the running of the estate to make it profitable.

Tragedy strikes when Sybil dies from eclampsia shortly after giving birth. Tom, devastated, names his daughter Sybil after his late wife. Bates is released from prison after Anna uncovers evidence clearing him of his wife's murder. Tom becomes the new land agent at the suggestion of Violet, the Dowager Countess. Barrow and O'Brien have a falling out, after which O'Brien leads Barrow to believe that Jimmy, the new footman, is sexually attracted to him. Barrow enters Jimmy's room and kisses him while he is sleeping, which wakes him up shocked, confused, and very angry. In the end, Lord Grantham (familiar with homosexuality from Eton) defuses the situation. The family, except Branson, visits Violet's niece Susan, her husband "Shrimpie", the Marquess of Flintshire; and their daughter Rose, in Scotland, accompanied by Matthew and a very pregnant Mary. The Marquess confides to Robert that his estate is bankrupt and will be sold, making Robert recognise that Downton has been saved through Matthew and Tom's efforts to modernise. At Downton, Edna Braithwaite, the new maid, enters Tom's room and kisses him, to which he asks her to leave, and she is eventually fired. Mary returns to Downton with Anna and gives birth to the new heir, but Matthew dies in a car crash while driving home from the hospital after seeing his newborn son.

Series 4: 2013

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 4)

In series four, covering 1922 to 1923, Cora's lady's maid O'Brien leaves to serve Lady Flintshire in British India. Cora hires Edna Braithwaite, who had previously been fired for her interest in Tom. Eventually the situation blows up, and Edna is replaced by Phyllis Baxter.

Lady Mary deeply mourns Matthew's death. Matthew's newly-found letter states Mary is to be his sole heir and thus gives her management over his share of the estate until their son, George, comes of age. With Tom's encouragement, Mary assumes a more active role in running Downton. Two new suitors—Lord Gillingham and Charles Blake—arrive at Downton, though Mary, still grieving, is not interested. Middle daughter Lady Edith, who has begun writing a weekly newspaper column, and Michael Gregson, a magazine editor, fall in love. Due to British law, he is unable to divorce his wife, who is mentally ill and in an asylum. Gregson travels to Germany to seek citizenship there, enabling him to divorce, but is killed by Hitler's Brownshirts during riots. Edith is left pregnant and decides to have an illegal abortion, but changes her mind at the last minute. With the help from her paternal aunt, Lady Rosamund, Edith secretly gives birth to a daughter while abroad, and places the baby with adoptive parents in Switzerland, but reclaims her after arranging a new adoptive family on the estate. Mr and Mrs Drewe of Yew Tree Farm take the baby in and raise her as their own.

Anna is raped by Lord Gillingham's valet, Mr Green, which Mr Bates later discovers. Subsequently, Mr Green is killed in a London street accident. A local school teacher, Sarah Bunting, and Tom begin a friendship. On the Christmas special, Sampson, a card sharp, steals a letter written by Edward VIII, then Prince of Wales, to his mistress, Rose's friend Freda Dudley Ward, which, if made public, would create a scandal; the entire Crawley family connives to retrieve it, though it is Bates who extracts the letter from Sampson's overcoat, and it is returned to Mrs Dudley Ward.

Series 5: 2014

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 5)

In series five, covering the year 1924, a Russian exile, Prince Kuragin, wishes to renew his past affections for the Dowager Countess (Violet). Violet instead locates his wife in British Hong Kong and reunites the Prince and his estranged wife. Scotland Yard and the local police investigate Green's death. Violet learns that Marigold is Edith's daughter. Meanwhile, Mrs Drewe, not knowing Marigold's true parentage, resents Edith's constant visits. To increase his chances with Mary, Charles Blake plots to reunite Gillingham and his ex-fiancée, Mabel. After Edith inherits Michael Gregson's publishing company, she removes Marigold from the Drewes and relocates to London. Simon Bricker, an art expert interested in one of Downton's paintings, shows his true intentions toward Cora and is thrown out by Robert, causing a temporary rift between the couple.

Mrs Patmore's decision to invest her inheritance in real estate inspires Mr Carson, Downton's butler, to do likewise. He suggests that head housekeeper Mrs Hughes invest with him; she confesses she has no money due to supporting a mentally incapacitated sister. The Crawleys' cousin, Lady Rose, daughter of Lord and Lady Flintshire, becomes engaged to Atticus Aldridge, son of Lord and Lady Sinderby. Lord Sinderby strongly objects to Atticus's marrying outside the Jewish faith. Lord Merton proposes to Isobel Crawley (Matthew's mother). She accepts, but later ends the engagement due to Lord Merton's sons' disparaging comments over her status as a commoner. Lady Flintshire employs underhanded schemes to derail Rose and Atticus's engagement, including announcing to everyone at the wedding that she and her husband are divorcing, intending to cause a scandal to stop Rose's marriage to Atticus; they are married anyway.

When Anna is arrested on suspicion of Green's murder, Bates writes a false confession before fleeing to Ireland. Miss Baxter and Molesley, a footman, are able to prove that Bates was in York at the time of the murder. This new information allows Anna to be released. Cora eventually learns the truth about Marigold, and wants her raised at Downton; Marigold is presented as Edith's ward, but Robert and Tom eventually discern the truth: only Mary is unaware. When a war memorial is unveiled in the town, Robert arranges for a separate plaque to honour the cook Mrs Patmore's late nephew, who was shot for cowardice and excluded from his own village's memorial.

The Crawleys are invited to Brancaster Castle, which Lord and Lady Sinderby have rented for a shooting party. While there, Lady Rose, with help from the Crawleys, defuses a personal near-disaster for Lord Sinderby, earning his gratitude and securing his approval of Rose. A second footman, Andy, is hired on Barrow's recommendation. During the annual Downton Abbey Christmas celebration, Tom Branson announces he is moving to America to work for his cousin, taking daughter Sybil with him. Mr Carson proposes marriage to Mrs Hughes and she accepts.

Series 6: 2015

Main article: Downton Abbey (series 6)
 
Highclere Castle as Downton Abbey

In series six, covering the year 1925, changes are once again afoot at Downton Abbey as the middle class rises and more bankrupted aristocrats are forced to sell off their large estates. Downton must do more to ensure its future survival; reductions in staff are considered, forcing Barrow to look for a job elsewhere. Lady Mary defies a blackmailer, who is thwarted by Lord Grantham. With Branson's departure to Boston, Lady Mary becomes the estate agent. Edith is more hands-on in running her magazine and hires a female editor. Lady Violet and Isobel once again draw battle lines as a government take-over of the local hospital is considered.

Meanwhile, Anna suffers repeated miscarriages. Lady Mary takes her to a specialist, who diagnoses a treatable condition, and she becomes pregnant again. Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes disagree on where to hold their wedding reception, but eventually choose to have it at the schoolhouse, during which Tom Branson reappears with Sybil, having returned to Downton for good. Coyle, who tricked Baxter into stealing a previous employer's jewellery, is convicted after she and other witnesses are persuaded to testify. After Mrs Drewe kidnaps Marigold when Edith is not looking, the Drewes vacate Yew Tree Farm; Daisy convinces Tom Branson to ask Lord Grantham to give her father-in-law, Mr Mason, the tenancy. Andy, a footman, offers to help Mr Mason so he can learn about farming, but Andy is held back by his illiteracy; Mr Barrow offers to teach him to read.

Robert suffers a near-fatal health crisis. Previous episodes alluded to health problems for Robert; his ulcer bursts and he is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The operation is successful, but Mary and Tom must take over Downton's operations. Larry Merton's fiancée, Amelia, encourages Lord Merton and Isobel Crawley to renew their engagement, but Lady Violet rightly becomes suspicious. Violet discovers that Amelia wants Isobel, and not her, to be Lord Merton's caretaker in his old age.[6] Daisy and Mr Molesley score high marks on their academic exams; Molesley's are so exceptional that he is offered a teaching position at the school. Mary breaks off with Henry Talbot, unable to live with the constant fear he could be killed in a car race. Bertie Pelham proposes to Edith, but she hesitates to accept because of Marigold. Lady Violet, upset over Lady Grantham replacing her as hospital president, abruptly departs for a long cruise to restore her equanimity.

Bertie Pelham unexpectedly succeeds his late second cousin as 7th Marquess of Hexham and moves into Brancaster Castle; Edith accepts him. Then Mary spitefully exposes Marigold's parentage, causing Bertie to walk out. Tom confronts Mary over her malicious behaviour and her true feelings for Henry. Despondent, Barrow attempts suicide, and is saved by Baxter, causing Robert and Mr Carson to let Barrow stay at Downton while he recovers and while he searches for new employment. Mary and Henry reunite and are married. Edith returns to Downton for the wedding, becoming reconciled with Mary. Mrs Patmore's new bed and breakfast business is tainted by scandal, but saved when Robert, Cora and Rosamund appear there publicly to support her. Mary arranges a surprise meeting for Edith and Bertie with Bertie proposing again. Edith accepts. Edith tells Bertie's moralistic mother Miranda Pelham about Marigold; she turns against the match, but is won over by Edith's honesty. Barrow finds a position as butler and leaves Downton on good terms, but he is unhappy at his new post.

Lord Merton is diagnosed with terminal pernicious anaemia, and Amelia blocks Isobel from seeing him. Goaded by Lady Violet, Isobel pushes into the Merton house, and announces she will take Lord Merton to her house to care for him and to marry him – to his delight. Later, Lord Merton is correctly diagnosed with a non-fatal form of anaemia. Robert resents Cora's frequent absences as the hospital president, but encouraged by Lady Rose he comes to admire her ability after watching her chair a hospital meeting. Henry and Tom go into business together selling used cars, while Mary announces her pregnancy. Molesley accepts a permanent teaching position and he and Miss Baxter promise to continue seeing each other. Daisy and Andy finally acknowledge their feelings; Daisy decides to move to the farm with Mr Mason, her father-in-law. Carson develops palsy and must retire. Lord Grantham suggests Barrow return as butler, with Mr Carson in an overseeing role. Edith and Bertie are finally married in the series finale, set on New Year's Eve 1925. Lady Rose and Atticus return for the wedding. Anna goes into labour during the reception, and she and Bates become parents to a healthy son.

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Downton Abbey characters
 
Penelope Wilton (left) plays Isobel Crawley; Jim Carter plays the butler, Mr Carson.
 
Robert James-Collier plays the footman turned under-butler, Mr Thomas Barrow.

The main cast of the Crawley family is led by Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham, and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham. Their three daughters are depicted by Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley (Talbot), Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley (Pelham) and Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley (Branson). Maggie Smith is Robert Crawley's mother Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham. Samantha Bond portrays Lady Rosamund Painswick, Robert's sister who resides in Belgrave Square, London. Dan Stevens portrays Matthew Crawley, the new heir, along with Penelope Wilton as his mother, Isobel Crawley, who are brought to Downton. Allen Leech as Tom Branson begins the series as the family chauffeur, but falls in love with Lady Sybil, marries her and later becomes the agent for the estate. David Robb portrays Dr Richard Clarkson, the local town doctor.

Joining the cast in series three is Lily James as Lady Rose MacClare, a second cousin through Violet's family, who is sent to live with the Crawleys because her parents are serving the empire in India and, later, remains there because of family problems. In series three and four, Shirley MacLaine portrays the mother of Cora Crawley, Martha Levinson. Suitors for Lady Mary's affections during the series include Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham, Julian Ovenden as Charles Blake, and Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot. Edith's fiancé and eventual husband Bertie Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham, is played by Harry Hadden-Paton.

Downton Abbey's senior household staff are portrayed by Jim Carter as Mr Carson, the butler, and Phyllis Logan as Mrs Hughes, the housekeeper. Tensions rise when Rob James-Collier, portraying Thomas Barrow, a footman and later a valet and under-butler, along with Siobhan Finneran as Miss O'Brien, the lady's maid to the Countess of Grantham (up to series three), plot against Brendan Coyle as Mr Bates, the valet to the Earl of Grantham, and his love interest and eventual wife, Anna (Joanne Froggatt), lady's maid to Lady Mary. Kevin Doyle plays the unlucky Mr Molesley, valet to Matthew Crawley. Thomas Howes portrays William Mason, the second footman.

Other household staff are Rose Leslie as Gwen Dawson, a housemaid studying to be a secretary in series one. Amy Nuttall plays Ethel Parks, a maid, beginning in series two and three. Matt Milne joined the cast as Alfred Nugent, O'Brien's nephew, the awkward new footman for series three and four, and Raquel Cassidy plays Baxter, Cora's new lady's maid, who was hired to replace Edna Braithwaithe, who was sacked. Ed Speleers plays the dashing James (Jimmy) Kent, the second footman, from series three to five. In series five and six Michael C. Fox plays Andy Parker, a replacement footman for Jimmy. In series four, five, and six Andrew Scarborough plays Tim Drewe, a farmer of the estate, who helps Lady Edith conceal a big secret.

The kitchen staff include Lesley Nicol as Mrs Patmore the cook, and Sophie McShera as Daisy, the scullery maid who works her way up to assistant cook having earlier married William Mason. Cara Theobold portrays Ivy Stuart, a kitchen maid, joining the cast for series three and four.

Crawley family

The series is set in fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house, which is the home and seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, along with their three daughters and other family members. Each series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family, their friends, and their servants during the reign of King George V.

