TheMasterpiece Classic series Downton Abbey is a British historical drama, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes.
The series takes place on and around the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey from 1912 to 1926. The episodes portray the lives
of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era and incorporates the great events of the times having
an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Actual historical events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking
of the Titanic, the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, the Marconi scandal, the Irish War of Independence which led
to the formation of the Irish Free State, the Teapot Dome scandal, the British general election of 1923, the Beer Hall Putsch,the rise of
the working class during the interwar period, and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy.
The series ran from 2010 until 2015. After the conclusion of the sixth season in 2015, two movies were released,
Downton Abbey (2019) and Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
Downton Abbey Facts:
A real family, the Carnavon family, lives at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, England.
In episodes showing a Christmas tree inside Downton Abbey, classy all-white Christmas lights with tiny raisin-sized bulbs are lit; however,
these impressive lights didn't appear for sale until the late 1960s and early 1970s. In the series' historical period, the smallest bulbs
available were Mazda Lights, which are golf ball-sized.
Cast members of the show have revealed that the costumes are, in many cases, actual articles of clothing from the 1910s and 1920s.
They are so fragile that they cannot be laundered, and as a result, don't smell very good. "We do stink, as they don't wash our costumes,"
Sophie McShera, who played cook's assistant, Daisy, explained to the Daily Mail. "They have these weird patches, which are sewn into
the armpits and which they wash separately."
Dame Maggie Smith, who played the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, and Dame Penelope Wilton, who played Isobel Crawley Grey,
also starred in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel(2015), in roles completely
different than their characters in Downton Abbey.
Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) is a talented jazz singer.
