Dowager Countess to outlive Downton Abbey... even though character played by Dame Maggie Smith must be 110 by now

DAILY MAIL
By CHRIS HASTINGS FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
PUBLISHED: 18:59 EST, 2 May 2015 | UPDATED: 09:05 EST, 3 May 2015

She is as much a part of Downton Abbey as its Bath Stone walls – and just as imposing. So it is only right that the redoubtable Dowager Countess of Grantham will remain a constant of the ITV show right until the very end.

By some reckoning the formidable Crawley family matriarch, played by Dame Maggie Smith, would be 110 at the time the final series is set. But it seems that even the Grim Reaper is so intimidated by the prospect of her withering putdowns that the character will not be killed off.

Lord Fellowes, the Oscar winning creator of the show confirmed the news, saying: ‘Maggie will never die!’

The disclosure that Violet will survive to the end of the final episode – to air on Christmas Day – will be welcomed by the show’s 120 million fans worldwide.

The Dowager Countess is by far the most popular character and has remained stubbornly alive even though pundits have been predicting her demise ever since the show launched in 2010.

And it has been suggested that the Dowager Countess’s death would be the obvious way of bringing the curtain down on the global franchise.

It would certainly be her time. Downton Abbey’s first series was set in 1912, when the character was already in her dotage. The forthcoming sixth series is set more than a decade later.

And he revealed: ‘All the cast we said goodbye to in series five are all popping up in the final series.
‘It will end on Christmas Day. It will be a two-hour special on Christmas night. I am pleased with the way the whole series is coming on actually.’

He declined to be drawn on specifics about the plots, although fans are hoping that butler Carson and housekeeper Mrs Hughes will finally tie the knot following his proposal in last year’s Christmas Day episode.

Fellowes said he wouldn’t write his new American television series The Gilded Age, set among the high- society families of New York in the late 19th Century, until he had finally completed work on the last scripts for Downton.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3065753/Dowager-Countess-outlive-Downton-Abbey-character-played-Dame-Maggie-Smith-110-now.html#ixzz3Z6RTuJa2 
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SPOILER ALERT! Laura Carmichael films scenes for the wedding of ********** in the final season of Downton Abbey

DAILY MAIL
By FRANCESCA MENATO FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 06:00 EST, 25 April 2015 | UPDATED: 08:41 EST, 25 April 2015



She's been unlucky in love herself but that doesn't seem to be stopping Edith Crawley, played by Laura Carmichael, from supporting the nuptials of Downton Abbey stalwarts Mr Carson and Mrs Hughes.

Members of the cast were spotted filming scenes for the next Julian Fellowes wedding in Burghclere, Hampshire.

Joining Laura was Mr Carson himself, played by Jim Carter, while Phyllis Logan was unseen - likely in the church keeping her wedding dress concealed.

The wedding is a celebration by upstairs and downstairs of the North England estate with Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) in a wide brimmed hat in attendance.

Also on the guest list is fellow servant Daisy, played by Sophie McShera, who is seen outside of her kitchen smock, in a pretty pleated orange dress for the occasion.

There were a whole host of cast members playing characters from both sets of classes and there also appeared to be a few new faces.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3055104/SPOILER-ALERT-Laura-Carmichael-spotted-film-scenes-wedding-Carson-Mrs-Hughes-new-season-Downton-Abbey.html#ixzz3YcLi4MfT 
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Downton Abbey to end after six series

BBC NEWS
March 26, 2015



The next season of ITV's period drama Downton Abbey will be its last, its makers have announced.
"Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception," said the programme's executive producer Gareth Neame.

Created by Julian Fellowes, the show follows an aristocratic family's fortunes from 1912 to the mid-1920s.

Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern have played the Earl and Countess of Grantham since the show began in 2010.

The drama has won a string of awards since its inception, including two Baftas, three Golden Globes and 11 Primetime Emmys.

Its success both at home and abroad was recently demonstrated when the Duchess of Cambridge went to see it being filmed at Ealing Studios in west London

"The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard," said Lord Fellowes, whose next project will be The Gilded Age, a period drama set in New York.

"People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea.

"Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain."

