Downton Abbey

[CaptainWaggett]

I sincerely hope so Cap'n, I recall in UD Mrs Bridges referring to the Tay bridge disaster at the time of the Titanic sinking "when I was a girl", so if we say being a 'girl' is between the ages of 4 and 20, splitting the difference and assuming Mrs Bridges was 8 in the year of the Tay bridge disaster in 1879, (28th of December) that would make her 33 in 1912, and 51 in 1930 when the series concluded..........hmmm, I guess some people looked much older than they actually were in the old days lol!

Tay Bridge disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well, she hadn't seen daylight for about 20 years

[Mark O]

Well, she hadn't seen daylight for about 20 years

Lol, Cap'n, you're right, or at least very little, on the way to see her friend in Victoria where she saw Lady Marjorie entering the doorway of a house where rooms were let to Gentlemen such as Captain Hammond, naughty Lady Marjorie!, Mrs Bridges didn't want to go 'trapsing through the woods' either when the Bus was hired to take servants on a day out, not that any of the household went anyhow after discovering poor Emily, other than the forthcoming day trip to Herne Bay in 1914 were about the only times Mrs Bridges ventured outdoors, a bit of a grim life, though not so grim as noisy cotton mill which many poor girls slaved away in.

I know there's a book out 'The world of Downton Abbey', I've not purchased it but there may be a family tree inside, I don't know, I've just asked on IMDB about the date of Lady Violet's birth but I'm not holding my breath.

[jaycad]

The Christmas special was better than the whole of series 2, I thought. Very well done and will lead well into series 3.

I'd agree with you there Didi!

[jaycad]

I sincerely hope so Cap'n, I recall in UD Mrs Bridges referring to the Tay bridge disaster at the time of the Titanic sinking "when I was a girl", so if we say being a 'girl' is between the ages of 4 and 20, splitting the difference and assuming Mrs Bridges was 8 in the year of the Tay bridge disaster in 1879, (28th of December) that would make her 33 in 1912, and 51 in 1930 when the series concluded..........hmmm, I guess some people looked much older than they actually were in the old days lol!

Tay Bridge disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd take the phrase 'When I was a girl' to mean teens to early twenties in that era,coupled with the photographic evidence that many a member of the working class looked a lot older than their years the ages are (a little) more palatable-what I can't understand about UD is why no attempt was made to age any of the characters apart from a grey streak to James Bellamys' hair and a pipe attached to Edwards mouth in the last series?

[cully]

Is there a 3rd series of Downton Abbey planned??

[Mark O]

Is there a 3rd series of Downton Abbey planned??

There most certainly is cully, I believe shooting is to begin next month and will be transmitted in the Autumn, I'm sure the Media will capture a few sneaky pictures from location filming to tempt we fans.

I now have a question, I recall on some threads there have been railway timetables displayed, as members of the Crawley family, etc; traveled regularly by Train from Ripon to King's Cross, would someone with access to an old timetable give me an idea of how long the actual journey (around 1920) would take please?

[Freddy]

[julian_craster]

Not really surprising that US folks should go for it in such as big way ....

Simon Schama attacks Downton Abbey as 'silvered tureen of snobbery' :

Daily Telegraph:
Simon Schama attacks Downton Abbey as 'silvered tureen of snobbery' - Telegraph

[waldo_lydecker]

It's fiction, not non-fiction. I agree with much of Schama's objections, but I don't think they should preclude people from quite liking the drama. It's high class hokum, but so what - so was Upstairs Downstairs, so's 24, so's Boardwalk Empire, so's Spooks, etc etc. Does Schama want to pop up after each drama programme and announce it's inaccurate? I didn't notice him moaning about Merchant Ivory productions, several of which struck me as far worse in their romanticised depiction of Edwardian life.

