Downton Abbey

[braex27]

So I came across and devoured this brilliant series in two days. It is A-MAZING and with season two only a few days away, who else is excited?!

For those unfamiliar, it's set in 1912 (and the years that follow) and was created by Julian Fellowes who wrote the brilliant Gosford Park.

Here's the trailer for series 1:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M3moEeErr8[/ame]

And for those interested, here's the trailer for series 2:

**** POTENTIAL SPOILERS ****

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoe3CoxcYm0[/ame]

Excitement.

[jackmanor]

Was giving up hope of ever again seeing anything as brilliant on TV as Brideshead Revisited or The Jewel In The Crown....and then along comes Downtown Abbey. Couldn't agree more.... amazing!

[Ram]

Downton Abbey is amazing. If you are interested in that genre, you might also want to try Upstairs Downstairs...

[braex27]

Downton Abbey is amazing. If you are interested in that genre, you might also want to try Upstairs Downstairs...

It's quite lazy of me but I've had it sitting on my shelf for a while and just haven't got round to it! Upstairs, Downstairs, that is.

I have seen Brideshead Revisited though, both the one with Jeremy Irons and the newer film. Both very good. I always feel so bad for Sebastian Flyte. Never like Charles. Ever.

is it playing that soon in the US?

According to Wiki, it played on PBS in January 2011. You can get it for cheap on DVD. Check out Amazon... especially the UK site which has it for something ridiculous like £8.

It's worth the buy.

[hubbellgardner]

Love, love, LOVE Downton Abbey and can't wait for the new season to start. `Upstairs..' is another all-time fave that I re-vist, and one other you're likely to delight in is The Duchess of Duke Street, my # 1 series ever, ahead of both Forsyte Sagas ....

[Tadaa]

I can't wait for this to come back. I fell in love with it earlier this year.

[jaysizzles]

Downton Abbey was really good...totally worthwhile watching! I'm looking forward to season 2 which is airing in January on PBS. According to their website, Season 1 will air again starting December 18th, 2011...as a prelude to start of season 2.

They used to have full episodes of it on their website..no longer.

[Tadaa]

Downton Abbey was really good...totally worthwhile watching! I'm looking forward to season 2 which is airing in January on PBS. According to their website, Season 1 will air again starting December 18th, 2011...as a prelude to start of season 2.

They used to have full episodes of it on their website..no longer.

The entire first season is on Netflix and you can stream it.

[ChickenGuy]

I downloaded it from iTunes last year - great show, very well made and produced.

They started Series 1 with the sinking of the Titanic and ended with the outbreak of the First World War.

Can't wait for Series 2!


P.S. I love the theme music....

[braex27]

I meant part 2...I saw part 1 last year.....

Oops. My bad.

Downton Abbey was really good...totally worthwhile watching! I'm looking forward to season 2 which is airing in January on PBS. According to their website, Season 1 will air again starting December 18th, 2011...as a prelude to start of season 2.

They used to have full episodes of it on their website..no longer.

That's an awfully long time to wait, given that the UK is premiering the second series on 18 September, with the DVDs scheduled to be released on 7 November (the day after airing of the last episode.)

[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Downton-Abbey-Series-2-DVD/dp/B004G5Z0AU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1316237730&sr=8-2"]Downton Abbey - Series 2 [DVD]: Amazon.co.uk: Film & TV[/ame]


I must say, the US schedule is likely to be earlier than the Australian schedule. We didn't get series 1 until May 2011!!!!

ah....memories of hot Thomas and the Duke are coming back to me...

spoiler from part 1 if you haven't watched- DON'T READ

since Thomas was leaving the house/about to get fired...any word if his character will be in the series???

IMDB lists Rob James-Collier who played Thomas as appearing in 15 episodes so I gather that he'll be in every episode of series 2.

[goldenmoth]

I adore Downton Abbey. Dame Maggie Smith has all the best lines.

I'm really glad no-one has come in here and said "I hate Downton Abbey because it makes gay people look like villians" because of Thomas but I always really understood where he's coming from.

He's not a nice guy but that's because he hasn't been treated nicely. So his logic is, screw you if the world is going to hate me unreasonably then I will hate it twice as much.

[braex27]

WOW- it's 15 episode???!!! They seem to be going back to the Masterpiece heydays of long series- Brideshead, Claudius, Upstairs/Downstairs....anyone else thing the 'Downton' Abbey title is a play on Upstairs/Downstairs?

I should have clarified, its 15 episodes in total. That's 7 episodes in series 1 and 8 episodes in series 2.

I adore Downton Abbey. Dame Maggie Smith has all the best lines.

I'm really glad no-one has come in here and said "I hate Downton Abbey because it makes gay people look like villians" because of Thomas but I always really understood where he's coming from.

He's not a nice guy but that's because he hasn't been treated nicely. So his logic is, screw you if the world is going to hate me unreasonably then I will hate it twice as much.

I didn't nearly hate Thomas as much as I did O'Brien. I couldn't fathom what bond they had with each other but she fed so much of what Thomas did!!

