JUST FINISHED WATCHING: DOWNTON ABBEY (2010–2015)
JUST FINISHED WATCHING: DOWNTON ABBEY (2010–2015)
A chronicle of the lives of the British aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early twentieth century.
TRIVIA: Cast members of the show have revealed that the costumes are, in many cases, actual articles of clothing from the 1910s and 1920s. They are so fragile that they cannot be laundered, and as a result, don't smell very good.
The real estate that "plays" Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, has been the home of the Herbert family since 1679. In 1922, George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert 5th Earl of Carnarvon, co-discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. On the show, the names of Lord Robert Crowley, Earl of Grantham's beloved dogs, Pharaoh and Isis, are nods to the real castle's connection to Egyptian history. The castle was shown briefly in The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (1980).
H.M. Queen Elizabeth II is among the royal fans of the show. She has spotted errors in various episodes, according to the Daily Telegraph. She noted a World War I soldier was wearing medals awarded in World War II. The Queen has also been a guest at Highclere Castle.
Highclere Castle (filming location and stand-in for Downton Abbey) was also used as a filming location for The Secret Garden (1987).
During the second season, the Abbey is turned into a recovery house for troops. At Highclere Castle, the house used for the show, the Countess of Carnarvon turned the house into a hospital in World War I. Unlike Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern), the Countess eagerly opened her home and there are letters in some of the rooms from former patients thanking her for her hospitality.
Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley) and Peter Egan (Hugh 'Shrimpie' MacClare, Marquess of Flintshire), who played aristocrats on this show, made comments about how more than likely they would have been members of the downstairs staff. It is ironic that Rose Leslie (Gwen Dawson/Gwen Harding), who played a maid on this show, actually lived in a Scottish Castle since her father is the chieftain of the clan Leslie.
Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman were in talks to guest star together on an episode of this show as a married couple. Kate Winslet could not do it at the time because she was expecting a baby. Alan Rickman was interested, but decided against it because Kate Winslet couldn't appear with him.
Two of the actors who portrayed love interests for the character Lady Edith, Charles Edwards (Michael Gregson) and Harry Hadden-Paton (Bertie Pelham) played the Queen's secretary, Martin Charteris; Hadden-Paton in Season One and Two, and Edwards in Season Three and Season Four of The Crown (2016).
As of 2013, this show is the highest rated drama series shown on PBS's "Masterpiece" of all time. It has been seen by an estimated one hundred twenty million viewers in two hundred countries and regions.
In 2012, it became the most nominated British television series in the history of the Emmys, with sixteen Emmy nominations.
MY VERDICT: I went into watching this tv series with a very cynical mindset. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been interested in watching this and only put it on because it was on Netflix and I wanted something on in the background. But boy, did it suck me in! Firstly, just the surroundings are beautiful, I found myself stopping to look at the landscapes and interiors, the luxury and the opulence of everything is mesmerising. The characters are interesting, the dynamics, the rituals and customs are all fascinating, the show is amazing at transporting you to another time. So I would highly recommend this show, which can melt the heart of even the staunchest critic if you give it a chance. But I must admit I’m really not that much of a snob when it comes to what I watch. I say if you’ve never seen a second, give the first episode a go and see how you feel.
Watch this here…
