Downton Abbey

The one good thing about the autumn/winter months? Television starts getting good again (with the exception of the enternally dull X Factor). ITV, which produces the aforementioned search for someone to make Simon Cowell money, has however pulled something wonderful out of the bag with Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park) creating a TV drama, with a similar format.

Downton Abbey is owned by the Earl of Grantham, Robert (Hugh Bonneville), and he lives there with his American wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and his three daughters (Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael & Jessica Brown-Findlay). Below stairs, the servants are headed by Carson the Butler (Jim Carter), Mrs Hughes the housekeeper (Phyllis Logan) and Mrs Patmore the chef (Lesley Nicol).

The first episode opened in April 1912, on the day after the sinking of the Titanic. As well as creating panic and disbelief across the world that this 'unsinkable' boat was actually sinkable, it has a personal impact of the Crawley family. As Robert and Cora had three daughters, the inheritance of the Earl's title would have fallen to his cousin or his cousin's son, yet they were both on board, and believed to have died in, the sinking of the Titanic. This means that the title has instead been given to Robert's third cousin, Matthew Crawley, a man he doesn't even know. This is just the tip of the iceberg (pardon the pun) as it is revealed that Cora's fortune (which Robert originally married her for) is tied up in the estate, and so would also shift to the heir.

The way to produce an heir known to the family, would be to marry off the eldest daughter, Mary (Dockery). Mary was originally engaged to marry Patrick, her father's cousin's son (confusing?), and seems a little unfaized by his death onboard the Titanic. So, Robert's mother (the wonderful Maggie Smith) and Cora conspir to get Mary married off to a Duke, the Duke of Crowborough to be exact (Charlie Cox).

While this battle is raging upstairs, quite another is going on downstairs. The arrival of John Bates (Brendan Coyle) as the master's new valet is treated with horror by various members of the downstairs team, as he walks with a pronounced limp. This is particuarly true of Miss O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran), Cora's main maid, and William (Thomas Howes), a footman who desperatly wants the job of valet. These two together conspir to get ride of Bates, and very nearly succeed, yet their master is a far more compassionate man than they give him credit for.

There is plenty of intrigue left to go over the next six episodes, it would seem that the family get in touch with Matthew Crawley, as a potential match to Mary, but I would guess that things will possibly not go as smoothly as planned. There is also the ever increasing threat of the big year 1914, where the traditional upper-class way of life was shaken to its very core.

The performances so far have all been solid. Bonneville is good as the morally upright master of the house, who treats his servants fairly. Dockery does well as the ice-cold Mary, who is desparate to gain a husband (although someone 'better' than Patrick). Howes is hideously slimy and slightly evil as the footman, and it turns out he knows more than he lets on about the Duke, who Cox also plays as kind of slimy (he reminded me of Ed Westwick's portrayal of Chuck Bass in Gossip Girl). As Anna, the head housemaid, Joanna Froggatt was the one friendly face to Coyle's noble Bates and as Daisy, the hapless scullary maid, Sophie McShera made an endearing face.