Downton Abbey
Crawley family tree
3rd Earl of Grantham[i]
(deceased)		Countess of Grantham
(deceased)
The Hon Mr. Crawley
(deceased)		wife
(deceased)		4th Earl of Grantham[i]
(deceased)		Countess of Grantham
(deceased)
Mr. Crawley
(deceased)		wife
(deceased)		5th Earl of Grantham[i]
(deceased)		Countess of Grantham
(deceased)
Mr. Crawley
(deceased)		wifeThe Hon Mr. Crawley
(deceased)		wifePatrick Crawley
6th Earl of Grantham[i](deceased)		Violet Crawley
Dowager Countess of Grantham [ii]		Isidore Levinson[iii]
(deceased)		Martha Levinson[iii]Robertahusband
Dr. Reginald Crawley[iv]
(deceased)		Isobel Grey[v]
Baroness Merton (formerly Mrs. Crawley, née Turnbull)[iv]		Richard "Dickey" Grey
Baron Merton		James Crawley[vi]
(deceased)		wifeLady Rosamund Painswick[vii]
(née Crawley)		Sir Marmaduke Painswick[viii]
(deceased)		Robert Crawley
7th Earl of Grantham[ix][i][x]		Cora Crawley
Countess of Grantham
[v][x](née Levinson)		Harold LevinsonSusan MacClare
Marchioness of Flintshire		Hugh "Shrimpie" MacClare
Marquess of Flintshire
Patrick Crawley[vi]
(presumed dead)		Matthew Crawley
Heir presumptive of Robert Crawley. Died with issue.[x]		Lady Mary Josephine Talbot
[xi](née Crawley)		Henry TalbotMichael Gregson
(deceased)
Natural father of Marigold		Edith Pelham
(née Crawley)
Marchioness of Hexham		Herbert "Bertie" Pelham
7th Marquess of Hexham		Tom BransonLady Sybil Cora Branson
(née Crawley)
(deceased)		The Hon Atticus Aldridge
heir to Daniel Aldridge, 1st Lord Sinderby		Lady Rose Aldridge
(née MacClare)		James MacClare
Earl of Newtonmore
Lady Abigail (née MacClare)
George Crawley[xii]
Heir and son of Matthew Crawley and heir presumptive of Robert Crawley		Caroline TalbotMarigold Crawley[xii]Sybil "Sybbie" Branson[xii]Victoria Rachel Cora Aldridge
Explanatory notes and reference sources
  1. ^ a b c d e Milevsky (2017) p.22
    "...Downton Abbey, one of the main characters is Robert Crawley, the 7th Earl of Grantham, which you will note is rank number three in nobility. His (fictitious) father would have been the 6th Earl of Grantham, his grandfather 5th, and so on."[familytree 9]
  2. ^ Joseph (2016) p.31
    "[M]aggie Smith plays Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess and matriarch of the Crawley family..." "Cora, suggests to Violet's granddaughter Mary, that Mary pursue and marry the new heir..."[familytree 1]
  3. ^ a b Fellowes et al. (2012) p. 99–111
    "Mrs. Isidore Levinson. Mother of the Countess of Grantham" "Martha is rich". "Even Martha's own daughter does not seem entirely comfortable around her. Cora is not exactly cowed by her mother, but..."[familytree 2]
  4. ^ a b Fellowes (2015) p. 234
    "Not only was Isobel's late husband, Reginald Crawley, a doctor, but she herself had training as a nurse." "She comes from a proud line of medical practitioners – her father, Sir John Turnbull was a surgeon". [familytree 4]
  5. ^ a b Barkman et al. (2015) p.57
    "Matthew's mother, Mrs. Crawley, is an altogether contrary study in manners and respect."[familytree 3]
  6. ^ a b Editors of LIFE (2016) p. 11
    "Because Lord Grantham has no male heirs, upon his death the estate and title are set to fall to his cousin, James Crawley. However, James's son Patrick, is meant to marry Mary, which will keep the estate in Robert's family"[familytree 5]
  7. ^ Irwin (2016) p. 35
    "Mary's Aunt, the Lady Rosamund Painswick, obtains information on Lavinia..."[familytree 6]
  8. ^ Fellowes - 2015 - p. 445
    "The older sister of Robert, Rosamund, lives in London in the house she inherited from her late husband, Sir Marmaduke Painswick."[familytree 7]
  9. ^ Fellowes (2011) p.12-17
    "Robert the Earl of Grantham"[familytree 8]
  10. ^ a b c Fellowes et al. (2012) p.10
    "Lord Grantham – Robert – ...as the 7th Earl of Grantham." "The next in line (a first cousin) was lost on the Titanic, leaving a distant, unknown, middle-class relative – Matthew Crawley – as heir" "The American heiress he married was, of course, Cora..."[familytree 10]
  11. ^ Morrow (2012) p.237
    "Lady Mary. Lady Mary Josephine Crawley, eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham of the hit British television series, Downton Abbey.."[familytree 11]
  12. ^ a b c Fellowes (2015) p.102
    "Master George, the son of Mary and the late Matthew; Miss Sybbie; the daughter of Tom and the late Sybil; and Miss Marigold, the daughter of Edith and the late Michael Gregson"[familytree 12]
  1. ^ Joseph, Gillian (2016). Diverse Perspectives on Aging in a Changing World. Routledge Studies in Health and Social Welfare. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-27087-4.
  2. ^ Fellowes, J.; Sturgis, M.; Barratt, J.; Briggs, N.; Fellowes, J.; Keyte, G. (2012). The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era. The World of Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-02762-7.
  3. ^ Barkman, Adam; Arp, Robert (2015). Downton Abbey and Philosophy: Thinking in That Manor. Popular Culture and Philosophy. Open Court. ISBN 978-0-8126-9912-8.
  4. ^ Fellowes, Jessica (2015). Downton Abbey – A Celebration: The Official Companion
    to All Six Seasons    . The World of Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-250-09155-0.
  5. ^ Editors of LIFE (2016). LIFE Downton Abbey: Behind the Scenes of the Iconic TV Show. Time Inc. Books. ISBN 978-1-61893-450-5.
  6. ^ Irwin, William (2012). Downton Abbey and Philosophy: The Truth Is Neither
    Here Nor There    . The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-38661-3.
  7. ^ Fellowes, Jessica (2015). Downton Abbey - A Celebration: The Official Companion to All Six Series. Headline. ISBN 978-1-4722-2969-4.
  8. ^ Fellowes, Jessica (6 December 2011). The World of Downton Abbey. The World of Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-01620-1.
  9. ^ Milevsky, Moshe Arye (2017). The Day the King Defaulted: Financial Lessons
    from the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672    . Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-59987-8.
  10. ^ Fellowes, Jessica; Sturgis, Matthew (2012). The Chronicles of Downton Abbey: A New Era. The World of Downton Abbey. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-02763-4.
  11. ^ Morrow, Laurie Bogart (2012). The Giant Book of Dog Names. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4516-6690-8.
  12. ^ Fellowes, Jessica (2015). Downton Abbey – A Celebration: The Official Companion
    to All Six Series    . Headline. ISBN 978-1-4722-2969-4.

Production

Gareth Neame of Carnival Films conceived the idea of an Edwardian-era TV drama set in a country house and approached Fellowes, who had won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) for Gosford Park. The TV series Downton Abbey – written and created by Fellowes – was originally planned as a spin-off of Gosford Park, but instead was developed as a stand-alone property inspired by the film, set decades earlier.[7] Although Fellowes was reluctant to work on another project resembling Gosford Park, within a few weeks he returned to Neame with an outline of the first series. Influenced by Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country,[8] Fellowes writes the scripts, and his wife, Emma, is an informal story editor.[9]

Filming locations

Highclere Castle in north Hampshire is used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming.[10][11][12][13] The kitchen, servants' quarters and working areas, and some of the "upstairs" bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios.[14] Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family's London home.

 
Map of Downton Abbey filming locations

Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire. Notable locations include the Church of St Mary the Virgin and the library, which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital.[15] The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley's house, with interior scenes filmed at Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.[16]

The Downton Abbey of the title and setting is described as lying in Yorkshire. The towns of Easingwold, Kirkby Malzeard, Kirkbymoorside, Malton, Middlesbrough, Ripon, Richmond and Thirsk, each mentioned by characters in the series, lie in North Yorkshire, as does the city of York, while Leeds—similarly mentioned—lies in West Yorkshire. Yorkshire media speculated the general location of the fictional Downton Abbey to be somewhere in the triangulated area between the towns of Easingwold, Ripon and Thirsk.[17]

First World War trench warfare scenes in France were filmed in a specially constructed replica battlefield for period war scenes near the village of Akenham in rural Suffolk.[18]

Many historical locations and aristocratic mansions have been used to film various scenes:

The fictional Haxby Park, the estate Sir Richard Carlisle intends to buy in Series 2, is part of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire.[19] Byfleet Manor in Surrey is the location for the Dower house, home to Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham,[20] while West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire is used for the interior scenes of Lady Rosamund (Samantha Bond)'s London residence in Belgrave Square.[21] A house in Belgrave Square is used for exterior shots.[22]

The farm scenes in Series 2 in which Lady Edith learns to drive a tractor as part of the war effort were filmed on location at the Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire.[23][24]

Inveraray Castle in Argyll, Scotland, doubled as "Duneagle Castle" in the 2012 Christmas special.[25]

Greys Court near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire was used as the family's secondary property, which they proposed moving into and calling "Downton Place" due to financial difficulties in Series Three. Also in the third series, Bates's prison scenes were filmed at Lincoln Castle in Lincolnshire.

Horsted Keynes railway station in Sussex is used as Downton station.[26] The station is part of the heritage Bluebell Railway. St Pancras station in London doubled for King's Cross station in episode one of series 4, in the scene where Lady Edith Crawley meets her lover Michael Gregson.[27] The restaurant scene where Lady Edith meets Michael Gregson and where they share their kiss was filmed at the Criterion Restaurant in Piccadilly Circus which was originally opened in 1874.[28]

Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family's London home. Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire. Notable locations include St Mary's the Virgin Church and the library, which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital. The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley's house, with interior scenes filmed at Hall Barn, Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, featured as Loxley House, the home of Sir Anthony Strallan.[29]

Parts of series 4 were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent – The Tarred Yarn Store was used in episode one as a workhouse where Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) visits Mr Grigg (Nicky Henson) and in episode two, streets at The Historic Dockyard Chatham were used for the scenes where Lady Rose MacClare (Lily James) is at the market with James Kent (Ed Speleers) watching her.[30] The production had previously filmed in Kent for series 1 where the opening sequence of a train going through the countryside was filmed at the Kent & East Sussex Railway.[31]

Other filming locations for series 4 include the ballroom of The Savile Club in Mayfair, London.[32]

Scenes for the 2013 Christmas special were filmed at Royal Holloway, University of London near Egham, Surrey, West Wittering beach in West Sussex and Berkshire's Basildon Park near Streatley. Lancaster House in London stood in for Buckingham Palace.[33][34]

Alnwick Castle, in Northumberland, was the filming location used for Brancaster Castle in the 2014 and 2015 Christmas specials, which included filming in Alnwick Castle's State Rooms, as well as on the castle's grounds, and at the nearby semi-ruined Hulne Abbey on the Duke of Northumberland's parklands in Alnwick.[35]

In Series 5 and 6, Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire was used as the location for Cavenham Park, the home of Lord Merton.[36] In Series 6 (2015) the scenes of motor racing at Brooklands were filmed at the Goodwood Circuit in West Sussex. In 2015, Wayfair.co.uk published a map of 70+ Downton Abbey filming locations.[37]

The 2019 film of Downton Abbey uses many of the television locations such as Highclere Castle and Bampton, as well as exterior shots filmed at Beamish Museum.[38] The North York Moors Railway was used for railway scenes.[39]

Opening

The opening music of Downton Abbey, titled "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?",[40] was composed by John Lunn.[41]

A suite version was released on the soundtrack for the show on 19 September 2011 in the UK and later in the US on 13 December 2011. The soundtrack also included the song performed by singer Mary-Jess Leaverland,[42] with lyrics written by Don Black.[43]

Broadcasts

The rights to broadcast Downton Abbey have been acquired in over 220 countries and territories, and the series has been viewed by a global audience of an estimated 120 million people.[44]

United Kingdom

The series first aired on the ITV network in the United Kingdom beginning on 26 September 2010, and received its first Britain-wide broadcast when shown on ITV3 beginning in February 2011.

STV, the ITV franchisee in central and northern Scotland (including the Orkney and Shetland islands), originally opted out of showing Downton Abbey, choosing instead to screen a brand-new six-part series of Taggart, following a long practice of opting out of networked United Kingdom-wide programming on the ITV network.[45] This led to backlash from Scottish viewers, who were frustrated at not being able to watch the programme. Many viewers with satellite or cable television tuned into other regional stations of the ITV network, for example ITV London, with viewing figures showing this is also commonplace for other ITV programmes.[46] STV announced in July 2011 that it would show the first and second series of Downton Abbey as part of its autumn schedule.[47] Scottish cast members Phyllis Logan and Iain Glen were both quoted as being pleased with the decision.[48]

United States

In the United States, Downton Abbey was first broadcast in January 2011 on PBS, as part of the 40th season of Masterpiece.[49] The programme was aired in four 90-minute episodes, controversially requiring PBS to alter the beginning and endpoints of each episode and make other small changes, slightly altering each episode's structure to fit the programme precisely into the allotted running-time.[50][a][b] PBS also added a host (Laura Linney), who introduced each episode, explaining matters such as "the entail" and "Buccaneers"[c] for the benefit of US viewers, which was labelled by some American critics as condescending.[50] PBS editing for broadcasts in the United States continued in the subsequent seasons.[51] The final and sixth season aired in 2016. PBS continued to repeat episodes until 2020, when NBC Universal took over the US broadcasting rights for its streaming service Peacock. The series became available on Netflix in 2021. The series also aired on the E! network in 2022.

Canada

In Canada, VisionTV began airing the programme on 7 September 2011; CBC Television repeated the whole series in 2021; Downton Abbey was aired in French on Ici Radio-Canada Télé.[52]

Australia and New Zealand

In Australia, the first series was broadcast on the Seven Network beginning on 29 May 2011;[53] the second series was broadcast beginning on 20 May 2012;[54] and the third series beginning on 10 February 2013.[55] In New Zealand, Prime began airing the first series on 10 May 2011, the second series on 18 October 2011 and the third series on 18 October 2012.[56]

Ireland

In Ireland, independent television channel TV3 aired the first series in January and February 2011.[57]

Denmark

The ITV series aired in the Nordic 13th Street made by NBCUniversal International Networks on 24 January 2011.

Austria

Paramount Channel aired this series beginning on 20 August 2012.

France

Downton Abbey was broadcast on Universal Channel in France beginning in December 2010.

