Downton Abbey and its undeniable appeal

Warning …… contains spoilers; do not read if you’re not up to date L

The withdrawals began almost immediately it had ended.  That sense of “What now?” pervaded our house, as I’m sure it did in thousands of homes, not only in the UK, but worldwide. I am of course talking about the phenomenon that is Downton Abbey, one of the most successful series that ITV, or for that matter any channel, has ever made.  The only thing I can liken my feelings of loss to, is when the last series of Game of Thrones came to an end but that’s another story.

I will admit to being a latecomer to Downton; I will cite moving house, moving to another country, getting married and writing 2 books as an excuse for almost missing this gem of an offering. Lame excuses indeed!

It was only after one friend too many adopted a look of horror and exclaimed, “What do you mean, you don’t watch Downton?” that I thought I had better investigate.  Knowing that I have never been a fan of the mainstream soaps, other friends had quizzed me as to my tastes in TV.

Did you watch the Pride and Prejudice series?

Of course I did

Did you like it?

Impossible not to like it, it was brilliant

Then you’ll love Downton

Will I?

Okay, did you ever watch Upstairs Downstairs in the 70’s?

Yes, I watched it with my mum

And did you like that?

Yes, as a matter of fact I did

Then you’ll love Downton – stop debating the matter and go watch it

So I did, and they were right J what HAD I been missing?

In coming late to it, we were in the enviable position of watching seasons 1-5 almost back to back. Those of you who, like us, become obsessed with good series will understand the following scenario.

It’s 2am and you’ve been watching since 8pm. The episode finishes and you both sit still, not wanting to be the one to suggest going to bed. After precisely 30 seconds, one of you will ask hopefully

“One more?”

The other one of you will feel an immense sense of relief and reply

“Go on then, just one more”

Before you know it, its 5 am and “just one more” became 3 more and you’ve devoured another season of it.

To our great delight, prior to season 6 starting, we had some dear friends come to stay with us. They had always wanted to see Downton, but had never got round to it. Cue reruns J Yes, we watched the whole thing again right from the beginning and loved every second if it, from the opening bars of music to the rolling credits at the end. And our friends? Hooked, totally hooked. 

Like it or loathe it (yes, there are people who don’t like Downton, go figure) you cannot deny the impact it has had.

In 2011, Downton won a place in the Guinness Book of Records for “Highest critical review ratings for a TV show” regularly attracting more than 10 million viewers an episode. Globally, it is estimated that Downton attracted an audience of around 160 million!

The worldwide cultural impact of Downton Abbey cannot be understated. It is reported that demand for professionally trained butlers doubled after Downton and in 2014, China opened its first professional school for trainee butlers!

All forms of life are represented in the drama. The characters you LOVE to hate, such as Thomas Barrow the evil and secretly gay footman and his sidekick the scheming personal maid Miss O’Brien. Oh how I hated those two; I would sit shouting at the TV as they smoked their cigarettes while plotting the downfall of yet another unsuspecting soul. We groaned with a collective voice as they set poor Mr Bates up and watched in almost unbearable horror as they gloated when the poor man’s life unravelled.

“I hate those two” I would say vehemently on a weekly basis, while being secretly worried as to what might happen if either of them left. Who would we hate? When the truly dreadful Miss O’Brien finally did leave, we need not have worried. Thomas was enough of a snake to fill two pairs of slimy shoes as he continued unabated in his quest to control and demean his peers.

However, who among us failed to feel some sympathy for him as he lay in the bathtub in the season finale, his wrists slashed as he came to realise the futility of his actions and the loneliness he faced as a result. Oh come on, no one’s THAT heartless!

The prize for the person I most wanted to slap went to Daisy the kitchen maid and her incessant whining about one thing or another. She was another one who had me yelling at the TV screen, usually to just shout, “Oh shut up moaning will you” ha ha. It’s a sign of good writing, when the characters have such an impact.

Then there were the good people; Mr Molesley the downtrodden and under appreciated valet who gave off an almost permanent air of a man wronged by life. Initially fairly annoying, with the chip on his shoulder so obvious it was almost visible, we warmed to him as he found his niche as the village school teacher and loved him for his kindness to the new ladies’ maid Miss Baxter.

