10 reasons to watch Downton Abbey
After the dramatic death of heart-throb Matthew Crawley (played by Dan Stevens), at the end of the last series, there is more pressure on creator, Julian Fellowes, to keep the ratings up.
Reluctant to commit to the ‘House’ again? Here, we give you ten good reasons ‘to get back in the family way’ this autumn.
A veteran of stage, TV and movies, Maggie Smith, (far right), 78, steals the show as the irascible Dowager Countess of Grantham. “Every relationship can suffer from too much truth,” she says early on in series four, the latest in a long line of wonderful advice to the family, including: “Don’t be defeatist dear, it’s terribly middle class”; “Why does every day involve a fight with an American?”; and “If she won’t say ‘yes’ when he might be poor, he won’t want her when he will be rich.”
Every home should have one.
Keep your eyes fixed on the ‘help’ and you’ll learn the correct placement of cutlery, the perfect cocktail glass, the size of the serving dish for fish, and advice on cleaning windows and scrubbing pots. Did you know, for example, that the best way to fluff up a pillow is by bouncing it, short side up, on the floor?
Who recalls the American actress’s roles in Ordinary People (1980); an Oscar nomination for Ragtime (1981) or playing Robert De Niro’s moll in 1984’s Once Upon a Time in America? Hmm, thought not.
But her role as Countess of Grantham has brought her to the attention of a new audience and reminded her fellow Americans of her wonderful talent and screen presence.
They are calling her Britain’s best export of recent years — with Hollywood begging for her attention with a range of scripts. But who knew she was the daughter of an Irish emigrant (Michael Dockery) to London, from Athlone? Or that the stunning Dagenham-born actress — often likened to Grace Kelly because of her style and poise — is dating Corkman and UCC graduate, John Dineen, whose parents run the family farm at Waterfall, outside Cork City?
With Matthew Crawley fans mourning the loss of the handsome features of Dan Stevens almost as much as his grief-stricken on-screen wife, Lady Mary, Fellowes kindly found a promising replacement. Viscount Gillingham (played by relatively unknown Welsh actor, Tom Cullen), appears as Lady Mary’s childhood friend, though is now engaged to Hon Mabel Lane Fox. However, could there be a spark with Lady Mary, or is Fellowes just teasing us with the faint hope that she may find happiness again?
Despite having a reasonable TV career, including appearances in The Tudors, Rome and The Sweeney, it wasn’t until he turned up at Downton, as the very political Irish chauffeur, Tom Branson, that the world took note of Killiney-born Allen Leech. Now, he’s a big hit in the US, where the show has a huge fan base.
The heart-breaking scenes involving the death of his on-screen wife, Lady Sybil, made him a household name on both sides of the Atlantic. And he’s not hard on the eyes, either.
As the new series begins, we find Lady Edith coming out of her shell and brazenly declaring her love for a married man.
Not only that, but her visits to London see her bravely dressed in jazz-era flapper dresses, with knee-length slits, and off-the-shoulder cocktail outfits. The once demure and ‘plain Jane’ Edith has blossomed into a gorgeous, strong-willed journalist, relishing the freedom of post-War Britain.
The attention to detail in Downton is a spectacular strengths — from clothes to furnishings to transport to manners, the historians adore its authenticity and the way it so beautifully chronicles the changes, down the decades, in British life. Fans of fashion will be taken with the way ankle lengths and neck lines reflect the social changes.
But fans of property porn will adore comparing the lush furnishings and décor at Downton with the slightly less extravagant homes of neighbours, the Dowager Countess and Isobel Crawley.
His character, Thomas Barrow, is a villain with no redeeming features, yet there is something strangely sexy about the under-butler, who is constantly undermining his colleagues. Thomas is a gay man, not fully out of the closet yet, so the scriptwriters have made him appealing to both women and men. His dark good looks and immaculate appearance mean that there is always a naive young member of staff willing to do the treacherous former footman’s bidding.
At times wonderfully warm, and at other times intensely stupid and stubborn, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonnerville is wonderfully cast) is a perfect father figure to the Downton daughters. He has given us an unexpected thrill with his brief encounter with a house maid, though he soon realised the error of his ways. But that short indiscretion means there is always the possibility of another...
*Downton Abbey is on ITV 1 on Sundays and TV3 on Wednesdays, at 9pm
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