[ShirlGirl]

In today's Sydney Morning Herald:

HAVING already swept Britain and Australia, Downton Abbey-mania is sweeping the US. Five Emmys, a Golden Globe for best drama mini-series and now a richly indulging appreciation in this week's New Yorker: ''A bit like scarfing handfuls of caramel corn while swigging champagne.'' But we mention its success for a rather disquieting reason: apparently its screening on PBS in the US has been used to test a new interactive viewing model, as described in a letter to The New York Times yesterday: '' I, too, am mad for Downton Abbey,'' wrote Mary-Lou Weisman of Westport, Connecticut, ''but I'm angry about the intrusive, distracting and pointless questions that appear from time to time in a red band at the bottom of the screen, inviting its audience to vote on how one character or another ought to behave to affect the outcome of the plot. It is disheartening that PBS has stooped so low to conquer the interactive compulsions of its younger viewers.''

Disheartening indeed. And daft. Everyone knows Downton Abbey has no plot, and simply moves at the speed of thought association - the moment something might happen, it happens (a male heir? Done!). Still, as the New Yorker's Emily Nussbaum puts it: ''I could pick at small elements of the show, especially the extraordinary obstacles placed in the way of about 15 separate couples. (There's enough unrequited love to make The Remains of the Day look like Caligula.) With its perfectly crafted zingers, waves of pure heartbreak, and a visual thread count so dense it may actually qualify as a controlled substance, Downton Abbey is situated precisely on the Venn diagram where 'prestige' meets 'guilty pleasure': it's as much cake as it is bread. And, sue me, I like cake.''

[Heinrich]

Having no interest in the English ruling class, I never watched it.

[GRAEME]

My main objection has been the utterly ridiculous dialogue - like they were doing a spoof or something!

The main anachronism has to be the fact that all the toffs sound so very middle class! Where are all those unspeakably strained upper class accents?

Downton isn't the first show to tone down the toff-effect of the accents - everybody would switch off in droves! Colditz way back in the seventies: the producers made a conscious decision not to have the "jolly old banter" and "what old boy" talking style up at the historically accurate level, because they were scared the public just couldn't accept it.

[ayrshireman]

Three cheers for Simon.

The Downton hype is ridiculous. Its not even that good, frankly.

No wonder the rest of the world thinks we all know the Queen personally, live in castles and are all posh idiots or cock-urr-knees. What chance have we of getting the world to respect the great film and television Britain has produced, when all they see is this nonsense that panders to a stereotype?. And I cant stand Fellowes. Whom I truly believe thinks he IS a aristo who has lowered himself to the entertainment world. Hyacinth with a bald head.

[julian_craster]

I agree - I used to like Fellowes, but since he has become a Tory Lord he has become even more smug and conceited......

PM David Cameron would regard the Downton Abbey type of film and tv production as fitting in with his own values/concept of 'quality' media production, which fools the Yankees into thinking that we all live in stately homes just like the Cameron in-laws !

[julian_craster]

THE SUN:
Downton Abbey set for Hollywood | The Sun |Showbiz|TV


THE Downton Abbey gang could be back again in Hollywood quite soon — making Downton: The Movie.

Show creator Julian Fellowes was the toast of Tinseltown on Sunday night after the ITV1 costume drama landed a major TV prize at the Golden Globe awards.

He was virtually mobbed at the event's after-party at the Beverly Hilton, with actors and movie bosses wanting to know whether there was a film on the cards.

A source said: "Julian was chatting with various film directors and movie executives about the show and the possibility it would make a fantastic feature film.

"Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep were also seen chatting and congratulating him.

"He was very much flying the flag for British TV.

"They were all chatting about how much of a success the film version would be.

"Julian was explaining he would have to give the idea a lot of thought and that lots of people have already asked him about film rights."


Julian is no stranger to Hollywood, having had success there with his quintessentially British film Gosford Park.

He wrote the 2001 film, which starred Downton's Maggie Smith, and earned himself an Oscar for best screenplay.

Downton has become a hit in the US after it started airing on the PBS channel as part of the Masterpiece slot.

The channel also shows other British programmes such as Sherlock, the second series of which ended on BBC1 on Sunday.

Downton star Elizabeth McGovern, who plays the Countess of Grantham, explained the show's appeal to Americans.

She said: "I think they love the drama and the intrigue, and they also love the solidity of the life — that you're free of mobile phones and Twitter."

ITV is in the process of making a third series of Downton Abbey.

It will be set in 1920 and 1921, and cover 18 months in the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them.