Reception

Critical response

At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the first series received an average score of 91, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[64] This result earned the show a Guinness World Record in 2011 for "Highest critical review ratings for a TV show", making Downton Abbey the critically best received TV show in the world.[65] Season 4 of Breaking Bad surpassed Downton Abbey's record later in the year, with a score of 96, making the first series of Downton Abbey the second highest rated show of 2011.[66]

The series has been noted for its relatively sympathetic portrayal of the aristocratic family and the class-based society of early 20th century Britain. This has led to criticism from the political left and praise from the right.[67] James Fenton wrote in The New York Review of Books, "it is noticeable that the aristocrats in the series, even the ones who are supposed to be the most ridiculous, never lapse into the most offensive kind of upper-class drawl one would expect of them. Great care has been taken to keep them pleasant and approachable, even when the things they say are sometimes shown to be class-bound and unfeeling."[68] Jerry Bowyer argued in Forbes that the sympathy for aristocracy is over-stated, and that the show is simply more balanced than most period dramas, which he believes have had a tendency to demonise or ridicule upper class characters. He wrote that Downton Abbey shows "there is no inherent need for good TV to be left of center. Stories sympathetic to virtue, preservation of property and admiration of nobility and of wealth can be told beautifully and to wide audiences."[67]

Downton Abbey has been a commercial success and received general acclaim from critics, although some criticise it as superficial, melodramatic or unrealistic. Others defend these qualities as the reason for the show's appeal. David Kamp wrote in Vanity Fair that "melodrama is an uncool thing to trade in these days, but then, that's precisely why Downton Abbey is so pleasurable. In its clear delineation between the goodies and the baddies, in its regulated dosages of highs and lows, the show is welcome counter-programming to the slow-burning despair and moral ambiguity of most quality drama on television right now."[9] In September 2019, The Guardian, which ranked the show 50th on its list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century, stated that the show "was TV drama as comfort blanket: at a time of austerity, Julian Fellowes's country house epic offered elegantly realised solace in the homilies of the past".[69] Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times wrote, "Possibly the best series of the year."[70] Jill Serjeant of Reuters wrote, "There's a new darling in U.S. pop culture."[71] The staff of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "It's the biggest PBS phenomenon since Sesame Street."[72] David Hinckley of New York Daily News wrote, "Maintains its magic touch."[73]

James Parker, writing in The Atlantic, said, "Preposterous as history, preposterous as drama, the show succeeds magnificently as bad television. The dialogue spins light-operatically along in the service of multiplying plotlets, not too hard on the ear, although now and again a line lands like a tray of dropped spoons. The acting is superb—it has to be."[74] Ben W. Heineman Jr. compared the series unfavourably to Brideshead Revisited, writing "Downton Abbey is entertainment. Its illustrious predecessor in television mega-success about the English upper class, Brideshead Revisited, is art."[75] He noted the lack of character development in Downton. Writing in The Sunday Times, A. A. Gill said that the show is "everything I despise and despair of on British television: National Trust sentimentality, costumed comfort drama that flogs an embarrassing, demeaning, and bogus vision of the place I live in."[9]

Sam Wollaston of The Guardian said,

It's beautifully made—handsome, artfully crafted and acted. Smith, who plays the formidable and disdainful Dowager Countess, has a lovely way of delivering words, always spaced to perfection. This is going to be a treat if you like a lavish period drama of a Sunday evening.[76]

While rumoured due to the departure of actor Dan Stevens, the death of Matthew Crawley in the 2012 Christmas special drew criticism.[77][78] Fellowes defended the decision stating that they 'didn't really have an option' once Stevens decided to leave.[78] Stevens later said that he had no say in the manner of his character's departure but that he was 'sorry' his character had died on Christmas Day.[79]

The third episode of the fourth series, which aired on 6 October 2013, included a warning at the beginning: "This episode contains violent scenes that some viewers may find upsetting."[80] The episode content, in which Anna Bates was raped, led to more than 200 complaints by viewers to UK television regulator Ofcom,[81] while ITV received 60 complaints directly.[82] On 4 November 2013, Ofcom announced it would not be taking action over the controversy citing the warning given, that the episode was screened after 9 pm, and, that the rape took place 'off-screen'.[83] Series 4 also introduced a recurring character, black jazz musician Jack Ross, who had a brief romantic affair with Lady Rose. The casting of Gary Carr drew critical accusations of political correctness in the media. The character of Ross was partially based on Leslie Hutchinson ("Hutch"), a real-life 1920s jazz singer who had an affair with a number of women in high society, among them Edwina Mountbatten.[84][85]

Ratings

The first episode of Downton Abbey had a consolidated British audience of 9.2 million viewers, a 32% audience share—making it the most successful new drama on any channel since Whitechapel was launched on ITV in February 2009. The total audience for the first episode, including repeats and ITV Player viewings, exceeded 11.6 million viewers. This was beaten by the next episode, with a total audience of 11.8 million viewers—including repeats and ITV Player views. Downton Abbey broke the record for a single episode viewing on ITV Player.[86]

The second series premiered in Britain on 18 September 2011 in the same 9 pm slot as the first series, with the first episode attracting an average audience of 9 million viewers on ITV1, a 34.6% share.[87] The second episode attracted a similar following with an average of 9.3 million viewers.[citation needed] In January 2012, the PBS premiere attracted 4.2 million viewers, over double the network's average primetime audience of 2 million. The premiere audience was 18% higher than the first series premiere.[88]

The second series of Downton Abbey gave PBS its highest ratings since 2009. The second series averaged 5.4 million viewers, excluding station replays, DVR viewings and online streaming. The 5.4 million average improved on PBS first series numbers by 25%. Additionally, episodes of series two have been viewed 4.8 million times on PBS's digital portal, which bests series one's online viewing numbers by more than 400 percent. Overall, Downton Abbey-related content has racked up more than 9 million streams across all platforms, with 1.5 million unique visitors, since series 2's 8 January premiere.[89] In 2013, Downton Abbey was ranked the 43rd most well-written TV show of all time by the Writers Guild of America.[90]

The third series premiered in the UK on 16 September 2012 with an average of 9 million viewers (or a 36% audience share).[91]

For the first time in the UK, episode three received an average of more than 10 million viewers (or a 38.2% audience share).[92] Premiering in the US in January 2013, the third series had an average audience of 11.5 million viewers and the finale on 17 February 2013, drew 12.3 million viewers making it the night's highest rating show.[93] Overall, during its seven-week run, the series had an audience of 24 million viewers making it PBS's highest-rated drama of all time.[93]

The fourth series premiered in the UK on 22 September 2013 with an average audience of 9.5 million viewers—the highest ever for one of the drama's debut episodes.[94] It premiered in the US on 5 January 2014, to an audience of at least 10.2 million viewers, outperforming every other drama on that night; it was the largest audience for PBS since the 1990 premiere of the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War.[95] The second episode attracted an average of 9.6 million UK viewers.[96]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Downton Abbey

Cultural reaction

Although Julian Fellowes supports a united Ireland,[97] there has been criticism of the stereotypical Irish characters used in the show, specifically the character of Tom Branson's brother, Kieran, portrayed as a rude and boorish drunk.[98] Allen Leech, who plays Tom Branson, defended the series, stating that the show did not portray Irish characters in a pejorative fashion.[98] Branson's character took some criticism in Ireland from The Irish Times, which described the character as "an Irish republican turned Downtonian toff."[99]

The character of the Earl of Grantham occasionally expresses negative views about Catholics and is described, by The Washington Post, as "xenophobic" but "at least historically accurate".[100] Episodes in Season 3 featured Lord Grantham using offensive derogatory terms against Catholics such as the phrase "left-footer" and mocking the Catholic Mass by calling it a "gymnastics display". A dinner scene also features a Protestant minister calling Catholic practices, "pagan". Fellowes, himself a Roman Catholic, explained that he chose to address this in terms of "that casual, almost unconscious anti-Catholicism that was found among the upper classes, which lasted well into my growing up years", adding that he "thought it might be interesting" to explore this in the series and described his own experiences where the aristocracy "were happy for you to come to their dances or shoot their pheasants, but there were plenty who did not want you to marry their daughters and risk Catholic grandchildren."[101]

Authenticity

 
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes

Fellowes has said he tries to be as authentic in his depiction of the period as he can.[9] Despite this, the show features many linguistic anachronisms.[102] The accents of characters have also been questioned, with the Received Pronunciation of the actors who play the wealthy characters described as "slightly more contemporary" than would be expected among early-20th-century aristocrats; however, this "elicited more natural and unaffected performances from the cast".[103]

In 2010, Fellowes hired Alastair Bruce, an expert on state and court ritual, as historical adviser.[104] Bruce explains his role as being "here to guide the production and particularly the director as they bring Julian's words to life. That also involves getting the social conduct right, and giving actors a sense of surety in the way they deliver a performance."[104] Actor Jim Carter, who plays butler Carson, describes Bruce as the series "etiquette watchdog",[104] and the UK's Daily Telegraph finished its 2011 profile of Bruce's role stating "Downton's authenticity, it seems, is in safe hands."[105] However, historian Simon Schama criticised the show for historical inaccuracies and "pandering to clichés".[106] Producer Gareth Neame defended the show, saying, "Downton is a fictional drama. It is not a history programme, but a drama of social satire about a time when relationships, behaviour and hierarchy were very different from those we enjoy today."[107]

A "tremendous amount of research" went into recreating the servants' quarters at Ealing Studios because Highclere Castle, where many of the upstairs scenes are filmed,[108] was not adequate for representing the "downstairs" life at the fictional manor house.[109] Researchers visited nearly 40 English country houses to help inform what the kitchen should look like, and production designer Donal Woods said of the kitchen equipment that "probably about 60 to 70 per cent of the stuff in there is from that period".[108] Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management is an important guide to the food served in the series, but Highclere owner, and author of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle, Lady Carnarvon, states that dinner parties in the era "would have been even more over the top" than those shown.[108] Lady Pamela Hicks agreed, stating that "it is ridiculous to think that a weekend party would consist of only fourteen house guests, it would have consisted of at least 40!"[110] However, Carnarvon understood the compromises that must be made for television, and adds, "It's a fun costume drama. It's not a social documentary. Because it's so popular, I think some people take it as historical fact."[108]

Home media

Streaming

The series was made available in its entirety on Netflix in June 2021 after leaving in 2013. It is also available on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, the PBS app and PBS.org with a PBS Passport subscription.[111][112]

Blu-ray and DVD

On 16 September 2011, two days before the UK premiere of the second series, it was reported by Amazon.com that the first series of Downton Abbey had become the highest selling DVD boxset of all time on the online retailer's website, surpassing popular American programmes such as The Sopranos, Friends and The Wire.[113]

Soundtracks

A soundtrack, featuring music from the series and also new songs, was released by Decca in September 2011. Music by John Lunn and Don Black features, with vocals from Mary-Jess Leaverland and Alfie Boe.[114] A second soundtrack was released on 19 November 2012 entitled Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection[115] and a third and final soundtrack, containing two discs, was released on 15 January 2016 entitled Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection and featured music spanning from all six seasons of the series including some from the first soundtrack.[116]

Track listings

Downton Abbey: Original Music from the Television Series
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Downton Abbey: The Suite"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London7:09
2."Love and the Hunter"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:18
3."Emancipation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:15
4."Story of My Life"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:58
5."Fashion"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:19
6."Damaged"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London5:25
7."If You Were the Only Girl in the World"Alfie Boe3:47
8."Preparation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:27
9."Such Good Luck"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:30
10."Us and Them"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:53
11."Violet"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:56
12."A Drive"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:04
13."An Ideal Marriage"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:43
14."Roses of Picardy"Alfie Boe3:55
15."Telegram"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:45
16."Deception"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:51
17."Titanic"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:10
18."A Song and a Dance"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:30
19."Did I Make the Most of Loving You?" (a shortened version of "Downton Abbey: The Suite" with lyrics)John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Mary-Jess Leaverland4:18
Downton Abbey: The Essential Collection
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Downton Abbey: The Suite"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London7:09
2."Love and the Hunter"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:18
3."Emancipation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:15
4."Story of My Life"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:58
5."Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Mary-Jess Leaverland4:18
6."Nothing To Forgive"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:34
7."Fashion"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:19
8."Damaged"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London5:24
9."New World"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:51
10."I'll Count The Days"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Rebecca Ferguson2:41
11."The Fallen"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:01
12."A Glimpse of Happiness"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:03
13."Elopement"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London4:44
14."Preparation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:26
15."Us and Them"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:53
16."Patrick"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:52
17."Deception"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:51
18."A Dangerous Path"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:13
19."With Or Without You"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London, Scala & Kolacny Brothers4:34
20."Violet"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:56
21."An Ideal Marriage"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:45
22."A Song and a Dance"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:28
23."Every Breath You Take"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London, Scala & Kolacny Brothers4:27
Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection – Disc 1
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Downton Abbey: The Suite"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London7:09
2."Story of My Life"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:58
3."Love and the Hunter"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:17
4."Preparation"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:27
5."Such Good Luck"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:52
6."Did I Make the Most of Loving You?"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Mary-Jess Leaverland4:17
7."Damaged"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London5:25
8."Violet"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:56
9."I'll Count The Days"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Eurielle2:42
10."Fashion"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:20
11."Us and Them"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:53
12."The Fallen"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:00
13."Elopement"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London4:44
14."New World"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:51
15."A Dangerous Path"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:12
16."Escapades 1"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London6:04
17."A Glimpse of Happiness"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:03
Downton Abbey: The Ultimate Collection – Disc 2
No.TitleArtistLength
1."A Grand Adventure"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London3:24
2."Duneagle"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:06
3."Not One's Just Desserts"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:53
4."Life After Death"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London6:16
5."Marmalade Cake Walk"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London0:56
6."A Mother's Love"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:46
7."The Hunt"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:10
8."Nothing Will Be Easy"John Lunn, Chamber Orchestra of London & Eurielle4:20
9."Down In China Townton"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London1:36
10."Escapades 2"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London5:35
11."Brancaster"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London4:22
12."Goodbye"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:36
13."It's Not Goodbye It's Au Revoir"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:24
14."The New Gladiators"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London4:03
15."Modern Love"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:51
16."Ambassador Stomp"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:10
17."The Butler And The Housekeeper"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:08
18."Two Sisters"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London2:38
19."End Of An Era"John Lunn & Chamber Orchestra of London0:52

Cultural impact

Some of the fashion items worn by characters on the show have seen a strong revival of interest in the UK and elsewhere during the show's run, including starched collars, midi skirts, beaded gowns, and hunting plaids.[117]

The Equality (Titles) Bill was an unsuccessful piece of legislation introduced in the UK Parliament in 2013 that would have allowed equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages. It was nicknamed the "Downton Abbey law" because it addressed the same issue that affects Lady Mary Crawley, who cannot inherit the estate because it must pass to a male heir.

