Dame Kiri Te Kanawa: 'I couldn't say yes to Downton fast enough!

 WHAT'S ON TV
October 2, 2013

World famous opera star Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will be playing legendary real-life singer Dame Nellie Melba in this Sunday's episode of Downton Abbey. We spoke to her about making the Downton cast cry...

How did you hear that Julian Fellowes wanted you to play the part of Dame Nellie Melba?
"An email came through asking if it would be something I'd be interested in discussing and I was so excited! Downton is my favourite programme in the whole world, I couldn't believe they'd asked me! I met with Julian and the producers and they asked me if I wanted to do it. I nearly choked! I couldn't say 'yes' fast enough!"

Did you research Dame Nellie much for the role?

"I had someone in New Zealand who knew quite a lot about her and I got a lot of info from the Metropolitan Opera. I've always been very interested in her anyway because she's such a legend. I have a log-sheet of all the performances she made in the 1890s, through to the 1920s, and you can see she performed almost every second evening for years. Her wage for one year would have been about £3m in today's money!"

How did you choose which songs to sing?
"Apparently Songs My Mother Taught Me was one of her very favourite songs and luckily we have a copy of her singing it, which we've tried to reproduce as faithfully as possible. Julian wanted to stay true to the character because apparently she's the only true character that actually lived who's been on the show."

Would you like to do more acting in the future?
"I'm not sure I was acting! It was just a really special experience to be on set with such a talented group of actors and crew!"

We hear you brought your dogs with you?
"Yes I brought my two dogs along, but Lord Carnarvon (the owner of Highclere Estate) didn't want them anywhere near the castle so they had to stay at my hotel. When filming was taking place we were expecting doggy number three and when she arrived we named her Abbey! She's my little Downton prize."

Read more at http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/downton-abbey/news/dame-kiri-te-kanawa-i-couldnt-say-yes-to-downton-fast-enough#0HUcYffylL0mQ4U0.99

DOWNTON ABBEY: Feared Downton lost the plot with that car crash? Lady Mary's grief (and the men chasing her) will have you spellbound again

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By CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

PUBLISHED: 18:25 EST, 13 August 2013 | UPDATED: 06:12 EST, 14 August 2013

Downton Abbey is returning to our screens, the most eagerly awaited television event of the year. But instead of simple excitement, there’s the anxious sense this time that the show could be past its best — and ready for the TV scrapyard.

A first preview of the new series revealed yesterday that, after the shocking deaths of two leading characters, Downton is darker and more emotional than ever before.

The elements that have made it the world’s most loved costume drama are still in place, more sumptuous than ever — the acres of brocaded furniture, the glittering silverware, the tapestries and tiaras.

So, too, are the towering central performances of Hugh Bonneville, as an aristocrat struggling in the modern world, and Michelle Dockery as his eldest daughter — now widowed, and frozen in her grief.

ITV chiefs unveiled the first episode of series four at a packed media showing in Mayfair, London, with unparalleled razzmatazz — a reflection of how the show has become the most watched and talked-about drama in the world.

Rumours have swirled around possible plotlines and new characters for months, including reports that renowned opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa will be playing a part. 

Yesterday, Dame Kiri walked out on stage herself, to serenade journalists and then reveal that, in a new departure for Downton, her character was based on a real person: the fabled singer Dame Nellie Melba.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2392415/Downton-Abbey-Lady-Marys-grief-men-chasing-spellbound-again.html#ixzz2c3AeYOcb 

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Paul Giamatti to join Downton Abbey cast! (BBC NEWS)

Oscar-nominated US actor Paul Giamatti is to join the cast of ITV's Downton Abbey, starting with the Christmas episode, it has been announced.

He will star alongside Elizabeth McGovern as Harold, the "maverick, playboy" brother of Lady Grantham.

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and EastEnders actor Nigel Harman are also set to star in the fourth series of the drama

The stately series was the most-watched drama of 2012, averaging 11.9 million viewers per episode.

"We're excited that Paul Giamatti will be joining us on Downton to play Cora's brother Harold, the rather free-spirited uncle to Mary and Edith," said Gareth Neame, from production company Carnival Films.

"We can't wait to see him work alongside Shirley MacLaine, who are both sure to upset the Grantham's apple cart in this year's Christmas Day episode."

The influx of US actors to the period drama reflects its growing popularity in the States.

12.3 million Americans tuned in to finale of series three on 17 February, making it the highest-rated show of the day, and breaking the viewership record for broadcaster PBS

read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23034116

Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville excited for new male stars (EXPRESS)

AS MILLIONS of viewers await the next series of Downton Abbey the hit show’s lead star Hugh Bonneville says one of the most exciting new additions is the “gorgeous new men”.

By: Day & NightPublished: Sat, May 25, 2013

 Hugh, 49, reckons there will be a host of new crushes once the series, scribed by Julian Fellowes, gets under way in September.

“You can expect more thrills and spills,” he tells us. “We have some wonderful new cast members, guest stars such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and gorgeous new men looming over the horizon. I think Shirley MacLaine is coming back as well.”

READ MORE: http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/402360/Downton-Abbey-s-Hugh-Bonneville-excited-for-new-male-stars