The League of Austen Artists: nigel harman

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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have signed new three-year ‘Downton Abbey’ deals.

By Ghana News -SpyGhana.com

Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Allen Leech and Laura Carmichael have signed new three-year ‘Downton Abbey’ deals.

Show bosses have handed the pair – who portray Lord and Lady Grantham in the ITV period drama – huge contracts in a bid to stop them leaving for Hollywood, and Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary Crawley), Allen Leech (Tom Branson) and Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley) have also put pen to paper on new deals.

A source told The Sun newspaper: “Downton’s charm is tradition so bosses were desperate to secure the show’s big names. All the major characters are now on big deals.

“It was also important to keep Allen. His role has grown considerably since he started as the chauffeur and you will see him more and more.”

Allen’s role on the show is to increase in the forthcoming fourth series with Tom growing closer to Mary following the death of her husband Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) from a car crash on Christmas Day (25.12.12).

The source added: “The relationship with Tom and Mary gets stronger as they’re unified with their grief.

“Tom understands what she’s going through and tries to help her through that mire of grief and sorrow.

“The show for Tom this year sees him find his place within that household.”

Several stars, including former ‘EastEnders’ actor Nigel Harman, have joined the cast following Matthew’s departure and Allen believes the new additions have brought a fresh feel to ‘Downton’.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

'Downton Abbey' Season 4 Sets PBS Return Date, PLUS Last Tango In Halifax by Jace Lacob May 14, 2013 10:15 AM EDT THE DAILY BEAST

American fans of the Crawley clan can finally mark their calendars: Season 4 of Downton Abbey will kick off on PBS' Masterpiece Classic on Sunday, January 5, 2014.

Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton announced the official U.S. airdate for Season 4 of the award-winning period drama Tuesday at the PBS Annual Meeting. Downton's fourth season will run for eight weeks, from January 5 to February 23, 2014, roughly the time timeframe as its third season, which aired in the U.S. earlier this year. (In the U.K., Season 4 will air this autumn on ITV.)

"Masterpiece fans will not be disappointed: Julian [Fellowes] has done another brilliant job," Eaton wrote in an email to The Daily Beast, "this time, portraying the Downton family moving on from the tragedies of last season."

Those tragedies include the death of heir Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and youngest daughter Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay). The duo—along with Siobhan Finneran (who played devious maid Miss O'Brien)—will not be returning for a fourth installment of the Julian Fellowes-created Downton Abbey, the highest-rated drama in PBS history. A stunning 24 million total viewers tuned into Season 3 of Downton Abbey, and finale on February 17, 2012 was the top-rated show on television for the evening, beating all primetime broadcast and cable programming.

Season 4 of Downton Abbey will feature Shirley MacLaine reprising her role as Martha Levinson, along with several new actors joining the cast: Tom Cullen, Nigel Harman, Dame Harriet Walter, Joanna David, Julian Ovendon, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and Gary Carr, to name a few.

PBS also announced the premiere of six-episode dramedy Last Tango in Halifax on September 8 and Season 3 of Call the Midwife, which will return to PBS in 2014. The former series become one of BBC One's top 10 highest-rated dramas for 2012, with an audience of 7.3 million viewers.

PBS described Last Tango in Halifax—which stars Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, Tony Gardner, Dean Andrews, Nina Sosanya, and Ronni Ancona—as "an uplifting comedy/drama about romance and second chances. Full of zesty humor, great characters and glorious dialogue, it’s about timeless love in a modern setting."