The decor used on Downton Abbey inspired US Representative Aaron Schock to redecorate his congressional offices in a more luxurious style.[118][119][120] He repaid the $40,000 cost of redecoration following scrutiny of his expenses and questions about his use of public money for personal benefit,[121] and subsequently resigned in March 2015.[122]

Other media

The World of Downton Abbey, a book featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Downton Abbey and the era in which it is set, was released on 15 September 2011. It was written by Jessica Fellowes (the niece of Julian Fellowes) and published by HarperCollins.[114][123]

A second book also written by Jessica Fellowes and published by HarperCollins, The Chronicles of Downton Abbey, was released on 13 September 2012. It is a guide to the show's characters through the early part of the third series.[124]

Four spin-off cookbooks have been published – The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook (2019), which features dishes from the Edwardian period researched by food historian Dr Annie Gray, The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook (2020) by Regula Ysewijn, The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book (2019) and The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook (2020).

Due to the show's popularity, there have been a number of references and spoofs on it, such as Family Guy episode "Chap Stewie", which has Stewie Griffin reborn in a household similar to Downton Abbey, and How I Met Your Mother episode "The Fortress", where the gang watch a television show called Woodworthy Manor, which is remarkably similar to Downton Abbey.[125]

The Gilded Age

Main article: The Gilded Age (TV series)

Julian Fellowes's The Gilded Age, which debuted on HBO in 2022, portrays New York in the 1880s and how its old New York society coped with the influx of newly wealthy families.[126][127] While a separate series, a young Violet, Countess of Grantham, could[when?] make an appearance on the new show.[128]

Film adaptations

Main articles: Downton Abbey (film) and Downton Abbey: A New Era

On 13 July 2018, a feature-length film was confirmed, with production commencing mid-2018.[129] The film was written by Julian Fellowes and is a continuation of the TV series, with direction by Brian Percival. It was distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International.[130] The film was released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019, with the United States following one week later on 20 September 2019.[131] A sequel began filming in April 2021.[132] The film was finally released in the UK on 29 April 2022, and in the US on 20 May.[133]

Film UK release date Director Screenwriter Producer(s)
Downton Abbey 13 September 2019 (2019-09-13) Michael Engler Julian Fellowes Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge
Downton Abbey: A New Era 29 April 2022 (2022-04-29) Simon Curtis Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge

See also

Notes

  1. ^ For example, these structure changes resulted in the character of entail heir Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens) coming into the storyline in the first episode in the United States broadcast, rather than in the second as he had in the UK broadcast.[50]
  2. ^ The series aired in the UK with commercial breaks, which required PBS, according to a spokeswoman, "to plug those holes".[51]
  3. ^ American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy during the Gilded Age—see: The Buccaneers, a novel by Edith Wharton.

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Further reading

  • Fellowes, Jessica; Sturgis, Matthew (2012). The Chronicles of Downton Abbey. Foreword by Julian Fellowes, photography by Joss Barratt, Nick Briggs, and Giles Keyte. London, UK: Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-745325-2. OCLC 811576487. The companion book covering the characters, through the early part of the third series.
  • Fellowes, Jessica (2011). The World of Downton Abbey. Foreword by Julian Fellowes, photography by Nick Briggs. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-00634-9. OCLC 727704121. Retrieved 25 October 2015. The companion book to the first and second series. Includes an extensive further reading section.
  • Fellowes, Julian (2013). Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts: Season One. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-223831-3. OCLC 795761131.
  • Fellowes, Julian (2013). Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts: Season Two. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-224135-1. OCLC 828844711.
  • Fellowes, Julian (2014). Downton Abbey: The Complete Scripts: Season Three. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-224137-5. OCLC 870982733.
  • MacColl, Gail; Wallace, Carol McD. (1989). To Marry an English Lord or, How Anglomania Really Got Started. New York: Workman Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89480-939-2. OCLC 243431665. Gives a background on the preceding period, especially for Cora, Countess of Grantham, who is one of the "Buccaneers". Reprinted as:
    • To Marry an English Lord: Tales of Wealth and Marriage, Sex and Snobbery. New York: Workman Publishing Company. 2012. ISBN 978-0-7611-7195-9. OCLC 779399305. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  • Rowley, Emma (2013). Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey. Foreword by Gareth Neame; photography by Nick Briggs. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1-250-04790-8. OCLC 862880131. The official companion book to series 1–4.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downton Abbey.
 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Downton Abbey.

