Downton Abbey (Series Wrap-Up)

Downton Abbey has proved a huge success, with ratings of around 10 million viewers, meaning that ITV has finally proven itself capable of producing good quality television, and not just stuff with Ant & Dec on. Although cynics claim that the reason for its success is because lazy people can't be bothered to change the channel after The X Factor finishes; it would not have been sustained had the programme not been good. And it was good. I'm not sure what I'm doing with my Sunday evenings now.

Since the first episode the characters have all developed hugely, namely with the introduction of some rather important people. Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) arrived at Downton with his mother (Penelope Wilton) in the second episode, and they herald change coming to the area. Matthew, despite being the heir to the estate, is middle-class and works as a solicitor. His apparent inferior social background is not helped by his mother's emphasis on change, which needless to say, doesn't go down well with the Countess (Maggie Smith).

Matthew's arrival signals one of the key plot points in the series, whether he and Mary (Michelle Dockery) will marry and secure the Grantham estate. At first Mary seems very reticent, she dislikes Matthew seemingly for the reason that she feels she is being forced to marry him; this is exacerbated by the arrival of Kemal Pamuk (Theo James), a Turkish envoy, who immediatly captures the heart of Mary. However, his visit to Downton ends in scandal, he dies in the act with Mary, leaving her with the dangerous predicament of lacking the virtue apparently required for marriage.

Another plotline emerges surronding Sybil (Jessica Brown-Findlay), who is dedicated to the cause of women's rights and the betterment of those in less fortunate situations. She makes Gwen (Rose Leslie), a parlourmaid, her project when she discovers that Gwen wishes to become a secretary; and also has an instant friendship with Branson (Allen Leech), an Irish socialist chauffer.

Downstairs, Mrs O'Brien (Siobhan Finneran) and Thomas (Rob James-Collier) continue to try and sabotage Mr Bates' prospects at Downton, whilst Anna and Bates seem to come close to beginning a romantic relationship.

Whilst Downton Abbey's main plotline remains with the upstairs cast, every character is wonderfully well-drawn. From the lovely, kind footman William (Thomas Howes) to the stiff-upper lip Anthony Strallen (Robert Bathurst) to the man who comes to fit the telephones!

Performance-wise its difficult to pick-out specific people I enjoyed the most. Maggie Smith is, of course, wonderful as the true matriach of the family. Hugh Bonneville brings a wonderful empathy to the role of the Earl. Brendan Coyle injects Bates with a quiet dignity, and he works wonderfully with Joanne Froggatt as Anna. Dan Stevens is also good as Matthew Crawley, who comes to love Downton despite his frosty welcome. My favourite character and performance comes from Jessica Brown-Findlay as Sybil, she's spunky, modern and fun and I'm rooting for her when the show starts again in March. I would not say that anyone in the cast is bad; I think Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael are saddled with sort-of stereotypes, Dockery has to convince as Mary moving from ice-queen to wronged woman, whilst Carmichael has to deal with being a generally horrible person, and neither really quite pulls it off. I loved the brief apppearance from Samantha Bond as the Earl's sister as well, hopefully she'll make a return as well.

All in all, Downton is good Sunday night entertainment. With it ending on the outbreak of World War One, change is no doubt going to sweep through the hall, altering the lives of the Earl, Cora, Mary, Edith, Sybil, Matthew and the staff beyond any of their imagintions.

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.