One of my favourite characters has to be Jim Carter’s sublime portrayal of Mr Carson, the family’s faithful and utterly loyal butler. Forged from generations of decency, Carson epitomises what a British butler should be. His raised eyebrow much in evidence, and often all that was needed to question or silence any impertinence, Mr Carson wins my vote for showing us how it should be done. His marriage to the capable Mrs Hughes was one of the delights of the entire show. His ham fisted attempts to make dinner after complaining one too many times about Mrs Hughes’ home cooking had us in hysterics.

Whoever did the casting for Downton got it exactly right. I mean, what else could Mrs Patmore be apart from the “not always so jolly” cook? And as for the Dowager Duchess, played by the unparalled Maggie Smith, coupled with Penelope Wilton as Isabelle Crawley, her unlikely rival and friend – well, it made for utterly delightful viewing. The one liners from the Dowager Duchess are unforgettable, with my favourite being her pained enquiry,

“What is a weekend?”

My favourite “upstairs” character is, I’m almost afraid to admit …….. Lady Mary. I know I know, she’s haughty, unkind to Edith, and at times such a terrible snob it takes your breath away. She also can’t dress herself.

However, Mary is true to herself, what you see is what you get. She makes no apology for her birth right and jolly well lives up to the role of future heiress of Downton like billyo. She admits when she’s wrong and says sorry, though I must admit to cheering Edith on when she finally snapped and told Mary exactly what she thought of her. Despite her faults, Mary cares for the staff, which is evident in her visit to Mr Barrow and her love for Mr Carson. Yep, I like the girl J her finest hour for me (apart from saving the pigs) was taking the rather ungallant Mr Pamuk to her bed and then having to own up to her horrified mother that he had, in fact, died there! A better storyline you could not find. Priceless.

I’m also very fond of the Earl of Grantham and his lovely lady wife Cora. Naming the Earl “Donk” instead of grand papa struck such a chord, that Steve adopted it for himself when our new grandson Samuel was born. So much more original than granddad J

Part of Downton’s appeal lies in its ability to reinforce our yearning for a place and a time long gone, and irreplaceable. We WANT this to exist dammit. Not necessarily the gulf between classes (though that IS still there) nor the forelock tugging attitude of the servants. No, what I miss is the politeness of it all. I’ve never been a feminist, in fact I am unashamedly old fashioned and I happen to LIKE my husband to open the door for me. I feel sad to my core that the world where men stand up when a woman enters and leaves a room no longer exists.

I recall when I was at school, which isn’t THAT long ago, and we all had to stand up when a teacher came into the classroom. It was called respect. Imagine that now? The children would laugh in your face and no doubt claim it was infringing their rights in some inevitable way. Sigh 

Downton manages to recreate emotional situations, which we can all relate to. Death, loss, disappointment, injustice, loneliness, grief, anger, happiness and everything in between. We’ve laughed and cried along with the characters we came to know and love.

Although many of the story lines left us in tears of disbelief, Matthew and Sybil’s deaths to name but two; most of the time, people got what we felt they deserved. Mr Bates was released from prison, as was his wife Anna. The deliciously appealing Lady Rose MacClare got to marry her smiley beau Atticus, while managing to win over her one time enemy of a father in law at the same time. Edith got to keep Marigold with the full support of her family, though may I say, what WAS she thinking in letting the farmer and his wife care for her in the first place. Did we not say that one would end in tears?

Tom the one time chauffer managed against all the odds to marry Lady Sybil and Mary got to keep the estate even after Matthew’s untimely demise. Hurrah J

Yes, all in all, most of the outcomes were what we’d hoped for. However, because I’m a sucker for happy endings, here is a list of outcomes I would like to find in my Christmas stocking J

Okay, firstly the marriages ……………

Isabelle marrying Lord “Dickie” Merton

Edith marrying Bertie Pelham

Mr Moseley marrying Miss Baxter

Mrs Patmore marrying Mr Mason – don’t tell me it didn’t cross your mind!

Other outcomes could include;

Daisy becoming less annoying and whiny (Apologies to Sophie McShera who plays her brilliantly)

Thomas smiling

Denker getting sacked and staying sacked

Thank you Julian Fellowes for an amazing piece of writing. 

Now then, where’s my smelling salts, I’m still mourning for Matthew

Freya 

My books Known to Social Services and Gozo Is the Grass Greener? are available via Amazon