January 07, 2023
downton, abbey, this, article, about, series, 2019, film, film, 2022, film, british, historical, drama, television, series, early, 20th, century, created, written, julian, fellowes, series, first, aired, united, kingdom, september, 2010, united, states, which,. This article is about the TV series For the 2019 film see Downton Abbey film For the 2022 film see Downton Abbey A New Era Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century created and co written by Julian Fellowes The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on PBS which supported production of the series as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology on 9 January 2011 Downton AbbeyGenreHistorical dramaCreated byJulian FellowesWritten byJulian FellowesShelagh StephensonTina PeplerStarringHugh Bonneville Jessica Brown Findlay Laura Carmichael Jim Carter Brendan Coyle Michelle Dockery Siobhan Finneran Joanne Froggatt Phyllis Logan Thomas Howes Rob James Collier Rose Leslie Elizabeth McGovern Sophie McShera Lesley Nicol Maggie Smith Dan Stevens Penelope Wilton Amy Nuttall Kevin Doyle Allen Leech Matt Milne Ed Speleers Lily James David Robb Cara Theobold Raquel Cassidy Tom Cullen Julian Ovenden Michael Fox Matthew Goode Harry Hadden PatonOpening theme Did I Make the Most of Loving You ComposerJohn LunnCountry of originUnited KingdomOriginal languageEnglishNo of series6No of episodes52 list of episodes ProductionExecutive producersJulian FellowesGareth NeameRebecca EatonProducersLiz TrubridgeNigel MarchantProduction locationHighclere CastleCinematographyGavin StruthersCamera setupSingle cameraRunning time47 93 minutesProduction companyCarnival FilmsWGBH TVReleaseOriginal networkITVPicture format1080i HDTVAudio formatStereoOriginal release26 September 2010 2010 09 26 25 December 2015 2015 12 25 The series set on the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926 depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post Edwardian era the great events of the time having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy Events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series the outbreak of the First World War the Spanish influenza pandemic and the Marconi scandal in the second series the Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series the Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series the British general election of 1923 and the Beer Hall Putsch in the fifth series The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy Downton Abbey has received acclaim from television critics and won numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English language television series of 2011 It earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards with twenty seven in total after the first two series 1 It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited 2 On 26 March 2015 Carnival Films and ITV announced that the sixth series would be the last It aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015 The final episode serving as the annual Christmas special was broadcast on 25 December 2015 A film adaptation serving as a continuation of the series was confirmed on 13 July 2018 and subsequently released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019 and in the United States on 20 September 2019 A second feature film Downton Abbey A New Era was released in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022 by Universal Pictures and in the United States and Canada on 20 May 2022 by Focus Features 3 Contents 1 Plot overview 1 1 Series 1 2010 1 2 Series 2 2011 1 3 Series 3 2012 1 4 Series 4 2013 1 5 Series 5 2014 1 6 Series 6 2015 2 Cast and characters 2 1 Crawley family 3 Production 3 1 Filming locations 3 2 Opening 4 Broadcasts 4 1 United Kingdom 4 2 United States 4 3 Canada 4 4 Australia and New Zealand 4 5 Ireland 4 6 Denmark 4 7 Austria 4 8 France 5 Reception 5 1 Critical response 5 2 Ratings 5 3 Awards and nominations 5 4 Cultural reaction 5 5 Authenticity 6 Home media 6 1 Streaming 6 2 Blu ray and DVD 7 Soundtracks 7 1 Track listings 8 Cultural impact 9 Other media 9 1 The Gilded Age 9 2 Film adaptations 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksPlot overview EditMain article List of Downton Abbey episodes SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAve UK viewers millions 4 First airedLast aired1726 September 2010 2010 09 26 7 November 2010 2010 11 07 9 702818 September 2011 2011 09 18 6 November 2011 2011 11 06 11 68Special25 December 2011 2011 12 25 3816 September 2012 2012 09 16 4 November 2012 2012 11 04 11 91Special25 December 2012 2012 12 25 4822 September 2013 2013 09 22 10 November 2013 2013 11 10 11 84Special25 December 2013 2013 12 25 5821 September 2014 2014 09 21 9 November 2014 2014 11 09 10 40Special25 December 2014 2014 12 25 6820 September 2015 2015 09 20 8 November 2015 2015 11 08 10 42Special25 December 2015 2015 12 25 Series 1 2010 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 1 Series 1 introduces the Crawley Family headed by the 7th Earl of Grantham Hugh Bonneville and his wife Cora Elizabeth McGovern The first series comprising seven episodes explores the lives of the fictional Crawley family the hereditary Earls of Grantham and their domestic servants The storyline centres on the fee tail or entail governing the titled elite which endows title and estate exclusively to male heirs As part of the backstory the main character Robert Crawley Earl of Grantham had resolved his father s past financial difficulties by marrying Cora Levinson an American heiress Her considerable dowry is now contractually incorporated into the committal entail in perpetuity however Robert and Cora have three daughters and no son As the eldest daughter Lady Mary Crawley had agreed to marry her second cousin Patrick the son of the then heir presumptive James Crawley The series begins the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic on 14 15 April 1912 The first episode starts as news reaches Downton Abbey that both James and Patrick have perished in the sinking of the ocean liner Soon it is discovered that a more distant male cousin solicitor Matthew Crawley the son of an upper middle class doctor has become the next heir presumptive The story initially centres on the relationship between Lady Mary and Matthew who resists embracing an aristocratic lifestyle while Lady Mary resists her own attraction to the handsome new heir presumptive Of several subplots one involves John Bates Lord Grantham s new valet and former Boer War batman and Thomas Barrow an ambitious young footman who resents Bates for taking over the position he had desired Bates and Thomas remain at odds as Barrow works to sabotage Bates s every move After learning Bates had recently been released from prison Thomas and Miss O Brien Lady Grantham s Lady s maid begin a relentless pursuit that nearly ruins the Crawley family in scandal Barrow a homosexual man in late Edwardian England and O Brien create havoc for most of the staff and family When Barrow is caught stealing he hands in his notice to join the Royal Army Medical Corps Matthew eventually does propose to Lady Mary but she puts him off when Lady Grantham becomes pregnant understanding that Matthew would no longer be heir if the baby is a boy Cora loses the baby after O Brien believing she is soon to be fired retaliates by leaving a bar of soap on the floor next to the bathtub causing Cora to slip while getting out of the tub and the fall resulting in a miscarriage It is later revealed that the miscarried foetus was a male Although Lady Mary intends to accept Matthew Matthew believes her reluctance is due to the earlier uncertainty of his heirship and emotionally rescinds his proposal leaving Lady Mary devastated The series ends just after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 Series 2 2011 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 2 Michelle Dockery plays Lady Mary Crawley the eldest Grantham daughter Dan Stevens plays Matthew Crawley The second series comprises eight episodes and runs from the Battle of the Somme in 1916 to the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic During the war Downton Abbey is temporarily converted into an officers convalescent hospital Matthew having left Downton is now a British Army officer and has become engaged His fiancee is Lavinia Swire the niece of a Liberal minister William Mason the second footman is drafted even after attempts by the Dowager Countess of Grantham to save him from conscription William is taken under Matthew s protection as his personal orderly Enduring trench warfare and charging against machine guns and artillery both are injured by an exploding shell William dies from his wounds but only after a deathbed marriage to Daisy the kitchen maid While Daisy does not believe she loves William she marries him in his last hours as his dying wish It is not until a brief encounter with the Dowager Countess that she begins to realise that her love was real but she could not admit it to herself Matthew is now paralysed from the waist down by his battle injury and seemingly unable to father children Lavinia remains true to him despite his attempts to set her free and he finally accepts her devotion Mary while acknowledging her feelings for Matthew becomes engaged to Sir Richard Carlisle a powerful and overbearing newspaper mogul but their relationship is rocky Bates s wife Vera repeatedly causes trouble for John and Anna who are now engaged Vera threatens to expose Mary s past scandalous indiscretion but Carlisle agrees to purchase and kill her story Embittered Mrs Bates mysteriously commits suicide with an arsenic pie after a visit by Bates and he is arrested on suspicion of her murder Matthew regains the use of his legs and he and Mary realise they are still in love but Matthew remains honourably committed to Lavinia after she stood by him during his misfortune Unknown to them both Lavinia ill with Spanish flu sees and overhears Matthew and Mary admit their love for one another while dancing to a song playing on the phonograph gifted as a wedding present to Matthew and Lavinia The Spanish influenza epidemic hits Downton Abbey further with Cora taken seriously ill as well as Carson the butler During the outbreak Thomas attempts to make up for his inability to find other employment after the war by making himself as useful as possible and is made Lord Grantham s valet after Bates is arrested Lavinia dies abruptly which causes great guilt to both Matthew and Mary Bates is found guilty of murder and sentenced to death but the sentence is commuted to life in prison due to Lord Grantham s influence After a talk with Robert Mary realises that she must break off her engagement to Carlisle he and Matthew fight in the drawing room but in the end Carlisle goes quietly and is never heard from again The annual Servants Ball is held at Downton and Mary and Matthew finally find their way to a marriage proposal on a snowy evening outside the Abbey Lady Sybil the youngest Crawley daughter beginning to find her aristocratic life stifling falls in love with Tom Branson the new chauffeur of Irish descent with strong socialist leanings She is talked out of elopement by her sisters but her wayward marriage eventually receives Lord Grantham s reluctant blessing Ethel Parks a new housemaid is seduced by a wounded officer Major Bryant Mrs Hughes the housekeeper finds them together in bed and dismisses Ethel but takes pity on her and helps her when Ethel tells her she is pregnant She has a baby boy and names him Charlie after his father but Major Bryant refuses to acknowledge his paternity The filming location Highclere Castle in reality served as a convalescent home during World War I 5 Series 3 2012 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 3 Allen Leech plays Tom Branson the chauffeur who marries into the Crawley family In episode one of the third series covering 1920 to 1921 preparations are underway for Mary and Matthew s wedding Tom and Sybil Branson arrive from Ireland where they now live to attend the wedding Also arriving to attend the wedding of her granddaughter is Cora s mother Martha Levinson from America Robert Lord Grantham learns that the bulk of the family s fortune including Cora s dowry has been lost due to his impetuous investment in the Grand Trunk Railway Meanwhile Edith has fallen for Sir Anthony Strallan whom Robert discourages from marrying Edith due to his age and crippled arm At Edith s insistence Robert gives in and welcomes Sir Anthony but even though he loves her Strallan cannot accept that the Grantham family disapproves the match and at the altar announces that he cannot go through with the wedding devastating Edith Strallan flees the church and is never heard from again Meanwhile Bates s cellmate plants a small surgical knife in his bedding but Bates is informed by a fellow prisoner allowing him time to find and hide it this same small knife is later used by Bates to threaten his cellmate when he had been using his connections through corrupt prison guards to keep a witness from testifying to Bates s innocence of the crime for which he is incarcerated At Downton Mrs Hughes finds out she may have breast cancer which only some of the household hear about causing deep concern but the tumour turns out to be benign Tom Branson and Lady Sybil now pregnant return to Downton after Tom is implicated in the burning of an Anglo Irish aristocrat s house After Matthew s reluctance to accept an inheritance from Lavinia s recently deceased father and then Robert s reluctance to accept that inheritance as a gift Matthew and Robert reach a compromise in which Matthew accepts that the inheritance will be used as an investment in the estate giving Matthew an equal say in how it is run However as time goes on Robert repeatedly resists Matthew and Tom s efforts to modernise the running of the estate to make it profitable Tragedy strikes when Sybil dies from eclampsia shortly after giving birth Tom devastated names his daughter Sybil after his late wife Bates is released from prison after Anna uncovers evidence clearing him of his wife s murder Tom becomes the new land agent at the suggestion of Violet the Dowager Countess Barrow and O Brien have a falling out after which O Brien leads Barrow to believe that Jimmy the new footman is sexually attracted to him Barrow enters Jimmy s room and kisses him while he is sleeping which wakes him up shocked confused and very angry In the end Lord Grantham familiar with homosexuality from Eton defuses the situation The family except Branson visits Violet s niece Susan her husband Shrimpie the Marquess of Flintshire and their daughter Rose in Scotland accompanied by Matthew and a very pregnant Mary The Marquess confides to Robert that his estate is bankrupt and will be sold making Robert recognise that Downton has been saved through Matthew and Tom s efforts to modernise At Downton Edna Braithwaite the new maid enters Tom s room and kisses him to which he asks her to leave and she is eventually fired Mary returns to Downton with Anna and gives birth to the new heir but Matthew dies in a car crash while driving home from the hospital after seeing his newborn son Series 4 2013 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 4 In series four covering 1922 to 1923 Cora s lady s maid O Brien leaves to serve Lady Flintshire in British India Cora hires Edna Braithwaite who had previously been fired for her interest in Tom Eventually the situation blows up and Edna is replaced by Phyllis Baxter Lady Mary deeply mourns Matthew s death Matthew s newly found letter states Mary is to be his sole heir and thus gives her management over his share of the estate until their son George comes of age With Tom s encouragement Mary assumes a more active role in running Downton Two new suitors Lord Gillingham and Charles Blake arrive at Downton though Mary still grieving is not interested Middle daughter Lady Edith who has begun writing a weekly newspaper column and Michael Gregson a magazine editor fall in love Due to British law he is unable to divorce his wife who is mentally ill and in an asylum Gregson travels to Germany to seek citizenship there enabling him to divorce but is killed by Hitler s Brownshirts during riots Edith is left pregnant and decides to have an illegal abortion but changes her mind at the last minute With the help from her paternal aunt Lady Rosamund Edith secretly gives birth to a daughter while abroad and places the baby with adoptive parents in Switzerland but reclaims her after arranging a new adoptive family on the estate Mr and Mrs Drewe of Yew Tree Farm take the baby in and raise her as their own Anna is raped by Lord Gillingham s valet Mr Green which Mr Bates later discovers Subsequently Mr Green is killed in a London street accident A local school teacher Sarah Bunting and Tom begin a friendship On the Christmas special Sampson a card sharp steals a letter written by Edward VIII then Prince of Wales to his mistress Rose s friend Freda Dudley Ward which if made public would create a scandal the entire Crawley family connives to retrieve it though it is Bates who extracts the letter from Sampson s overcoat and it is returned to Mrs Dudley Ward Series 5 2014 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 5 In series five covering the year 1924 a Russian exile Prince Kuragin wishes to renew his past affections for the Dowager Countess Violet Violet instead locates his wife in British Hong Kong and reunites the Prince and his estranged wife Scotland Yard and the local police investigate Green s death Violet learns that Marigold is Edith s daughter Meanwhile Mrs Drewe not knowing Marigold s true parentage resents Edith s constant visits To increase his chances with Mary Charles Blake plots to reunite Gillingham and his ex fiancee Mabel After Edith inherits Michael Gregson s publishing company she removes Marigold from the Drewes and relocates to London Simon Bricker an art expert interested in one of Downton s paintings shows his true intentions toward Cora and is thrown out by Robert causing a temporary rift between the couple Mrs Patmore s decision to invest her inheritance in real estate inspires Mr Carson Downton s butler to do likewise He suggests that head housekeeper Mrs Hughes invest with him she confesses she has no money due to supporting a mentally incapacitated sister The Crawleys cousin Lady Rose daughter of Lord and Lady Flintshire becomes engaged to Atticus Aldridge son of Lord and Lady Sinderby Lord Sinderby strongly objects to Atticus s marrying outside the Jewish faith Lord Merton proposes to Isobel Crawley Matthew s mother She accepts but later ends the engagement due to Lord Merton s sons disparaging comments over her status as a commoner Lady Flintshire employs underhanded schemes to derail Rose and Atticus s engagement including announcing to everyone at the wedding that she and her husband are divorcing intending to cause a scandal to stop Rose s marriage to Atticus they are married anyway When Anna is arrested on suspicion of Green s murder Bates writes a false confession before fleeing to Ireland Miss Baxter and Molesley a footman are able to prove that Bates was in York at the time of the murder This new information allows Anna to be released Cora eventually learns the truth about Marigold and wants her raised at Downton Marigold is presented as Edith s ward but Robert and Tom eventually discern the truth only Mary is unaware When a war memorial is unveiled in the town Robert arranges for a separate plaque to honour the cook Mrs Patmore s late nephew who was shot for cowardice and excluded from his own village s memorial The Crawleys are invited to Brancaster Castle which Lord and Lady Sinderby have rented for a shooting party While there Lady Rose with help from the Crawleys defuses a personal near disaster for Lord Sinderby earning his gratitude and securing his approval of Rose A second footman Andy is hired on Barrow s recommendation During the annual Downton Abbey Christmas celebration Tom Branson announces he is moving to America to work for his cousin taking daughter Sybil with him Mr Carson proposes marriage to Mrs Hughes and she accepts Series 6 2015 Edit Main article Downton Abbey series 6 Highclere Castle as Downton Abbey In series six covering the year 1925 changes are once again afoot at Downton Abbey as the middle class rises and more bankrupted aristocrats are forced to sell off their large estates Downton must do more to ensure its future survival reductions in staff are considered forcing Barrow to look for a job elsewhere Lady Mary defies a blackmailer who is thwarted by Lord Grantham With Branson s departure to Boston Lady Mary becomes the estate agent Edith is more hands on in running her magazine and hires a female editor Lady Violet and Isobel once again draw battle lines as a government take over of the local hospital is considered Meanwhile Anna suffers repeated miscarriages Lady Mary