Downton Abbey

crimson I agree about the adverts, think next week I may just record the programme and fast forward them, they were so irritating...

em; I understand it broke down yesterday due to so many people trying to watch it at the same time!

I watched the first series because the street scenes were filmed in the village where DIL's parents live. It is supposed to be Yorkshire but was filmed in Bampton, Oxfordshire. Downton abbey is Highclere of course.
I too love Maggie Smith as the dowager duchess.

I agree with Gally.
We are addicts of Spooks as well as Downton Abbey, so always must remember to record one of them. At least you get rid of the awfully frequent advertisements if you record Downton.
When Strictly returns we will be so busy watching TV, when will I get everything else done?!

Have discovered I can watch Spooks at 9pm on bbc and then Downton on ITV+1 at 10pm. However as I said above, I was too tired on Sunday and fell asleep!

Am I the only person on the whole of gransnet who watched the first episode of the first series and thought it was the most unmitigated tosh? Much as I admire Maggie Smith and much as I enjoyed Gosford Park, Downton Abbey seemed to be full of anachronisms, absurdities and unconvincing characters – in the first episode alone. I didn't watch the rest of the first series and haven't started watching the second. I think Julian Fellowes has got a bit up himself and is beginning to believe that he is a great writer and a charming aristocrat, rather than a fairly competent writer some of the time and an appalling snob.

No, you're not the only one. I don't think I ever watched a whole episode. Can't stand this English nostalgia for a fictitious country house society. I watched Spooks instead. There was a promising twist at the end of the first episode; so it looks as if this final series will be just as convoluted as ever. Who is Harry, really?

Hard to better Bleak House...

Loved watching it, partly because I had no knowledge of the story. Sat in the kitchen in the dark watching the last episode with a glass of Tia Maria. Gillian Anderson was mesmerising. Other series that made me feel the same way were The Fortunes of War and [many years ago] Love for Lydia.

crimson I cried a bucketful of tears during Bleak House. The acting was superb.

I like DA ...but comparing it to BH is like comparing chalk and cheese ...BH everytime ...but Dickens was a superb crafter of stories ...have all his books on my Kindle!

Love it.So nice to relax and watch something without blood murder and swearing.

Actually I quite enjoy a bit of blood, murder and swearing!! I am addicted to Spiral at the moment.
DA, is OK, easy watching on a Sunday, whilst reading the Sunday papers. I do tape it though, watch it after Spooks.I do like a bit of romantic nonsense though, and wish the eldest daughter would get on with it, with the heir to be.
I read many Dickens years ago and Bleak House was quite hard going but worthwhile. The adaptation was superb.

Absenta I think you're right about Julian Fellowes being up himself. I have a wee anecdote : travelling on Sleasyjet to Sardinia 4 years ago I noticed the good Lord J strutting his stuff in the departure lounge. He had priority boarding - his beautiful wife and large teenage son didn't - but he kept them a seat each (good move Lord J, must try that myself sometime). On arrival at Olbia, he continued to strut his stuff (look at me type of thing) while his poor wife, beautifully kitted out as you would imagine, heaved all the luggage off the belt onto the trolley while the Lord and large teenage son watched, not making any effort to help.She then proceeded to struggle to push the trolley out of the airport, while Lord and son pranced on ahead: I think it was then that I decided I didn't think much of him

The Radio Times article didn't do much for him, either, I don't think, if you read between the lines, that is.

Sorry Absent I gave you an extra 'A' - wasn't wearing specs at the time!

We watched the first episode of the current series yesterday afternoon. what a load of rubbish! First we had Blackadder in the trenches I was waiting for General Melchett to arrive, then we had servants playing tricks on each other and emabarrasing the family - they would have been sacked, a servants wife arrives (by the way hasnt he put on the beef) and is given tea and sympathy - she would have been turned away at the door and generally servants with far too much too say for themselves for that period. I think some of the sotumes may have been suspect too - did women wear a red velvet dress in wartime in the day? the only relief was Maggie Smith saying something sarcastic now and then - she is far too good an actress for this little snippetts of badly written dialogue far better to let her ad lib!

Having said all that I shall probably watch it for the laughs after all its not meant to be a historial documentary!

susiecb Similar thoughts occurred to me on seeing the first episode of the first series. Would anyone, even an American, have addressed a duke as "Duke" (apart from Ellington, that is)? I do realise that television budgets are inevitably tighter than those for feature films, but how can they possibly suggest that a place that size could be run by such a small gaggle of servants? One of my aunts was a parlour maid in a banker's house in Holland Park in the 1920s and that much smaller house had a full quota of servants, including a boot boy, even when the family was in Biarritz for the summer.

I didn't see it but I understand Jennifer Saunders did a 'Upstairs, Downstairs Abbey' sketch for comic relief this year.

Yes Nannym Brendan Coyle is a very good reason to watch it. Didn't he used to be in Ballykissangel? However, would watch it anyway, cracking story, superb acting - shame about the adverts!

Agree about Brendan Coyle ...so watchable ...but then I enjoyed him in 'LarkRise to Candleford' ...that series wasn't the same when he left to do DA.

You know that there is a simmering passion burning somewhere!!! He does seem to have some daft storylines though. In the first series didn't he have only one leg, or am I getting muddled up.

Thank you Hattie64 you've made me laugh again!
No he had two ...but one was a bit 'dodgy' hence the stick!

Can't remember exactly what was wrong with his leg, but in the first series he tried to sort it out by wearing some sort of caliper supplied by some charlaton and he ended up with it becoming even more painful. The housekeeper found out and made him throw it away. Noticed that he isn't limping as much this series. That man has my undivided attention while he's on screen!! Might start a new thread to find out who is our favourite male or female actor.

Well, I don't know about that nannym ...but what about asking GNHQ to invite him on for a live chat?

JosieGransnet or CariGransnet ...are you out there?