"But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32074921

You'll Never Guess Princess Kate's Favorite Room on the Downton Abbey Set

PEOPLE MAGAZINE
BY SIMON PERRY @SPerryPeoplemag UPDATED 03/12/2015 AT 12:10 PM EDT •ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED 03/12/2015 AT 10:50 AM EDT


Princess Kate (far right) with Penelope Wilton, Hugh Bonneville and Laura Carmichael of Downton Abbey
CHRIS JACKSON/WPA POOL/GETTY

Princess Kate meeting the cast of Downton Abbey is the most English thing to happen since tea met crumpets.

After touring the set of the smash Masterpiece drama on Thursday, the expectant royal, 33, sat down for a photo with the ensemble.

Anglophiles, you're going to want to pour yourself a cuppa and spend a long moment with this glorious picture.


Princess Kate (front row, center) with the cast of Downton Abbey
CHRIS JACKSON / WPA POOL / GETTY

Most of the cast is assembled, with an amusing mix of contemporary and period clothes – a distinction highlighted in the front row, with Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) in her '20s garb and Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith) in a current look.

"It was a surreal and exciting experience to be at work and be visited by a member of the royal family," Carmichael told PEOPLE. "She has watched the show and loves it and that's really lovely."

Princess Kate with Brendan Coyle (right) of Downton Abbey
CHRIS JACKSON / WPA POOL / GETTY

"She spent the longest time in the kitchen, so me and Lesley [Nicol, who plays head cook Mrs. Patmore] are taking that as a compliment," says Sophie McShera, who plays assistant cook Daisy.

"We told her that two of the hobs work – because we like having steaming pans," Nicol shared.

And though Kate appeared to observers to be a little starstruck, McShera says, "Everyone around her was more starstruck."

Of course, the visit wouldn't be complete without some playful upstairs-downstairs rivalry – in this case, between Brendan Coyle (valet John Bates) and Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham).

Princess Kate (right) with Rob James-Collier of Downton Abbey CHRIS JACKSON / WPA POOL / GETTY

Kate ended up spending an hour longer than she had planned. Now, the cast hopes the eight-months pregnant royal is resting.

"I think she should go and have a sit down and take her shoes off," says Nicol. "It's quite hard work on those heels."

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:  http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20907433,00.html

(SPOILER ALERT) ‘Downton Abbey’ Recap: In the Finale, Mary Meets Mr. Handsome, With a Who Could-Care-Less Attitude (SPOILER ALERT)

NEW YORK TIMES
By LOUIS BAYARD  MARCH 1, 2015 10:37 PM


Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary with  one of the twin Barkers portraying Lady Mary's son, Master George Crawley.Credit Nick Briggs/Carnival Films for Masterpiece

Season 5, Episode 9

Oh, Abbots. It can’t be over, can it? Another season, gone as quickly as a grouse flying over Brancaster Castle.

So let us keep sorrow at bay by reminding ourselves: We’ve finally pulled abreast. Oh, sure, those viewers in Britain got their usual three-month head start on us (just as the Brits used to get first crack at the latest Dickens installment). Viewers in the United States who were too impatient to wait for the weekly drip of revelation snapped up their DVDs and sometimes blurted out key plot developments over a few too many Manhattans. They had us in their spoiler-alert grip, Abbots, but no longer. Democracy reigns.

So now that we’re all on the same plane of knowledge, what can we say for sure about this fast-receding season? (For Baron Fellowes’ thoughts, read this.)

Longstanding relationships (the Bateses, Robert and Cora) were tested and left standing. Longstanding plot lines were either resolved (Edith’s daughter) or abruptly discarded (Mary Crowley’s sort-of-not-really love triangle). Characters like Violet, the dowager countess, were enlarged with new layers and backstories; others showed clear signs of outliving their narrative usefulness. From all indications, we have seen the last of:



1) Mary’s dim suitor Tony Gillingham (Tom Cullen), who gets a fine consolation prize in Mabel Lane Fox (Catherine Steadman).

2) Boston-bound Tom Branson (Allen Leech), who has taken longer to quit the scene than Cher.

3) Rose (Lily James) and Atticus (Matt Barber), who are heading off to New York. (Synchronously, Ms. James has veered off toward “Cinderella,” a part she seems genetically modified for.)

One way or another, the Downton family is fragmenting. Just like the Downton estate (headed for subdivision) and the Downton ethos, a victim to those winds of sociopolitical change that Carson (Jim Carter) keeps mumbling on about. As servants like Daisy (Sophie McShera) begin to imagine better lives, as Socialists like Sarah Bunting make scenes in fine dining rooms, as Edwardian ideals give way to harsh postwar realities (excellent historical timeline here), look for the Crawleys and their retinues to feel and fight their own anachronism.