takes her to a specialist who diagnoses a treatable condition and she becomes pregnant again Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes disagree on where to hold their wedding reception but eventually choose to have it at the schoolhouse during which Tom Branson reappears with Sybil having returned to Downton for good Coyle who tricked Baxter into stealing a previous employer s jewellery is convicted after she and other witnesses are persuaded to testify After Mrs Drewe kidnaps Marigold when Edith is not looking the Drewes vacate Yew Tree Farm Daisy convinces Tom Branson to ask Lord Grantham to give her father in law Mr Mason the tenancy Andy a footman offers to help Mr Mason so he can learn about farming but Andy is held back by his illiteracy Mr Barrow offers to teach him to read Robert suffers a near fatal health crisis Previous episodes alluded to health problems for Robert his ulcer bursts and he is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery The operation is successful but Mary and Tom must take over Downton s operations Larry Merton s fiancee Amelia encourages Lord Merton and Isobel Crawley to renew their engagement but Lady Violet rightly becomes suspicious Violet discovers that Amelia wants Isobel and not her to be Lord Merton s caretaker in his old age 6 Daisy and Mr Molesley score high marks on their academic exams Molesley s are so exceptional that he is offered a teaching position at the school Mary breaks off with Henry Talbot unable to live with the constant fear he could be killed in a car race Bertie Pelham proposes to Edith but she hesitates to accept because of Marigold Lady Violet upset over Lady Grantham replacing her as hospital president abruptly departs for a long cruise to restore her equanimity Bertie Pelham unexpectedly succeeds his late second cousin as 7th Marquess of Hexham and moves into Brancaster Castle Edith accepts him Then Mary spitefully exposes Marigold s parentage causing Bertie to walk out Tom confronts Mary over her malicious behaviour and her true feelings for Henry Despondent Barrow attempts suicide and is saved by Baxter causing Robert and Mr Carson to let Barrow stay at Downton while he recovers and while he searches for new employment Mary and Henry reunite and are married Edith returns to Downton for the wedding becoming reconciled with Mary Mrs Patmore s new bed and breakfast business is tainted by scandal but saved when Robert Cora and Rosamund appear there publicly to support her Mary arranges a surprise meeting for Edith and Bertie with Bertie proposing again Edith accepts Edith tells Bertie s moralistic mother Miranda Pelham about Marigold she turns against the match but is won over by Edith s honesty Barrow finds a position as butler and leaves Downton on good terms but he is unhappy at his new post Lord Merton is diagnosed with terminal pernicious anaemia and Amelia blocks Isobel from seeing him Goaded by Lady Violet Isobel pushes into the Merton house and announces she will take Lord Merton to her house to care for him and to marry him to his delight Later Lord Merton is correctly diagnosed with a non fatal form of anaemia Robert resents Cora s frequent absences as the hospital president but encouraged by Lady Rose he comes to admire her ability after watching her chair a hospital meeting Henry and Tom go into business together selling used cars while Mary announces her pregnancy Molesley accepts a permanent teaching position and he and Miss Baxter promise to continue seeing each other Daisy and Andy finally acknowledge their feelings Daisy decides to move to the farm with Mr Mason her father in law Carson develops palsy and must retire Lord Grantham suggests Barrow return as butler with Mr Carson in an overseeing role Edith and Bertie are finally married in the series finale set on New Year s Eve 1925 Lady Rose and Atticus return for the wedding Anna goes into labour during the reception and she and Bates become parents to a healthy son Cast and characters EditMain article List of Downton Abbey characters Penelope Wilton left plays Isobel Crawley Jim Carter plays the butler Mr Carson Robert James Collier plays the footman turned under butler Mr Thomas Barrow The main cast of the Crawley family is led by Hugh Bonneville as Robert Crawley the Earl of Grantham and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife Cora Crawley the Countess of Grantham Their three daughters are depicted by Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary Crawley Talbot Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley Pelham and Jessica Brown Findlay as Lady Sybil Crawley Branson Maggie Smith is Robert Crawley s mother Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham Samantha Bond portrays Lady Rosamund Painswick Robert s sister who resides in Belgrave Square London Dan Stevens portrays Matthew Crawley the new heir along with Penelope Wilton as his mother Isobel Crawley who are brought to Downton Allen Leech as Tom Branson begins the series as the family chauffeur but falls in love with Lady Sybil marries her and later becomes the agent for the estate David Robb portrays Dr Richard Clarkson the local town doctor Joining the cast in series three is Lily James as Lady Rose MacClare a second cousin through Violet s family who is sent to live with the Crawleys because her parents are serving the empire in India and later remains there because of family problems In series three and four Shirley MacLaine portrays the mother of Cora Crawley Martha Levinson Suitors for Lady Mary s affections during the series include Tom Cullen as Lord Gillingham Julian Ovenden as Charles Blake and Matthew Goode as Henry Talbot Edith s fiance and eventual husband Bertie Pelham 7th Marquess of Hexham is played by Harry Hadden Paton Downton Abbey s senior household staff are portrayed by Jim Carter as Mr Carson the butler and Phyllis Logan as Mrs Hughes the housekeeper Tensions rise when Rob James Collier portraying Thomas Barrow a footman and later a valet and under butler along with Siobhan Finneran as Miss O Brien the lady s maid to the Countess of Grantham up to series three plot against Brendan Coyle as Mr Bates the valet to the Earl of Grantham and his love interest and eventual wife Anna Joanne Froggatt lady s maid to Lady Mary Kevin Doyle plays the unlucky Mr Molesley valet to Matthew Crawley Thomas Howes portrays William Mason the second footman Other household staff are Rose Leslie as Gwen Dawson a housemaid studying to be a secretary in series one Amy Nuttall plays Ethel Parks a maid beginning in series two and three Matt Milne joined the cast as Alfred Nugent O Brien s nephew the awkward new footman for series three and four and Raquel Cassidy plays Baxter Cora s new lady s maid who was hired to replace Edna Braithwaithe who was sacked Ed Speleers plays the dashing James Jimmy Kent the second footman from series three to five In series five and six Michael C Fox plays Andy Parker a replacement footman for Jimmy In series four five and six Andrew Scarborough plays Tim Drewe a farmer of the estate who helps Lady Edith conceal a big secret The kitchen staff include Lesley Nicol as Mrs Patmore the cook and Sophie McShera as Daisy the scullery maid who works her way up to assistant cook having earlier married William Mason Cara Theobold portrays Ivy Stuart a kitchen maid joining the cast for series three and four Crawley family Edit The series is set in fictional Downton Abbey a Yorkshire country house which is the home and seat of the Earl and Countess of Grantham along with their three daughters and other family members Each series follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family their friends and their servants during the reign of King George V vteDownton AbbeyCrawley family treeThis template needs additional citations for verification Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Downton Abbey news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message 3rd Earl of Grantham i deceased Countess of Grantham deceased The Hon Mr Crawley deceased wife deceased 4th Earl of Grantham i deceased Countess of Grantham deceased Mr Crawley deceased wife deceased 5th Earl of Grantham i deceased Countess of Grantham deceased Mr Crawley deceased wifeThe Hon Mr Crawley deceased wifePatrick Crawley6th Earl of Grantham i deceased Violet CrawleyDowager Countess of Grantham ii Isidore Levinson iii deceased Martha Levinson iii RobertahusbandDr Reginald Crawley iv deceased Isobel Grey v Baroness Merton formerly Mrs Crawley nee Turnbull iv Richard Dickey GreyBaron MertonJames Crawley vi deceased wifeLady Rosamund Painswick vii nee Crawley Sir Marmaduke Painswick viii deceased Robert Crawley7th Earl of Grantham ix i x Cora CrawleyCountess of Grantham v x nee Levinson Harold LevinsonSusan MacClareMarchioness of FlintshireHugh Shrimpie MacClareMarquess of FlintshirePatrick Crawley vi presumed dead Matthew CrawleyHeir presumptive of Robert Crawley Died with issue x Lady Mary Josephine Talbot xi nee Crawley Henry TalbotMichael Gregson deceased Natural father of MarigoldEdith Pelham nee Crawley Marchioness of HexhamHerbert Bertie Pelham7th Marquess of HexhamTom BransonLady Sybil Cora Branson nee Crawley deceased The Hon Atticus Aldridge heir to Daniel Aldridge 1st Lord SinderbyLady Rose Aldridge nee MacClare James MacClare Earl of NewtonmoreLady Abigail nee MacClare George Crawley xii Heir and son of Matthew Crawley and heir presumptive of Robert CrawleyCaroline TalbotMarigold Crawley xii Sybil Sybbie Branson xii Victoria Rachel Cora AldridgeExplanatory notes and reference sources a b c d e Milevsky 2017 p 22 Downton Abbey one of the main characters is Robert Crawley the 7th Earl of Grantham which you will note is rank number three in nobility His fictitious father would have been the 6th Earl of Grantham his grandfather 5th and so on familytree 9 Joseph 2016 p 31 M aggie Smith plays Violet Crawley the Dowager Countess and matriarch of the Crawley family Cora suggests to Violet s granddaughter Mary that Mary pursue and marry the new heir familytree 1 a b Fellowes et al 2012 p 99 111 Mrs Isidore Levinson Mother of the Countess of Grantham Martha is rich Even Martha s own daughter does not seem entirely comfortable around her Cora is not exactly cowed by her mother but familytree 2 a b Fellowes 2015 p 234 Not only was Isobel s late husband Reginald Crawley a doctor but she herself had training as a nurse She comes from a proud line of medical practitioners her father Sir John Turnbull was a surgeon familytree 4 a b Barkman et al 2015 p 57 Matthew s mother Mrs Crawley is an altogether contrary study in manners and respect familytree 3 a b Editors of LIFE 2016 p 11 Because Lord Grantham has no male heirs upon his death the estate and title are set to fall to his cousin James Crawley However James s son Patrick is meant to marry Mary which will keep the estate in Robert s family familytree 5 Irwin 2016 p 35 Mary s Aunt the Lady Rosamund Painswick obtains information on Lavinia familytree 6 Fellowes 2015 p 445 The older sister of Robert Rosamund lives in London in the house she inherited from her late husband Sir Marmaduke Painswick familytree 7 Fellowes 2011 p 12 17 Robert the Earl of Grantham familytree 8 a b c Fellowes et al 2012 p 10 Lord Grantham Robert as the 7th Earl of Grantham The next in line a first cousin was lost on the Titanic leaving a distant unknown middle class relative Matthew Crawley as heir The American heiress he married was of course Cora familytree 10 Morrow 2012 p 237 Lady Mary Lady Mary Josephine Crawley eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Grantham of the hit British television series Downton Abbey familytree 11 a b c Fellowes 2015 p 102 Master George the son of Mary and the late Matthew Miss Sybbie the daughter of Tom and the late Sybil and Miss Marigold the daughter of Edith and the late Michael Gregson familytree 12 Joseph Gillian 2016 Diverse Perspectives on Aging in a Changing World Routledge Studies in Health and Social Welfare Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 317 27087 4 Fellowes J Sturgis M Barratt J Briggs N Fellowes J Keyte G 2012 The Chronicles of Downton Abbey A New Era The World of Downton Abbey St Martin s Press ISBN 978 1 250 02762 7 Barkman Adam Arp Robert 2015 Downton Abbey and Philosophy Thinking in That Manor Popular Culture and Philosophy Open Court ISBN 978 0 8126 9912 8 Fellowes Jessica 2015 Downton Abbey A Celebration The Official Companion to All Six Seasons The World of Downton Abbey St Martin s Publishing Group ISBN 978 1 250 09155 0 Editors of LIFE 2016 LIFE Downton Abbey Behind the Scenes of the Iconic TV Show Time Inc Books ISBN 978 1 61893 450 5 Irwin William 2012 Downton Abbey and Philosophy The Truth Is Neither Here Nor There The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 978 1 118 38661 3 Fellowes Jessica 2015 Downton Abbey A Celebration The Official Companion to All Six Series Headline ISBN 978 1 4722 2969 4 Fellowes Jessica 6 December 2011 The World of Downton Abbey The World of Downton Abbey St Martin s Press ISBN 978 1 250 01620 1 Milevsky Moshe Arye 2017 The Day the King Defaulted Financial Lessons from the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672 Springer ISBN 978 3 319 59987 8 Fellowes Jessica Sturgis Matthew 2012 The Chronicles of Downton Abbey A New Era The World of Downton Abbey St Martin s Press ISBN 978 1 250 02763 4 Morrow Laurie Bogart 2012 The Giant Book of Dog Names Simon and Schuster ISBN 978 1 4516 6690 8 Fellowes Jessica 2015 Downton Abbey A Celebration The Official Companion to All Six Series Headline ISBN 978 1 4722 2969 4 Production EditGareth Neame of Carnival Films conceived the idea of an Edwardian era TV drama set in a country house and approached Fellowes who had won an Academy Award for Best Writing Original Screenplay for Gosford Park The TV series Downton Abbey written and created by Fellowes was originally planned as a spin off of Gosford Park but instead was developed as a stand alone property inspired by the film set decades earlier 7 Although Fellowes was reluctant to work on another project resembling Gosford Park within a few weeks he returned to Neame with an outline of the first series Influenced by Edith Wharton s The Custom of the Country 8 Fellowes writes the scripts and his wife Emma is an informal story editor 9 Filming locations Edit Downton Abbey filming locations Highclere Castle Hampshire Downton Abbey interior and exterior Byfleet Manor Surrey the Dower House Bampton Oxfordshire Downton village St Mary s Church Bampton St Michael and All Angels Downton Bampton Library Bampton Downton Cottage Hospital Churchgate House the old rectory Bampton Isobel Crawley s house Kingston Bagpuize House Oxfordshire Cavenham Park Bridgewater House Westminster London Grantham House Inveraray Castle Argyll Duneagle Castle home of the fictional Lord and Lady Flintshire Beamish Museum County Durham York 2019 film Highclere Castle in north Hampshire is used for exterior shots of Downton Abbey and most of the interior filming 10 11 12 13 The kitchen servants quarters and working areas and some of the upstairs bedrooms were constructed and filmed at Ealing Studios 14 Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family s London home Map of Downton Abbey filming locations Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire Notable locations include the Church of St Mary the Virgin and the library which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital 15 The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley s house with interior scenes filmed at Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire 16 The Downton Abbey of the title and setting is described as lying in Yorkshire The towns of Easingwold Kirkby Malzeard Kirkbymoorside Malton Middlesbrough Ripon Richmond and Thirsk each mentioned by characters in the series lie in North Yorkshire as does the city of York while Leeds similarly mentioned lies in West Yorkshire Yorkshire media speculated the general location of the fictional Downton Abbey to be somewhere in the triangulated area between the towns of Easingwold Ripon and Thirsk 17 First World War trench warfare scenes in France were filmed in a specially constructed replica battlefield for period war scenes near the village of Akenham in rural Suffolk 18 Many historical locations and aristocratic mansions have been used to film various scenes The fictional Haxby Park the estate Sir Richard Carlisle intends to buy in Series 2 is part of Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire 19 Byfleet Manor in Surrey is the location for the Dower house home to Violet Dowager Countess of Grantham 20 while West Wycombe Park in Buckinghamshire is used for the interior scenes of Lady Rosamund Samantha Bond s London residence in Belgrave Square 21 A house in Belgrave Square is used for exterior shots 22 The farm scenes in Series 2 in which Lady Edith learns to drive a tractor as part of the war effort were filmed on location at the Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire 23 24 Inveraray Castle in Argyll Scotland doubled as Duneagle Castle in the 2012 Christmas special 25 Greys Court near Henley on Thames in Oxfordshire was used as the family s secondary property which they proposed moving into and calling Downton Place due to financial difficulties in Series Three Also in the third series Bates s prison scenes were filmed at Lincoln Castle in Lincolnshire Horsted Keynes railway station in Sussex is used as Downton station 26 The station is part of the heritage Bluebell Railway St Pancras station in London doubled for King s Cross station in episode one of series 4 in the scene where Lady Edith Crawley meets her lover Michael Gregson 27 The restaurant scene where Lady Edith meets Michael Gregson and where they share their kiss was filmed at the Criterion Restaurant in Piccadilly Circus which was originally opened in 1874 28 Bridgewater House in the St James area of London served as the family s London home Outdoor scenes are filmed in the village of Bampton in Oxfordshire Notable locations include St Mary s the Virgin Church and the library which served as the entrance to the cottage hospital The old rectory in Bampton is used for exterior shots of Isobel Crawley s house with interior scenes filmed at Hall Barn Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire featured as Loxley House the home of Sir Anthony Strallan 29 Parts of series 4 were filmed at The Historic Dockyard Chatham Kent The Tarred Yarn Store was used in episode one as a workhouse where Mrs Hughes Phyllis Logan visits Mr Grigg Nicky Henson and in episode two streets at The Historic Dockyard Chatham were used for the scenes where Lady Rose MacClare Lily James is at the market with James Kent Ed Speleers watching her 30 The production had previously filmed in Kent for series 1 where the opening sequence of a train going through the countryside was filmed at the Kent amp East Sussex Railway 31 Other filming locations for series 4 include the ballroom of The Savile Club in Mayfair London 32 Scenes for the 2013 Christmas special were filmed at Royal Holloway University of London near Egham Surrey West Wittering beach in West Sussex and Berkshire s Basildon Park near Streatley Lancaster House in London stood in for Buckingham Palace 33 34 Alnwick Castle in Northumberland was the filming location used for Brancaster Castle in the 2014 and 2015 Christmas specials which included filming in Alnwick Castle s State Rooms as well as on the castle s grounds and at the nearby semi ruined Hulne Abbey on the Duke of Northumberland s parklands in Alnwick 35 In Series 5 and 6 Kingston Bagpuize House in Oxfordshire was used as the location for Cavenham Park the home of Lord Merton 36 In Series 6 2015 the scenes of motor racing at Brooklands were filmed at the Goodwood Circuit in West Sussex In 2015 Wayfair co uk published a map of 70 Downton Abbey filming locations 37 The 2019 film of Downton Abbey uses many of the television locations such as Highclere Castle and Bampton as well as exterior shots filmed at Beamish Museum 38 The North York Moors Railway was used for railway scenes 39 Opening Edit The opening music of Downton Abbey titled Did I Make the Most of Loving You 40 was composed by John Lunn 41 A suite version was released on the soundtrack for the show on 19 September 2011 in the UK and later in the US on 13 December 2011 The soundtrack also included the song performed by singer Mary Jess Leaverland 42 with lyrics written by Don Black 43 Broadcasts EditThe rights to broadcast Downton Abbey have been acquired in over 220 countries and territories and the series has been viewed by a global audience of an estimated 120 million people 44 United Kingdom Edit The series first aired on the ITV network in the United Kingdom beginning on 26 September 2010 and received its first Britain wide broadcast when shown on ITV3 beginning in February 2011 STV the ITV franchisee in central and northern Scotland including