Downton Abbey

Yes Maggie Smith was married to R. Stephens, he is the Father of her children. I am definately going to carry on watching, it is the comedy of the week.

Saw writer and star on the local news earlier......star with not a hair out of place (just how he looks in the trenches....hrmph) writer looking like a toff.... is he a genuine one or is he also playing a role?
Anyway, I shall continue to watch for the laughs AND the wonderful Maggie Smith.... wasn't she married to Robert Stephens once upon a time? ( or am I )

green... !!!!

I used to love Monarch of the Glen [well, the first series or so]. Liked the Susan Hampshire character, as it was nice to see another elderly lady with her nose stuck in The Racing Post every day.

If I remember, his name was 'Goodwillie' in Monarch of the Glen.....now.. should I? No, I mustn't!! He's just made a cock-up of a series that could've been really good! Very silly!

We record this now to watch when we are having a coffee break for the laughs which I presume is I presume what Julian Fellowes is doing all the way to the bank! Do you remember how silly he was in Monarch of the Glen was but I think that was supposed to be funny.

She's probably trying to save the series, Annobel! She must be horrified!

I caught half an hour of this at the weekend, though I'd never seen more than a few minutes before. I thought Maggie Smith's character was completely overdrawn and, great actor though she is, she was really hamming it up, a caricature of a dowager!

It's getting sillier by the minute! The maid is caught with the major, sent away and returned within a matter of a day or so announcing her pregnancy! The two missing soldiers return without so much as a scratch looking as cheerful as all-get-out, when they would have seen horrendous and horrifying things over the channel......seems as if Master Julian has been reading one of the 'penny-novelettes' left lying around by that lot below stairs!

love Maggie Smith in this, she is brilliant, so natural and not a face lift in sight.

How about getting the villainous Major cashiered? Or will it be the usual story of the girl who pays?

Sorry !

.... and all this in the space of one episode!
..... and who told the 'downstairs' staff about the missing soldiers, or did I drop off for that bit?
.....and was it the quickest conception on record?
I know it's only fiction and the bounds of reality will be stretched BUT.....[sceptical]

Anybody watch it last night, I did. There was some tremendous highlights in this continuing drama. The eldest daughter was singing to the injured soldiers,beautiful voice, and who should walk in Mathew the missing soldier and they sang a duet, I collapsed in tears, tears of laughter, absolutely great. Mathew the big love interest, obviously has most weekends free, makes a quick dash home to the UK from France. The poor maid who was caught in bed with the villaneous Major, the one with the big bushy moustache, and the ending scene was her returning to Downton pregnant. I loved it all, best comedy on the television at the moment, its a laugh a minute.

We spent the weekend in Paris police watching, giggling to ourselves as we walked past their vans at night saying to each other 'we know what you're really up to..we watch Spiral'.

I gave up last week and watched Spooks instead. Really can't be doing with all the adverts - they drive me nuts

Crimson you didn't miss much last week, I really don't know why I am still watching it. It seems to be getting daftier by the minute. Now The Killing is something else, I think but might be wrong, it could be (hopefully) this year, whats left of it. They seem to be treading water on BBC4, what with the lst series of Spiral, which I love, then an episode of the cute Italian detective, tomorrow an episode of Wallander (different chappie) so it looks like they are building upto something. Well thats my impression anyway.

I've only just realised he was the one from Lark Rise.He has put weight on, hasn't he! I went off that when it became too formulaic [SP]and moralistic. Missed last weeks Downton Abbey due to being en vacances. When is The Killing coming back?

supernana, I'm with you there! Although my oven is a bit on the mucky side...!

DA doesn't appeal to me. Just a bit too good to be true...and, whilst I'm having a full-blown moan, I would sooner clean a disgustingly dirty oven [not hat I have one] than tune into Strictly, Big Brother, or any other cringingly awful "reality show"...

Do you realise that this is the second woman Brendan has left in the lurch. In Larkrise, he left his wife allegedly to get work, as we now know was Downton Abbey. Is his current love aware of all the kids he left behind at Larkrise. If I were her I would shoot his good leg.

I cringe even at the trailers which are enough to put me off.

dorsetpennt, you're def not alone - we seem to be enabling the "No" brigade to come out and be honest! I'm one of them.

I watched a bit of DA for the first time last night having heard so much about it and I'm afraid I found it, dare I say it? - BORING. It was all so obvious. I find hyped up films affect me in the same way. No, I won't be watching it again. Perhaps I watched too much Upstairs Downstairs in my 'yoof'.

It isn't really very good this time, is it? Seems to have lost the way. As dorset commented, Maggie Smith is doing a fine job, and I'll keep watching if only to see her. Awful 'layout' for the trenches, too.