We know they’ll lose, but what’s a historical drama without gallant fools engaged in rear-guard actions? So carry on, you lovely, maddening elitists, along with your lovely, maddening retinues. We’ll be griping and grumbling, and we’ll be watching.

In the meantime, may I suggest just one incremental reform? On the evidence of Episode 9, you need better legal counsel.

I’m sure the Earl of Grantham’s lawyer, George Murray (Jonathan Coy), has a few gray cells poking around in there, but several years after botching the defense of Bates (Brendan Coyle), he seems bound and determined to do the same with Mrs. Bates (Joanne Froggatt), even going so far as to declare the police case against her airtight when — as we all know, Abbots — it has more holes than, well, a grouse flying over Brancaster Castle.

Turns out that, when Anna was a teenager, she cut her stepfather-molester with a knife, and while she was never charged, that mysteriously reconstructed incident has created some kind of — oh, I don’t know, “pattern” of violence that will sweep Anna straight to the gallows, and in the name of Perry Mason, can’t some fine lawyerly mind sweep this whole business to sea? Instead, it falls to Bates (Mr. Coyle) to confess to Mr. Green’s murder and then vamoose to Ireland.

Now if Sarah Bunting were still around, I would point out to her that, even without benefit of a welfare state, no one enjoys better job security than the Bateses. It doesn’t matter how much leave they take or how many heinous crimes they’re accused of, their jobs are always kept open, their home fires are kept burning, and free (if incompetent) legal care abounds. Sweden could do no better.

At any rate, Anna is sprung on bail, and Murray declares, “We’re going forward and not backward,” but to me, it feels like we’re on the same leaking story pontoon, which only stays afloat because Baron Fellowes’ legs are kicking as madly as they can. By episode’s end, even he must be a little fatigued because a York publican turns up to give Bates an alibi, and the witness who ID’d Anna sprouts “doubts,” and lo and behold, it’s Christmas, and who should pop out of the mistletoe, as it were, but Bates?

Love emerges when you least expect it, Abbots. Sometimes all it takes (and this will give aid and comfort to Freudians everywhere) is for a lot of men to pull out their big guns. The Sinderbys have rented Brancaster for a weeklong shooting party, and no one is immune. Even Edith (Laura Carmichael) loses a bit of her Mildred Pierce-y daughter fixation and dances a few rounds with agreeable castle agent Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton). We wish them both well. (And by the way, Edith needs to let that hair flow. With her locks down to her shoulders, she goes from librarian to licentious.)

But no one is more moved by the sight of men and their gauges than Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), who finds herself unaccountably aroused by the marksmanship of a handsome stranger named Henry Talbot. Now I don’t mean to crow, but as soon as I heard Matthew Goode was signed up for the final episode, I immediately discerned that his plot function would be roughly the same as it was in “The Good Wife”: to melt the froideur of a stern, ashen, erotically complicated brunette. Sure enough, he shows up on the Northumberland moors without even an establishing close-up but with enough swagger to remind us that Mary needs a chap who looks as good as Tony G but treats her as roughly as Inspector Vyner. “Heavens,” exclaims Mary, watching Talbot climb into his car. “What a snappy chariot.” Now I would’ve thought she’d be a little skittish of automobiles, given how her late husband met his end, but she seems to be all over Henry T and his Bentley.

Amazing to think, Abbots, that after two seasons of arid flirtation and Liverpool lovefests, Our Miss Flint has found someone to spark off. And the secret to his allure? He doesn’t give a damn if she likes him or not. Look for Talbot to stick around.

READ THE ENTIRE RECAP HERE: http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/downton-abbey-recap-in-the-finale-mary-meets-mr-handsome-who-could-care-less/?_r=0

‘Downton Abbey’ recap - **** makes her escape!!! (SPOILERS)

WASHINGTON POST
By Joe Heim February 8 at 10:00 PM

 

After a dully-dull Downton last week, the show returned Sunday night with its best episode in ages, filled with intrigue, nasty sniping and a number of critical plot revelations.

Where to begin? Well, Mr. Bates almost certainly didn’t kill Mr. Green. Edith is officially a pre-marital widow. Lord and Lady Grantham are back to sharing the same bed. Horse races don’t always end with the death of a rider even when you think they will. And Lady Mary has all the sympathy of a mongoose. Not bad for a 50-minute episode.