the Orkney and Shetland islands originally opted out of showing Downton Abbey choosing instead to screen a brand new six part series of Taggart following a long practice of opting out of networked United Kingdom wide programming on the ITV network 45 This led to backlash from Scottish viewers who were frustrated at not being able to watch the programme Many viewers with satellite or cable television tuned into other regional stations of the ITV network for example ITV London with viewing figures showing this is also commonplace for other ITV programmes 46 STV announced in July 2011 that it would show the first and second series of Downton Abbey as part of its autumn schedule 47 Scottish cast members Phyllis Logan and Iain Glen were both quoted as being pleased with the decision 48 United States Edit In the United States Downton Abbey was first broadcast in January 2011 on PBS as part of the 40th season of Masterpiece 49 The programme was aired in four 90 minute episodes controversially requiring PBS to alter the beginning and endpoints of each episode and make other small changes slightly altering each episode s structure to fit the programme precisely into the allotted running time 50 a b PBS also added a host Laura Linney who introduced each episode explaining matters such as the entail and Buccaneers c for the benefit of US viewers which was labelled by some American critics as condescending 50 PBS editing for broadcasts in the United States continued in the subsequent seasons 51 The final and sixth season aired in 2016 PBS continued to repeat episodes until 2020 when NBC Universal took over the US broadcasting rights for its streaming service Peacock The series became available on Netflix in 2021 The series also aired on the E network in 2022 Canada Edit In Canada VisionTV began airing the programme on 7 September 2011 CBC Television repeated the whole series in 2021 Downton Abbey was aired in French on Ici Radio Canada Tele 52 Australia and New Zealand Edit In Australia the first series was broadcast on the Seven Network beginning on 29 May 2011 53 the second series was broadcast beginning on 20 May 2012 54 and the third series beginning on 10 February 2013 55 In New Zealand Prime began airing the first series on 10 May 2011 the second series on 18 October 2011 and the third series on 18 October 2012 56 Ireland Edit In Ireland independent television channel TV3 aired the first series in January and February 2011 57 Denmark Edit The ITV series aired in the Nordic 13th Street made by NBCUniversal International Networks on 24 January 2011 Austria Edit Paramount Channel aired this series beginning on 20 August 2012 France Edit Downton Abbey was broadcast on Universal Channel in France beginning in December 2010 Reception EditCritical response Edit Metacritic ratings per series Series 1 Series 2 Series 3 Series 4 Series 5 Series 6Rating 91 58 85 59 83 60 72 61 75 62 76 63 At Metacritic which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics the first series received an average score of 91 based on 16 reviews which indicates universal acclaim 64 This result earned the show a Guinness World Record in 2011 for Highest critical review ratings for a TV show making Downton Abbey the critically best received TV show in the world 65 Season 4 of Breaking Bad surpassed Downton Abbey s record later in the year with a score of 96 making the first series of Downton Abbey the second highest rated show of 2011 66 The series has been noted for its relatively sympathetic portrayal of the aristocratic family and the class based society of early 20th century Britain This has led to criticism from the political left and praise from the right 67 James Fenton wrote in The New York Review of Books it is noticeable that the aristocrats in the series even the ones who are supposed to be the most ridiculous never lapse into the most offensive kind of upper class drawl one would expect of them Great care has been taken to keep them pleasant and approachable even when the things they say are sometimes shown to be class bound and unfeeling 68 Jerry Bowyer argued in Forbes that the sympathy for aristocracy is over stated and that the show is simply more balanced than most period dramas which he believes have had a tendency to demonise or ridicule upper class characters He wrote that Downton Abbey shows there is no inherent need for good TV to be left of center Stories sympathetic to virtue preservation of property and admiration of nobility and of wealth can be told beautifully and to wide audiences 67 Downton Abbey has been a commercial success and received general acclaim from critics although some criticise it as superficial melodramatic or unrealistic Others defend these qualities as the reason for the show s appeal David Kamp wrote in Vanity Fair that melodrama is an uncool thing to trade in these days but then that s precisely why Downton Abbey is so pleasurable In its clear delineation between the goodies and the baddies in its regulated dosages of highs and lows the show is welcome counter programming to the slow burning despair and moral ambiguity of most quality drama on television right now 9 In September 2019 The Guardian which ranked the show 50th on its list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century stated that the show was TV drama as comfort blanket at a time of austerity Julian Fellowes s country house epic offered elegantly realised solace in the homilies of the past 69 Mary McNamara of Los Angeles Times wrote Possibly the best series of the year 70 Jill Serjeant of Reuters wrote There s a new darling in U S pop culture 71 The staff of Entertainment Weekly wrote It s the biggest PBS phenomenon since Sesame Street 72 David Hinckley of New York Daily News wrote Maintains its magic touch 73 James Parker writing in The Atlantic said Preposterous as history preposterous as drama the show succeeds magnificently as bad television The dialogue spins light operatically along in the service of multiplying plotlets not too hard on the ear although now and again a line lands like a tray of dropped spoons The acting is superb it has to be 74 Ben W Heineman Jr compared the series unfavourably to Brideshead Revisited writing Downton Abbey is entertainment Its illustrious predecessor in television mega success about the English upper class Brideshead Revisited is art 75 He noted the lack of character development in Downton Writing in The Sunday Times A A Gill said that the show is everything I despise and despair of on British television National Trust sentimentality costumed comfort drama that flogs an embarrassing demeaning and bogus vision of the place I live in 9 Sam Wollaston of The Guardian said It s beautifully made handsome artfully crafted and acted Smith who plays the formidable and disdainful Dowager Countess has a lovely way of delivering words always spaced to perfection This is going to be a treat if you like a lavish period drama of a Sunday evening 76 While rumoured due to the departure of actor Dan Stevens the death of Matthew Crawley in the 2012 Christmas special drew criticism 77 78 Fellowes defended the decision stating that they didn t really have an option once Stevens decided to leave 78 Stevens later said that he had no say in the manner of his character s departure but that he was sorry his character had died on Christmas Day 79 The third episode of the fourth series which aired on 6 October 2013 included a warning at the beginning This episode contains violent scenes that some viewers may find upsetting 80 The episode content in which Anna Bates was raped led to more than 200 complaints by viewers to UK television regulator Ofcom 81 while ITV received 60 complaints directly 82 On 4 November 2013 Ofcom announced it would not be taking action over the controversy citing the warning given that the episode was screened after 9 pm and that the rape took place off screen 83 Series 4 also introduced a recurring character black jazz musician Jack Ross who had a brief romantic affair with Lady Rose The casting of Gary Carr drew critical accusations of political correctness in the media The character of Ross was partially based on Leslie Hutchinson Hutch a real life 1920s jazz singer who had an affair with a number of women in high society among them Edwina Mountbatten 84 85 Ratings Edit The first episode of Downton Abbey had a consolidated British audience of 9 2 million viewers a 32 audience share making it the most successful new drama on any channel since Whitechapel was launched on ITV in February 2009 The total audience for the first episode including repeats and ITV Player viewings exceeded 11 6 million viewers This was beaten by the next episode with a total audience of 11 8 million viewers including repeats and ITV Player views Downton Abbey broke the record for a single episode viewing on ITV Player 86 The second series premiered in Britain on 18 September 2011 in the same 9 pm slot as the first series with the first episode attracting an average audience of 9 million viewers on ITV1 a 34 6 share 87 The second episode attracted a similar following with an average of 9 3 million viewers citation needed In January 2012 the PBS premiere attracted 4 2 million viewers over double the network s average primetime audience of 2 million The premiere audience was 18 higher than the first series premiere 88 The second series of Downton Abbey gave PBS its highest ratings since 2009 The second series averaged 5 4 million viewers excluding station replays DVR viewings and online streaming The 5 4 million average improved on PBS first series numbers by 25 Additionally episodes of series two have been viewed 4 8 million times on PBS s digital portal which bests series one s online viewing numbers by more than 400 percent Overall Downton Abbey related content has racked up more than 9 million streams across all platforms with 1 5 million unique visitors since series 2 s 8 January premiere 89 In 2013 Downton Abbey was ranked the 43rd most well written TV show of all time by the Writers Guild of America 90 The third series premiered in the UK on 16 September 2012 with an average of 9 million viewers or a 36 audience share 91 For the first time in the UK episode three received an average of more than 10 million viewers or a 38 2 audience share 92 Premiering in the US in January 2013 the third series had an average audience of 11 5 million viewers and the finale on 17 February 2013 drew 12 3 million viewers making it the night s highest rating show 93 Overall during its seven week run the series had an audience of 24 million viewers making it PBS s highest rated drama of all time 93 The fourth series premiered in the UK on 22 September 2013 with an average audience of 9 5 million viewers the highest ever for one of the drama s debut episodes 94 It premiered in the US on 5 January 2014 to an audience of at least 10 2 million viewers outperforming every other drama on that night it was the largest audience for PBS since the 1990 premiere of the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War 95 The second episode attracted an average of 9 6 million UK viewers 96 Awards and nominations Edit Main article List of awards and nominations received by Downton Abbey Cultural reaction Edit Although Julian Fellowes supports a united Ireland 97 there has been criticism of the stereotypical Irish characters used in the show specifically the character of Tom Branson s brother Kieran portrayed as a rude and boorish drunk 98 Allen Leech who plays Tom Branson defended the series stating that the show did not portray Irish characters in a pejorative fashion 98 Branson s character took some criticism in Ireland from The Irish Times which described the character as an Irish republican turned Downtonian toff 99 The character of the Earl of Grantham occasionally expresses negative views about Catholics and is described by The Washington Post as xenophobic but at least historically accurate 100 Episodes in Season 3 featured Lord Grantham using offensive derogatory terms against Catholics such as the phrase left footer and mocking the Catholic Mass by calling it a gymnastics display A dinner scene also features a Protestant minister calling Catholic practices pagan Fellowes himself a Roman Catholic explained that he chose to address this in terms of that casual almost unconscious anti Catholicism that was found among the upper classes which lasted well into my growing up years adding that he thought it might be interesting to explore this in the series and described his own experiences where the aristocracy were happy for you to come to their dances or shoot their pheasants but there were plenty who did not want you to marry their daughters and risk Catholic grandchildren 101 Authenticity Edit Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes Fellowes has said he tries to be as authentic in his depiction of the period as he can 9 Despite this the show features many linguistic anachronisms 102 The accents of characters have also been questioned with the Received Pronunciation of the actors who play the wealthy characters described as slightly more contemporary than would be expected among early 20th century aristocrats however this elicited more natural and unaffected performances from the cast 103 In 2010 Fellowes hired Alastair Bruce an expert on state and court ritual as historical adviser 104 Bruce explains his role as being here to guide the production and particularly the director as they bring Julian s words to life That also involves getting the social conduct right and giving actors a sense of surety in the way they deliver a performance 104 Actor Jim Carter who plays butler Carson describes Bruce as the series etiquette watchdog 104 and the UK s Daily Telegraph finished its 2011 profile of Bruce s role stating Downton s authenticity it seems is in safe hands 105 However historian Simon Schama criticised the show for historical inaccuracies and pandering to cliches 106 Producer Gareth Neame defended the show saying Downton is a fictional drama It is not a history programme but a drama of social satire about a time when relationships behaviour and hierarchy were very different from those we enjoy today 107 A tremendous amount of research went into recreating the servants quarters at Ealing Studios because Highclere Castle where many of the upstairs scenes are filmed 108 was not adequate for representing the downstairs life at the fictional manor house 109 Researchers visited nearly 40 English country houses to help inform what the kitchen should look like and production designer Donal Woods said of the kitchen equipment that probably about 60 to 70 per cent of the stuff in there is from that period 108 Mrs Beeton s Book of Household Management is an important guide to the food served in the series but Highclere owner and author of Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle Lady Carnarvon states that dinner parties in the era would have been even more over the top than those shown 108 Lady Pamela Hicks agreed stating that it is ridiculous to think that a weekend party would consist of only fourteen house guests it would have consisted of at least 40 110 However Carnarvon understood the compromises that must be made for television and adds It s a fun costume drama It s not a social documentary Because it s so popular I think some people take it as historical fact 108 Home media EditStreaming Edit The series was made available in its entirety on Netflix in June 2021 after leaving in 2013 It is also available on Amazon Prime Video Peacock the PBS app and PBS org with a PBS Passport subscription 111 112 Blu ray and DVD Edit On 16 September 2011 two days before the UK premiere of the second series it was reported by Amazon com that the first series of Downton Abbey had become the highest selling DVD boxset of all time on the online retailer s website surpassing popular American programmes such as The Sopranos Friends and The Wire 113 Soundtracks EditA soundtrack featuring music from the series and also new songs was released by Decca in September 2011 Music by John Lunn and Don Black features with vocals from Mary Jess Leaverland and Alfie Boe 114 A second soundtrack was released on 19 November 2012 entitled Downton Abbey The Essential Collection 115 and a third and final soundtrack containing two discs was released on 15 January 2016 entitled Downton Abbey The Ultimate Collection and featured music spanning from all six seasons of the series including some from the first soundtrack 116 Track listings Edit Downton Abbey Original Music from the Television SeriesNo TitleArtistLength1 Downton Abbey The Suite John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London7 092 Love and the Hunter John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 183 Emancipation John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 154 Story of My Life John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 585 Fashion John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 196 Damaged John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London5 257 If You Were the Only Girl in the World Alfie Boe3 478 Preparation John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 279 Such Good Luck John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 3010 Us and Them John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5311 Violet John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5612 A Drive John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 0413 An Ideal Marriage John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 4314 Roses of Picardy Alfie Boe3 5515 Telegram John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 4516 Deception John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 5117 Titanic John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 1018 A Song and a Dance John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 3019 Did I Make the Most of Loving You a shortened version of Downton Abbey The Suite with lyrics John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Mary Jess Leaverland4 18 Downton Abbey The Essential CollectionNo TitleArtistLength1 Downton Abbey The Suite John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London7 092 Love and the Hunter John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 183 Emancipation John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 154 Story of My Life John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 585 Did I Make the Most of Loving You John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Mary Jess Leaverland4 186 Nothing To Forgive John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 347 Fashion John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 198 Damaged John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London5 249 New World John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5110 I ll Count The Days John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Rebecca Ferguson2 4111 The Fallen John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 0112 A Glimpse of Happiness John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 0313 Elopement John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London4 4414 Preparation John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 2615 Us and Them John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5316 Patrick John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5217 Deception John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 5118 A Dangerous Path John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 1319 With Or Without You John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London Scala amp Kolacny Brothers4 3420 Violet John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5621 An Ideal Marriage John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 4522 A Song and a Dance John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 2823 Every Breath You Take John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London Scala amp Kolacny Brothers4 27 Downton Abbey The Ultimate Collection Disc 1No TitleArtistLength1 Downton Abbey The Suite John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London7 092 Story of My Life John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 583 Love and the Hunter John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 174 Preparation John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 275 Such Good Luck John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 526 Did I Make the Most of Loving You John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Mary Jess Leaverland4 177 Damaged John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London5 258 Violet John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 569 I ll Count The Days John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Eurielle2 4210 Fashion John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 2011 Us and Them