[Ram]

[unloadonme]

For anyone who wants to visit the real Downton Abbey, they should head for Highclere Castle, near Newbury, Berkshire. Similarly, Brideshead was filmed at Castle Howard near York.

http://www.highclerecastle.co.uk/

http://www.castlehoward.co.uk/

[jaysizzles]

These were hysterical!

Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Kim Cattrall, and a few other recognizable faces whose names escape me...really brilliant cast!

I hope this ensemble continues with the parodies of next season.

[unloadonme]

These were hysterical!

Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Kim Cattrall, and a few other recognizable faces whose names escape me...

Including Dale Winton and Harry Enfield.

[braex27]

Dame Maggie has won an Emmy for her role on Downton Abbey. Extremely well-deserved, I say!

HUZZAH!!

[braex27]

Such fun. I do love Jennifer Saunders.

[goldenmoth]

These were hysterical!

Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Kim Cattrall, and a few other recognizable faces whose names escape me...really brilliant cast!

I hope this ensemble continues with the parodies of next season.

Ha, I never would have known it was Kim Cattrall if you hadn't said something.

Carter is so gross in that lol

[braex27]

^ I didn't recognise Cattrall either until she mentioned Sex and the City. Haha.

Also, Downton won the Emmy for Best Mini-Series. YAY!!

Very exciting.

[jackmanor]

Emmy voters got it right.

[mygaybuffet]

Emmy voters got it right.

It swept the Emmys! So did Modern Family!!

[maxpowr9]

Why do all the British rags refer to the Emmy awards as "gongs"? In the US, a "gong" is referred to as a booby prize (see zonk on "Let's Make a Deal"). Is this another British superiority complex?

I will say I will definitely have to watch this series. I love me some period dramas.

[braex27]

"Gong" is sometimes used in Australia to refer to an award as well - usually a more casual award.

[Ram]

it lost best actress....

To the Good Wife actress right? Another great show, great actress...

[braex27]

To the Good Wife actress right? Another great show, great actress...

No, she lost to Kate Winslet in Mildred Pierce.

[jaysizzles]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_16...-10391698.html

Kate won for Outstanding Actress in a Mini Series or Movie..Mildred Pierce.

Julianna Margulies won for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series...The Good Wife.


Both fine actresses.

[maxpowr9]

It's great to see that the public is still interested in quality scripted drama.
I really miss the days of the grand and lush mini-series like Centennial, Thornbirds and North & South.
But I guess the networks no longer want to invest in expensive productions when they can attract the same amount of viewers with cheaply produced reality trash and talent shows.
Downton Abbey was a sight for sore eyes, so to speak.

Interestingly enough, I read this article on Sunday night...

Downton Abbey: The Underdog Bites Back

Particularly, these lines explain a lot...

Mad Men will also have a budget of more than $3 million an episode – double the cost of even an expensive British period drama such as Downton Abbey. Ben Stephenson, the BBC's head of drama commissioning, points out that his entire annual budget would be used up by only a few shows if he matched the American spend per episode – and that the BBC has to provide something for everyone.

But there's one small snag that would give the Dowager Countess of Grantham the vapours: Carnival Films, the London-based production company that makes Downton Abbey for ITV, has been owned for the past three years by NBC.

[braex27]

It's great to see that the public is still interested in quality scripted drama.
I really miss the days of the grand and lush mini-series like Centennial, Thornbirds and North & South.
But I guess the networks no longer want to invest in expensive productions when they can attract the same amount of viewers with cheaply produced reality trash and talent shows.
Downton Abbey was a sight for sore eyes, so to speak.

North and South was just stunning. And how HOT is Richard Armitage?!

[unloadonme]

And how HOT is Richard Armitage?!

I'd say 4 out of 10.

[braex27]

I'd say 4 out of 10.

Now you're just stirring.





I rest my case.

[nondescript]

I thought this show was depressing.
everyone locked into their roles in life according to an accident of birth.
are things any different today?

[pat grimshaw]

I thought this show was depressing…locked into their roles …

I'm sure the 1912 reality was much more depressing than this sugar-ish show.

I was wincing how the characters were given unbelievable modern sensibilties to appease modern audiences. There were feminists, and it suggested the notion that the employers and servants were of equal worth and dependent on each other.

Dear Non, you should get the "Seven Up' videos to if you really want to see people locked into their roles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_Series

[Spensed]

I think its possible to enjoy these costume dramas without subscribing to their outdated moralities.

Remains of the Day was better at balancing the attractions of that world with its dangers and limitations.

Downton Abbey, so far, is more just an enjoyable, but romanticized, soap opera, largely ignoring the underlying evil aspects, some of which are dealt with in Gosforth Park.

[pat grimshaw]

No. No coincidence at all.

[Ram]

I'd say 4 out of 10.

This is borderline trolling.

[Spensed]

was answering the post above me, who didn't appear to know this....

I did know that Julian Fellowes was involved in writing both Downton Abbey and Gosforth Park.

The point I was making is that Gosforth Park was grittier and did not just accept the world it was portraying on its own terms as Downton Abbey seems to.

Gosforth Park and, indeed, Remains of the Day weren't just costume melodramas, which is what Downtown Abbey has been to date. IMHO.