(Ooops, wrong Mr. Bates)

The show opened with a telegram arriving for Lady Edith. Stop. Telegrams were the text messages of their day. Stop. This one informs her that the business partner of her lover, the missing Mr. Gregson, is coming to Downton with news. Stop.

Everyone at the Abbey assumes, correctly it turns out, that the news is bad. Mr. Gregson, the father of Edith’s child, has been offed by Adolf’s gang of Brownshirt thugs in Germany. The news confirms Edith’s fears and she is understandably upset. Her sister Mary? Not so much. “Well of course it’s terrible,” she says to Anna. “But what did she think he was doing? Living in a tree?”

Oh Mary, you are a dear.

I’m afraid that’s just the beginning of her awfulness this week. In Edith’s moment of despair (admittedly, she has a lot of those), Merciless Mary sharpens her heels for an extra kick or two. More about that in a bit.

The Dowager Countess hears from beanless Shrimpy that he may be close to finding Prince Kuragin’s wife alive in Hong Kong. The DC, who had a fling with the noble Russian refugee many moons ago, decides she should travel to his rundown tenement in York to tell him the news about his wife. Kuragin is not exactly elated to hear it. I think he would have been happier if his wife met the same fate as poor Mr. Gregson.

The randy Russian is much more interested in rekindling the magic with the Dowager Countess. He tries to work his charm. “I wanted you from the moment I first saw you. More than mortal man ever wanted woman,” he tells her. It’s a good line, Kuragin, but the DC isn’t that easy.



Lord Grantham is still feeling quite frosty toward his wife. He found another man in their bedroom, after all. Even though she claims nothing happened, it’s not the kind of thing you just casually dismiss. Cora wants to patch things up, but she’ll need quite a bit of super glue to put this all back together. She visits him in his dressing room to ask him to return to their bedroom. Lord G refuses, but Cora is having none of it.

“If you can honestly say that you have never let a flirtation get out of hand since we were married, if you have never given a woman the wrong impression, then by all means, stay away,” she tells him.

“Otherwise I expect you back in my room tonight.” Tell him, Cora! Grantham huffs and puffs and then pulls himself out of the tiny, tiny bed, tucks his tail between his legs and heads off to join her.

Speaking of sad puppies, I’m worried about Isis. I don’t know what’s going to happen to her, but I think we’re in for an Old Yeller moment later this year. Get your hankies ready.

Big news this week: Mary is off to York for haircut. It’s a mod bob! Now she’ll no longer have to go upstairs to take off her hat.

The haircut sets the scene for another splendid showdown in the Downton drawing room (which I believe was designed to look like the office of Congressman Aaron Schock). No, Bunting is not involved. But it turns out the regular crew is perfectly capable of creating their own drama. Edith is still mourning Gregson, but Mary seems to think this is a swell time to show off her new do. This causes a stir. Grandma gets in a dry dig. “Ah, it is you,” she says. “I thought it was a man wearing your clothes.”

Edith can’t comprehend how inconsiderate Mary is being. “I’m amazed that even you would choose the day after I learned the man I loved is dead to try out a new fashion,” she says. “And if that weren’t enough, you’ve planned a jolly picnic for Saturday. Am I really expected to join in?”

“Hopefully not, as you usually spoil everything,” Mary replies icily. Mary will have her own wing in hell.




(Again, these very rude pictures were provided by Karen V. Wasylowski, not the distinguished Washington Post)

READ THE REST HERE: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/02/08/downton-abbey-recap-edith-makes-her-move-and-mary-is-so-so-cold/

'DOWNTON ABBEY' SEASON 5, EPISODE 4 FASHION RECAP: LADY MARY WINS EVERYTHING

FASHIONISTA
CHERYL WISCHHOVER 12 HOURS AGO

Spoilers.

This episode of "Downton Abbey" marks the halfway point of the season, and it really should just be called "There's Something About Mary" now, because she is winning everything in the show.  Including all the fake fashion awards in my head.

HOW TO WEAR A RED HAT



In this episode, Lady Mary totally schools us in red hat-wearing. The key? Keep it in the jewel-tone family. If this was the InStyle feature which teaches you how to style weird colors like mustard (which is one of my favorite columns in that mag), I'd call the plum coat and red hat a "wild card pairing."