[julian_craster]

If only Fellowes would go back to making paper shredders......starting with a few Downton Abbey scripts.....

[Mark O]

THE SUN:
Downton Abbey set for Hollywood | The Sun |Showbiz|TV


THE Downton Abbey gang could be back again in Hollywood quite soon — making Downton: The Movie.

Show creator Julian Fellowes was the toast of Tinseltown on Sunday night after the ITV1 costume drama landed a major TV prize at the Golden Globe awards.

He was virtually mobbed at the event's after-party at the Beverly Hilton, with actors and movie bosses wanting to know whether there was a film on the cards.

A source said: "Julian was chatting with various film directors and movie executives about the show and the possibility it would make a fantastic feature film.

"Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep were also seen chatting and congratulating him.

"He was very much flying the flag for British TV.

"They were all chatting about how much of a success the film version would be.

"Julian was explaining he would have to give the idea a lot of thought and that lots of people have already asked him about film rights."


Julian is no stranger to Hollywood, having had success there with his quintessentially British film Gosford Park.

He wrote the 2001 film, which starred Downton's Maggie Smith, and earned himself an Oscar for best screenplay.

Downton has become a hit in the US after it started airing on the PBS channel as part of the Masterpiece slot.

The channel also shows other British programmes such as Sherlock, the second series of which ended on BBC1 on Sunday.

Downton star Elizabeth McGovern, who plays the Countess of Grantham, explained the show's appeal to Americans.

She said: "I think they love the drama and the intrigue, and they also love the solidity of the life — that you're free of mobile phones and Twitter."

ITV is in the process of making a third series of Downton Abbey.

It will be set in 1920 and 1921, and cover 18 months in the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them.

I can't see any 'movie' version of Downton Abbey taking off the ground, it was the same with Upstairs Downstairs, a film was mooted and when Nicola Pagett learned she wouldn't be cast as Elizabeth she ended her association with the series and never appeared again.

As for Simon's view on the programme no one has ever forced him to watch it, one persons 'rubbish' (to them) is another persons brown paper package tied up with string, a favourite thing, which Downton is to millions of us worldwide, had to smile at Elizabeth McGovern's comment about being free of mobile phones and Twitter (though I thought americans called them 'cell' phones, but never mind!), you can be free of those two things in this day and age if you so desire.

[Freddy]

I'm not really bothered what Simon Schama thinks, it's entertainment, simple as that. ITV is a commercial channel and commerce is about giving people what they want. Sure, it's not the most brilliant tv but for Sunday night viewing it's fine and as with many programmes, if it gets people interested enough to read or find out about that era then it's a bonus.

[Rowdon]

Downton isn't the first show to tone down the toff-effect of the accents - everybody would switch off in droves! Colditz way back in the seventies: the producers made a conscious decision not to have the "jolly old banter" and "what old boy" talking style up at the historically accurate level, because they were scared the public just couldn't accept it.

Was that historically accurate, or more a film conceit? I heard somewhere that most officers weren't Oxford-educated "jolly old banter" toffs at all, but middle class soldiers, who wouldn't have spoken like that, and that the image we have now of the toff officer has more to do with wartime fiction than reality. But I wasn't there, so i don't know. Family of mine who were officers in the war were certainly not from posh stock. Just a question.

[Steve Crook]

Was that historically accurate, or more a film conceit? I heard somewhere that most officers weren't Oxford-educated "jolly old banter" toffs at all, but middle class soldiers, who wouldn't have spoken like that, and that the image we have now of the toff officer has more to do with wartime fiction than reality. But I wasn't there, so i don't know. Family of mine who were officers in the war were certainly not from posh stock. Just a question.

Possibly not in Colditz which was quite mixed and had a lot of Army people. But you would have heard a lot more 'toff' accents in the RAF only camps like Stalag Luft III. The RAF was fairly much divided by class for the early part of the war. The flying officers tended to be from public schools which had their own flying clubs. As the 'oiks' began to work their way up through the ranks they usually only made it to Flight Sergeant and you had the silly situation of a Flight Sergeant as the pilot of a bomber who was in charge of a crew that could contain officers.

The Flight Sergeants were also often barred from the Officers' Mess

Steve