[goldenmoth]

I wouldn't say it's as modernized as you seem to think it is. I mean Thomas is way in the closet and will probably never be able to come out, Mary is forced into marriage for the sake of her family etc.

As mentioned before, the Suffragettes movement was huge in the early 20th century so the fact that one of the sisters is a feminist is not exactly 2011.

Think of the mother from Mary Poppins.

[pat grimshaw]

But maybe Downton Abbey wasn't meant to be a realistic, gritty drama.....

Yes, I think it was designed to be easy entertainment. And I think it succeeds brilliantly, IMO.

It also satisfies those needs which this TV producer was satisfying~

"Knifed in Midsomer: TV boss who keeps out ethnic faces says he is being victimised"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...#ixzz1YowRx8C8

[pat grimshaw]

Do you have favourite moments in the series?

My favourite is Matthew's blue eyes.

The other was early in the series when the Dowager Countess asked 'What is a weekend?'. I didn't really get the significance of that question until the following day when I was sardined on the train.

[Spensed]

maybe I didn't think you knew because you keep calling it Gosforth Park....not Gosford....

My bad. Gosford Park was 10 years or more ago. But the fact that Downton and Gosford have the same writer isn't relevant to what I was saying, which is, in essence, that the Downton doesn't have the weight or context of Gosford.

To pick up on one or two of the other posts, I'm not even saying that it should, if people like it for what it is.

But it then stays at a less ambitious level of costume melodrama, rather than more impactful drama.

Because the writing is, to at least to me, so far one dimensional, I don't really care about the marital fortunes of the girls in the same way that one does in say, Jane Austen. It is just romantic escapism, whereas it could have been that and then some.

The other thing that occurs to me is that, despite dealing with a gay character, Downton is short on good looking guys, which is never a good thing.

[jackmanor]

favorite moments...have to agree- Maggie Smith's 'What's a weekend' was priceless- she had all the funny lines, really....when she was in the swivel chair at Matthew's office- 'i was always a good sailor...' once she got her balance....hot Turk, Kemal Parmuk and the goregous hairy chest of the Duke....neither of them are listed on the IMBD page- anyone know who played them????

The Duke of Crowborough is played by Charlie Cox; Ottoman Empire embassy attache Kemal Pamuk is played by Theo James.

[Spensed]

Which, ironically, is one of the more natural, realistic aspects of the show.
I don't think the polished "Playgirl"-type models are suitable for this particular ensemble (although Theo James as Mr. Pamuk came pretty close!).
Besides, the real hot actors are more suitable for shows with nudity in it, like Spartacus, OZ, Footballer's Wives and True Blood.

However (to contradict myself here) I do hope Henry Cavill will join the cast in future episodes since I had a big crush on him when he played Charles Branson in The Tudors.

Finally, may I suggest the movie "Up The Aristocracy", featuring The Ultimate Gayporn Couple, Daniel & Pedro? Some of the cumshots are very compelling and impactful and will certainly get you glued to the screen

LOL. I don't think one needs to go that far. But, just as an aside, it would be a pleasant surprise, if they showed a constructive gay relationship (I'm sure there must have been one or two during the period, despite the legal prohibitions). As it is, being gay is just associated with being a defective character. Who'd have thunk it?

[josher]

I've been on vacation and just got to see this.

Ram, thanks so much for posting it.

I thought last year's Red Nose mashup/satire of Coronation Street and Eastenders was the funniest thing I'd ever seen, but these sketches are sensational. Jennifer Saunders as Dame Maggie Smith - hilarious.

The budget for this must have been phenominal by British TV standards.

Was Dawn French the cook? She had no lines, but I would think she'd be part of something like this.

And Simon Callow (it was him wasn't it?) as Julian Fellowes, Mr. Pomposity personified, was magnificent.

I know I've seen many of the others in British TV programs and films. Is there a list anywhere of who played whom?

Anyway, thanks again Ram. This was just a spectacular satire of both the plot and the backstage elements of Downton Abbey.

[goldenmoth]

Here you go...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1867525/

[josher]

Here you go...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1867525/

You are my hero! Thanks so much. I thought about imdb, but couldn't figure out what title to search for.

I didn't recognize Victoria Wood at all.

Interestting that Aidrian Edmondson directed. (Which explains the Jennifer S. casting.) Those "Young Ones" have kept pretty busy.

Thanks again.

[Ram]

Josher, you're welcome! Good satire should always be shared!

Was Dawn French the cook? She had no lines, but I would think she'd be part of something like this.

Oh no. I don't think so. If she had appeared in the clip, she would definitely have more lines to say.

Anyway for Upstairs Downstairs and Doctor Who fans:

Dr. River Song will be traveling back in time...

http://www.aoltv.com/2011/09/26/alex...rs-downstairs/

[pat grimshaw]

My favourite line and it's probably true to the days when workers worked a six day week and Sunday was the Sabbath.

[josher]

^^She doesn't know what a week-end is because every day is the "week-end" for her. She lives a live of luxury and every day is just like any other.

[sokker]

not enough Thomas in this latest episode