John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5312 The Fallen John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 0013 Elopement John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London4 4414 New World John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 5115 A Dangerous Path John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 1216 Escapades 1 John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London6 0417 A Glimpse of Happiness John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 03 Downton Abbey The Ultimate Collection Disc 2No TitleArtistLength1 A Grand Adventure John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London3 242 Duneagle John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 063 Not One s Just Desserts John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 534 Life After Death John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London6 165 Marmalade Cake Walk John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London0 566 A Mother s Love John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 467 The Hunt John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 108 Nothing Will Be Easy John Lunn Chamber Orchestra of London amp Eurielle4 209 Down In China Townton John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London1 3610 Escapades 2 John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London5 3511 Brancaster John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London4 2212 Goodbye John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 3613 It s Not Goodbye It s Au Revoir John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 2414 The New Gladiators John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London4 0315 Modern Love John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 5116 Ambassador Stomp John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 1017 The Butler And The Housekeeper John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 0818 Two Sisters John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London2 3819 End Of An Era John Lunn amp Chamber Orchestra of London0 52Cultural impact EditSome of the fashion items worn by characters on the show have seen a strong revival of interest in the UK and elsewhere during the show s run including starched collars midi skirts beaded gowns and hunting plaids 117 The Equality Titles Bill was an unsuccessful piece of legislation introduced in the UK Parliament in 2013 that would have allowed equal succession of female heirs to hereditary titles and peerages It was nicknamed the Downton Abbey law because it addressed the same issue that affects Lady Mary Crawley who cannot inherit the estate because it must pass to a male heir The decor used on Downton Abbey inspired US Representative Aaron Schock to redecorate his congressional offices in a more luxurious style 118 119 120 He repaid the 40 000 cost of redecoration following scrutiny of his expenses and questions about his use of public money for personal benefit 121 and subsequently resigned in March 2015 122 Other media EditThe World of Downton Abbey a book featuring a behind the scenes look at Downton Abbey and the era in which it is set was released on 15 September 2011 It was written by Jessica Fellowes the niece of Julian Fellowes and published by HarperCollins 114 123 A second book also written by Jessica Fellowes and published by HarperCollins The Chronicles of Downton Abbey was released on 13 September 2012 It is a guide to the show s characters through the early part of the third series 124 Four spin off cookbooks have been published The Official Downton Abbey Cookbook 2019 which features dishes from the Edwardian period researched by food historian Dr Annie Gray The Official Downton Abbey Christmas Cookbook 2020 by Regula Ysewijn The Official Downton Abbey Cocktail Book 2019 and The Official Downton Abbey Afternoon Tea Cookbook 2020 Due to the show s popularity there have been a number of references and spoofs on it such as Family Guy episode Chap Stewie which has Stewie Griffin reborn in a household similar to Downton Abbey and How I Met Your Mother episode The Fortress where the gang watch a television show called Woodworthy Manor which is remarkably similar to Downton Abbey 125 The Gilded Age Edit Main article The Gilded Age TV series Julian Fellowes s The Gilded Age which debuted on HBO in 2022 portrays New York in the 1880s and how its old New York society coped with the influx of newly wealthy families 126 127 While a separate series a young Violet Countess of Grantham could when make an appearance on the new show 128 Film adaptations Edit Main articles Downton Abbey film and Downton Abbey A New Era On 13 July 2018 a feature length film was confirmed with production commencing mid 2018 129 The film was written by Julian Fellowes and is a continuation of the TV series with direction by Brian Percival It was distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures International 130 The film was released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019 with the United States following one week later on 20 September 2019 131 A sequel began filming in April 2021 132 The film was finally released in the UK on 29 April 2022 and in the US on 20 May 133 Film UK release date Director Screenwriter Producer s Downton Abbey 13 September 2019 2019 09 13 Michael Engler Julian Fellowes Julian Fellowes Gareth Neame and Liz TrubridgeDownton Abbey A New Era 29 April 2022 2022 04 29 Simon Curtis Gareth Neame and Liz TrubridgeSee also EditList of awards and nominations received by Downton Abbey The Cherry Orchard The Duchess of Duke Street Gosford Park The Shooting Party The Remains of the Day Upstairs DownstairsNotes Edit For example these structure changes resulted in the character of entail heir Matthew Crawley played by Dan Stevens coming into the storyline in the first episode in the United States broadcast rather than in the second as he had in the UK broadcast 50 The series aired in the UK with commercial breaks which required PBS according to a spokeswoman to plug those holes 51 American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy during the Gilded Age see The Buccaneers a novel by Edith Wharton References Edit Brajer Jessica 30 May 2022 Downton Abbey How the Period Franchise Has Remained Popular MovieWeb Retrieved 24 June 2022 Downton Abbey How Hollywood is snapping up our bright TV drama stars Daily Mirror 7 November 2010 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 21 September 2011 D Allesandro Anthony 26 January 2022 Downton Abbey A New Era Release Date Shifts To Early Summer Deadline Hollywood Retrieved 28 January 2022 Series 1 5 based on 7 day consolidated ratings data from BARB Christmas Special 2014 Christmas Special 2015 based on 28 day consolidated ratings data from BARB Downton Abbey Season 2 Country houses in medical service Jane Austen s World 16 January 2012 Retrieved 18 November 2021 Swift Andy 1 February 2016 Downton Abbey Recap Bloody Hell TV line Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 22 April 2017 PBS Downton Abbey Revisited TV documentary special to precede season 3 Fellowes Julian 20 February 2013 Julian Fellowes Abbey owes much to Wharton Berkshireeagle com Archived from the original on 24 December 2013 Retrieved 22 January 2014 a b c d Kamp David 8 November 2012 The Most Happy Fellowes Vanity Fair Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 9 November 2012 Highclere Castle Downton Abbey Archived from the original on 7 November 2013 Retrieved 14 November 2013 Dickson Elizabeth January February 1979 Historic 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Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 30 November 2015 Downton Abbey Season 4 Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 30 November 2015 Downton Abbey Season 5 Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 30 November 2015 Downton Abbey Season 6 Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 5 January 2016 Downton Abbey Season 1 Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 2 April 2011 Downton Abbey Wins Guinness World Record Broadcast Now Broadcast Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 13 September 2011 Metacritic Ranks for 2011 Metacritic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 13 February 2013 a b Bowyer Jerry 14 February 2013 Down on Downton Why The Left Is Torching Downton Abbey Forbes Archived from the original on 18 February 2013 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Fenton James 8 March 2012 The Abbey That Jumped the Shark The New York Review of Books Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 The 100 best TV shows of the 21st century The Guardian 16 September 2019 Archived from the original on 1 November 2019 McNamara Mary 8 January 2011 From the Archives The Times original review of Downton Abbey found plenty of sex and secrets romance and treachery to go round Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 December 2019 Serjeant Jill 8 February 2012 Downton Abbey brings cool TV crowd to America s PBS Reuters Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 December 2019 EW Staff 30 December 2013 This Week s Cover Downton Abbey keeps our Winter TV Preview classy Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 December 2019 Hinckley David 4 January 2015 As Downton Abbey heads into season five it maintains its magic touch New York Daily News Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 December 2019 Parker James 2 January 2013 Brideshead Regurgitated The Atlantic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Heineman Ben W Jr 1 February 2013 Downton Abbey Is Entertainment but Brideshead Revisited Was Art The Atlantic Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 TV review Downton Abbey and All New Celebrity Total Wipeout The Guardian 27 September 2010 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 16 October 2010 Groskop Viv 26 December 2012 Downton Abbey plot moving slowly It must be time for someone to die The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 a b Furness Hannah 28 December 2012 Julian Fellowes No option but to kill off Downton s Matthew The Daily Telegraph London UK Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Noah Sherna 4 June 2013 Dan Stevens Killing off Downton Abbey s Matthew on Christmas Day was not my doing The Independent London UK Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Groskop Viv 6 October 2013 Downton Abbey recap season four episode three The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Halliday Josh 9 October 2013 Downton Abbey rape scene defended by series creator Julian Fellowes The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Sweeney Sabrina Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes defends storyline BBC Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Downton Abbey to face no action from Ofcom over rape storyline BBC 4 November 2013 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 4 November 2013 Grant Sonia 23 September 2013 Downton Abbey in Black and White HuffPost UK Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 October 2019 Wilson Christopher 14 October 2013 The scandalous truth about Downton Abbey s royal gigolo Jack Ross Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 23 October 2019 Downton Abbey show gets second series BBC News 12 October 2010 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 16 October 2010 Plunkett John 18 September 2011 Downton Abbey scares Spooks with 9 m viewers The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 15 November 2011 Starr Michael 10 January 2012 Downton Abbey season 2 premiere averages 4 2 million viewers New York Post Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 28 October 2012 Kenneally Tim 23 February 2012 Ratings Downton Abbey Season 2 Finale Gives PBS Best Numbers Since 2009 Reuters Archived from the original on 16 November 2012 Retrieved 28 October 2012 101 Best Written TV Series List Archived from the original on 10 January 2014 Retrieved 14 September 2013 Deans Jason 17 September 2012 Downton Abbey and The X Factor lift ITV s spirits The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Deans Jason 1 October 2012 Downton Abbey and The X Factor hit series highs The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 a b National Ratings Cement Downton Abbey Season 3 on MASTERPIECE CLASSIC as Highest Rated Drama in PBS History Public Broadcasting Service 2013 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Szalai Georg 23 September 2013 Downton Abbey Draws Best Ever U K Season Premiere Ratings The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Stelter Brian 7 January 2014 Downton Abbey premiere breaks ratings record CNN Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 6 January 2014 Plunkett John 30 September 2013 Downton Abbey continues strong start The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 October 2013 Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes I support a united Ireland Belfast Telegraph Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 15 December 2016 a b Finn Melanie 3 November 2012 Downton s not anti Irish says star Alan Herald Dublin Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 25 February 2013 If Downton Abbey is going to end on a high the revolution will need to be bloody Irish Times Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 12 August 2016 Henneberger Melinda 29 January 2013 The politics of Downton Abbey Down with the patriarchy The Washington Post Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 7 September 2013 Walker Tim 22 October 2012 Downton Abbey s anti Catholic plot The Daily Telegraph London UK Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 6 September 2013 Haglund David 9 February 2012 Did You See This Downton Abbey Anachronisms Slate Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 9 September 2013 Trawick Smith Ben 19 January 2012 The Accents in Downton Abbey Dialect Blog Archived from the original on 10 September 2013 Retrieved 10 September 2013 a b c Gritten David 20 September 2010 Downton Abbey behind the scenes The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Power Vicki 16 September 2011 How Downton minds its manners The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Schama Simon 15 January 2012 No Downers in Downton Newsweek Archived from the original on 31 October 2013 Retrieved 14 September 2013 Simon Schama brands Downton cultural necrophilia BBC News 18 January 2012 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 14 September 2013 a b c d Krystal Becky 31 December 2012 On Downton Abbey aspic matters The Washington Post Archived from the original on 29 October 2013 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Kennicott Philip 29 January 2011 A Victorian fantasy in stone The Washington Post Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 10 September 2013 Hicks India 29 November 2016 Watching The Crown with Lady Pamela Hicks Queen Elizabeth s Lady in Waiting Town and Country Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 27 January 2017 Netflix To End Downton Abbey Streaming As Amazon Snatches Exclusive Rights To Latest Season deadline com 1 February 2013 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 11 December 2016 Locker Melissa 20 September 2019 How to catch up on Downton Abbey 6 easy recaps before seeing the movie Fast Company Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 21 September 2019 Downton Abbey becomes top selling DVD box set of all time Metro 16 September 2011 Archived from the original on 27 November 2012 Retrieved 21 September 2011 a b Downton Abbey Series Two Press Pack PDF ITV July 2011 Archived from the original PDF on 12 March 2012 Retrieved 6 October 2012 Downton Abbey The Essential Collection Amazon Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 18 January 2020 Downton Abbey The Ultimate Collection 2 CD Amazon Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 18 January 2020 Kealey Helena 31 October 2014 Downton Abbey retro fashion revivals The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 18 November 2014 Illinois Rep Aaron Schock under fire for Downton Abbey office redo Chicagotribune com 3 February 2015 Archived from the original on 12 March 2015 Retrieved 13 March 2015 Terris Ben 18 December 2014 He s got a Downton Abbey inspired office but Rep Aaron Schock won t talk about it The Washington Post Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 13 March 2015 Miller Julie 3 February 2015 33 Year Old Congressman Aaron Schock Causes Controversy with Downton Abbey Themed Office Vanity Fair Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 13 March 2015 Aaron Schock reimburses US for 40 000 Downton Abbey office remodel The Guardian 27 February 2015 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 17 March 2015 Rep Aaron Schock announces resignation in wake of spending probe The Washington Post 17 March 2015 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 24 June 2015 Holland Evangeline 12 September 2011 Jessica Fellowes and the World of Downton Abbey Edwardian Promenade Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 21 September 2013 Holland Evangeline 13 September 2012 Jessica Fellowes and The Chronicles of Downton Abbey Edwardian Promenade Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 21 February 2013 How I Met Your Mother recap The Fortress Give A Little Entertainment Weekly 18 March 2013 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 22 April 2017 Petski Denise Andreeva Nellie 31 January 2018 Julian Fellowes The Gilded Age Drama Series Set For 2019 Launch On NBC Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2018 Bakare Lanre 1 February 2018 Julian Fellowes Downton Abbey follow up The Gilded Age to arrive in 2019 The Guardian Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Bird Steve 4 February 2018 Dowager Countess to surprise fans with star appearance in Julian Fellowes new Downton The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 29 May 2018 Downton Abbey film finally confirmed BBC News 13 July 2018 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2018 Downton Abbey Movie Is on the Way The New York Times 13 July 2018 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 14 July 2018 Everything you need to know about the Downton Abbey movie GoodHouseKeeping co uk 2 November 2018 Archived from the original on 15 November 2020 Retrieved 8 November 2018 Gordon Naomi 3 July 2021 Downton Abbey 2 release date is delayed until March 2022 Harper s BAZAAR Retrieved 24 August 2021 Mills Sarah 26 April 2022 Crawley family return in new Downton Abbey film GMA News Online Retrieved 1 May 2022 Further reading EditFellowes Jessica Sturgis Matthew 2012 The Chronicles of Downton Abbey Foreword by Julian Fellowes photography by Joss Barratt Nick Briggs and Giles Keyte London UK Collins ISBN 978 0 00 745325 2 OCLC 811576487 The companion book covering the characters through the early part of the third series Fellowes Jessica 2011 The World of Downton Abbey Foreword by Julian Fellowes photography by Nick Briggs New York St Martin s Press ISBN 978 1 250 00634 9 OCLC 727704121 Retrieved 25 October 2015 The companion book to the first and second series Includes an extensive further reading section Fellowes Julian 2013 Downton Abbey The Complete Scripts Season One New York William Morrow ISBN 978 0 06 223831 3 OCLC 795761131 Fellowes Julian 2013 Downton Abbey The Complete Scripts Season Two New York William Morrow ISBN 978 0 06 224135 1 OCLC 828844711 Fellowes Julian 2014 Downton Abbey The Complete Scripts Season Three New York William Morrow ISBN 978 0 06 224137 5 OCLC 870982733 MacColl Gail Wallace Carol McD 1989 To Marry an English Lord or How Anglomania Really Got Started New York Workman Publishing ISBN 978 0 89480 939 2 OCLC 243431665 Gives a background on the preceding period especially for Cora Countess of Grantham who is one of the Buccaneers Reprinted as To Marry an English Lord Tales of Wealth and Marriage Sex and Snobbery New York Workman Publishing Company 2012 ISBN 978 0 7611 7195 9 OCLC 779399305 Retrieved 25 October 2015 Rowley Emma 2013 Behind the Scenes at Downton Abbey Foreword by Gareth Neame photography by Nick Briggs New York St Martin s Press ISBN 978 1 250 04790 8 OCLC 862880131 The official companion book to series 1 4 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downton Abbey Wikiquote has quotations related to Downton Abbey Downton Abbey at stv tvDownton Abbey at itv com DA CS ITV Official Press Pack Downton Abbey at Emmys com Downton Abbey Archived 30 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine on PBS Masterpiece Downton Abbey at IMDb Downton Abbey at epguides com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Downton Abbey amp oldid 1124176392, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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