LADY EDITH BLENDS IN

I was really struck by how often Edith's wardrobe makes her blend into the background. First, she was totally camouflaged by the red velvet couch in the library, then she matched the fence while trying to spy on her daughter. Come on, writers, Lady Edith really needs her triumphant moment.

THE "DRESS SHOW"

"Aunt Rosamund's taking me to a dress show." --Lady Mary

"It's good to know you've got your priorities straight." --Lord Grantham

Honestly, could a "Downton Abbey" fashion recapper ask for anything more glorious than AN ACTUAL FASHION SHOW on the show? No. I can now die happy. That androgynous number on the far left (Mary's reaction: "Golly!") looks like something Miuccia would create.

THE BOHO MISS LANE FOX

In case you'd forgotten (I did, and had to consult the Downtonpedia), Miss Lane Fox was formerly engaged to Tony Gillingham, who then broke off the engagement to pursue Mary. Ouch. Anyway, her style looks rather boho. She's the Drew Barrymore of Downton.

BITCH, PLEASE




READ MORE HERE: http://popist.com/s/500f789/

‘Downton Abbey’ NEWS: U.S. Premiere Of Season 5 Brings 10.1 Million Viewers To PBS, Laura Carmichael DISHES On Portraying Lady Edith [SPOILERS]

FASHION AND STYLE

As Americans eagerly try to catch up with the fifth season of "Downton Abbey," new speculation for Season Six centers around whether or not Allen Leech will return next year. Plus, Laura Carmichael discusses what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley as well.

According to Carter Matt, there's a lot of speculation over whether or not actor Allen Leech will return for "Downton Abbey's" Season Six.

While many fans will miss Tom Branson if is truly gone for good, others have also pointed out that if he changes his mind and decides to stay put, then his arc would have been one big waste of time for the fans.

Aside from whether or not Leech will return, fans have also wondered if Matthew Goode's character Henry Talbot will return in Season Six in order to woo Lady Mary.

Given the fact that she is finally moving on from both Tony Gillingham and Charles Blake, it would be nice if Goode joined the cast in order to add a new twist in Lady Mary's tangled love life, adds Radio Times.

Meanwhile, even though U.K. fans of "Downton Abbey" were disappointed with the past season, American fans gathered in force for the U.S. premiere.

TV By The Numbers writes that 10.1 million American fans sat down to watch the Season Five premiere on Sunday, which made PBS the second most-watched channel that night.



Even better, many of the viewers also stuck around for the one-hour documentary "The Manners Of Downton," which aired right after the premiere and explored the fascinating world of English etiquette.

Hosted by "Downton Abbey's" historical advisor Alastair Bruce, fans were able to get a glimpse of the rigorous training that the cast had to go through in order to accurately portray the British nobility on the show.

Finally, the Wall Street Journal sat down with Laura Carmichael, who discussed what it is like to play Lady Edith Crawley.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/39521/20150107/downton-abbey-news-allen-leech-return-season-6-us-premiere-season-5-brings-10-1-million-viewers-pbs-laura-carmichael-dishes-portraying-lady-edith-spoilers.htm

As 'Downton Abbey' heads into season five, it maintains its magic touch

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY DAVID HINCKLEY
Sunday, January 4, 2015, 2:00 AM


NICK BRIGGS

Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith Crawley on “Downton Abbey”; the plotline for Season 5 will spend a fair amount of time with Lady Edith.

The magic touch that “Downton Abbey” has wielded from its opening scene is the kind of gift that, like a lavish British country estate, you have to be born with.

From the moment the Titanic went down right up to the show’s fifth season, which launches on PBS at 9 p.m. Sunday, that touch has not diminished.

Take it from Rob James-Collier, who plays Thomas Barrow, better known to fans of “Downton Abbey” as Evil Thomas, the downstairs servant whose own nefarious touch routinely turns gold into sawdust.

James-Collier earned two university degrees and spent several years in marketing before deciding at age 28 to become an actor.



“I discovered I hated marketing,” he says. So he took some acting classes and the kind of small roles aspiring actors always take before landing Barrow.

“Now I love what I do,” he says. But sure, he allows, all that marketing experience can at times still hover about.

Like it did this summer, when “Downton Abbey” was rocked by plastic water bottle scandal.

Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) posed for a Season 5 publicity picture in front of a stately mantelpiece on which was nestled a plastic water bottle.

Plastic water bottles had so not been invented in 1925.

The scandal abated when the cast quickly shot a followup picture acknowledging and joking about their grievous error.

But scandal it was, and James-Collier says it was nothing short of brilliant.

“I have no idea if it was accidental or deliberate,” he says. “But my immediate reaction, from my marketing training, is that this did everything a good marketing campaign is supposed to do.

“It got that picture onto front pages all over the world. It got people talking about the show when it wasn’t even on the air.

“If I were running the campaign, it’s exactly what I would have done.”

Wherever The Case of the Mysterious Water Bottle originated, it’s hardly the only time “Downton” has emerged shining, or scored in a way that PBS shows just don’t score.

Over the last week and a half, more than a millions viewers have watched a nine-minute video in which George Clooney joins the “Downton” cast to promote Britain’s Text Santa charity.

Best of all, for PBS, “Downton” has become the most popular drama in PBS history. The fourth season U.S. premiere drew 10.2 million viewers, more than most commercial broadcast network shows, and while the fifth season audience dropped a bit when it ran this past fall in the U.K., it was still at the top of the pack.

It was primarily “Downton,” PBS officials will happily admit, that lifted PBS from being the 13th most-watched TV network a couple of years ago to the fifth most-watched last year.

So PBS itself, like the show’s fans, wish it could run forever.



That doesn’t happen, though, and executive producer Gareth Naeme remains coy about just how long it will actually run.

“It will end somewhere between Season 5 and Season 10,” he said in early December.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/downton-abbey-retains-magic-season-article-1.2059841

Downton Abbey Christmas special recap – it worked as retro festive wallpaper (SPOILERS)

THE GUARDIAN
Viv Groskop
Thursday 25 December 2014 18.00 EST



The labrador’s backside is back for Christmas. And let’s hope it’s not just for Christmas, eh? Actually, my Christmas wish would be that it is just for Christmas. Because if this convoluted outing proved anything, it’s that this series has outstayed its welcome. Unlike Isis the dog, whose absence in this Christmas special finally disproved the conspiracy theory that she was just absent from the last episode to tease us. Sorry, people, but Isis really is dead.

As always this was a beautifully made and wonderfully acted confection showcasing all the shortcomings of the Downton Abbey brand. In the opening sequences, it felt as if the actors had been directed to speak the dialogue slowly and carefully in order to help viewers a) worse for the cooking sherry and b) unfamiliar with Downton (as probably many Christmas-only viewers were – lucky them). There was a lot of signposting of characters and history, which only served to flag up that there are often far too many people involved and far too many things going on.

As a standalone piece for anyone not following the series, I suspect this outing worked rather well as retro festive wallpaper. And there can surely be no finer features on screen than those of Matthew Goode (Wickham in last year’s Death Comes to Pemberley and also a series regular in The Good Wife), seen fleetingly here flirting with Lady Mary and making a Dukes of Hazzard-style getaway in a fast motorcar. If he is coming in as the dark-haired replacement for Dan Stevens, that will be a happy event indeed.

For those of us who have been suffering the joys and pains of the past five series, it tied up a paltry number of loose ends (Dame Maggie’s Russian tryst, Rose’s uncomfortable relationship with her new inlaws, Edith not knowing that her father knows about the Impostor Child). And Uncle Julian did at least give us the payoff we’ve been anticipating since last year’s Christmas episode: the marriage of Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson. Hooray!



But unbelievably (or totally believably if you are used to the snail’s pace of Downton) he left the “Who killed rapist valet Green?” plot open. We don’t even really know if it definitely isn’t Anna or definitely isn’t Bates. My money, despite the pub landlord’s evidence, is still on Bates. But surely by now we deserve resolution on this? We found out Green was dead on 10 November 2013. Seriously, Uncle Julian, how long are you going to leave this hanging? Do you even know who killed him? I suspect no one cares any more.

There were some pleasing details. The Russian Silver Fox! Midnight skating to the strains of the balaika! Setting sail in the prince’s yacht! The manic depressive Russian princess (Jane Lapotaire) was superb and, as every guest is forced to on this show, really made the most of her three sentences. Alun Armstrong as The Evil Butler, Stowell (yes, I know, I heard it as “Stole” and “Stowe” the whole way through, too), was wonderful: “I am not a novice anywhere.” And there was plenty of Molesley, which is always a delight. But what a missed opportunity! When Molesley was rifling in Anna’s drawers, I was convinced he would find the Ill-Defined Contraceptive Device. So disappointing.



But let’s draw a veil over that and concentrate on the best marriage proposal ever from a man resembling a cautious and lovable badger: “Well, that’s the point. I do want to be stuck with you ...” Who wouldn’t drink to Mr Carson’s happiness on Christmas Day?



READ MORE HERE: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/dec/25/downton-abbey-christmas-special-recap-it-worked-as-retro-festive-wallpaper

5 things we learned from 'Downton Abbey' cast's royal visit

TODAY
RANDI DAWN
December 8, 2014

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here are five key things we learned:

George Clooney is not appearing in the Christmas special/season finale
OK, we kind of suspected, but it was confirmed by Bonneville that Clooney merely made a tiny promotional appearance in support of a charity. "He's in a sketch for a fundraiser," said the actor. Joked Nicol, "We didn't all get to meet him, and we're not bitter."



The truth behind that anachronistic water bottle
Remember that "Downton Abbey" publicity photo that included an unexpected cameo by a water bottle? Not intentional, but it worked out nicely: "That photo was cropped originally, and then suddenly it was uncropped," said Bonneville. "[It made us able] to get behind the charity Water Aid in the UK."

Isis the dog's fate is not tied to any current headlines
Rumor had it that Grantham's dog Isis (the one Thomas once locked in a shed overnight!) was going to be killed off because the terror group ISIS had started using the name of the legendary Egyptian goddess. "Any story line involving the dog has nothing to do with horrible international events," said Bonneville.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.today.com/popculture/5-things-we-learned-downton-abbey-casts-royal-visit-1D80342640

George Clooney to star in Downton Abbey

THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN'S WEEKLY
AEST 10:29, TUE DEC 2 2014



George Clooney is trying to enter British aristocracy after marrying his well-to-do wife Amal Alamuddin – well in the fictional sense at least.

George is due to make a cameo on British television series Downton Abbey alongside his Monuments Men co-star, Hugh Bonneville.

Recent pictures have emerged of 53-year-old Clooney with Bonneville's Robert Crawley on the set of the period drama looking every bit the 1930’s English gent with smoothed-back hair, a grey wide-lapelled suit and dapper tie.

The Gravity actor is rumoured to be appearing in a one-off sketch appearance for a Downton Abbey special in support of British charity Text Santa – a fundraiser for UK charities during the festive season.

The Clooney cameo is scheduled to air on December 19 and will reportedly see the Hollywood-heartthrob play a wedding guest appearing in scenes with Hugh as well as Michelle Dockery's Lady Mary Crawley, Elizabeth McGovern's Countess of Grantham and Laura Carmichael's Lady Edith.

Bonneville told Radio Times earlier this year that it was good to have his pal on set.

"He was incredibly generous with his time and his talent," Bonneville said.

Adding: "He was great – he was a good laugh and sprinkled some sort of magic dust over our experience."

READ MORE HERE; http://www.aww.com.au/living/arts-entertainment/2014/12/george-clooney-stars-in-downton-abbey-with-michelle-dockery-and-hugh-bonneville/george-clooney-stars-on-set-of-downton-abbey-with-hugh-bonneville

‘Downton Abbey’ Renewed for Sixth Season

VARIETY
Alex Stedman
News Editor, Variety.com
@a_sted



“Downton Abbey” has been renewed for a season six, ITV and producer Carnival Films announced on Thursday.

The official “Downton Abbey” Twitter account also tweeted the news.

Friends, #TeamServants have such wonderful news to share with you all! #Downton pic.twitter.com/obIk3aFrz4

— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) November 6, 2014

The British drama will go into production in 2015 with Julian Fellowes writing.

The news comes months before season five debuts in the U.S. on PBS on Jan. 4. Season five will complete its run in the U.K. on Sunday.

“We have had an amazing reaction to the story lines, acting and production values of Downton Abbey this year and the whole team is thrilled to be moving ahead with a new season of the show,” said executive producer and Carnival’s managing editor Gareth Neame in a statement. “This will provide audiences with a fresh opportunity to see what will befall our much loved characters.”

READ MORE HERE: http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/downton-abbey-renewed-sixth-season-1201349590/