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Downton Abbey

(159 Posts)
yogagran Sun 18-Sept-11 23:15:20

Downtown Abbey is back, Sunday evening is complete again.
Anyone else pleased to see this series back?

yogagran Mon 26-Sept-11 12:25:34

Oh dear, this second series really seems to have gone downhill. I was so looking forward to it and I'm disappointed sad

dorsetpennt Mon 26-Sept-11 12:20:17

Oh dear it looks as if I'm the only person who thinks it's a load of rubbish - having seen Gosforth Park, also written by Julian Fellowes, this is just the same only weeks longer. The wonderful Maggie Smith is camping it up wonderfully - it doesn't show how hard servants' lives were, some of the language used is fat too modern etc etc. I daresay I'll get a barrage of adverse comments, but as a history buff I find a lot of film drama of past times completely incorrect. The recent Henry Tudor was so off the real story that it was laughable.

GeraldineGransnet (GNHQ) Mon 26-Sept-11 10:36:29

We'll pursue Brendan Coyle (so to speak).

Here at GNHQ we are still just about suspending our disbelief, although the butler in pyjamas/kissing the farmer combo was a severe test last night. And half the characters seem to have had personality transplants since the last series.

Still, we survived Mr Pamuk's death, apparently of sexual intercourse, so we'll probably stick with it.

Oldgreymare Mon 26-Sept-11 09:40:54

Never thought I'd say this, but i think I'm going 'orf' it! Too many improbable scenes.... that tree stump was never an apple tree! WW1 injured look far too healthy ( apart from the 'injuries') there must be thousands of thin 'extras' about! In fact, the WW1 'stuff' has become far too cliched ( is that a word?)

Twobabes Mon 26-Sept-11 08:36:45

So glad to have found so many others who think DA is twaddle! Thought I was the only one. Such a relief! And is JF "up himself"? Oh, yes.

Gally Mon 26-Sept-11 08:31:43

Well, that's it; not going to watch the rest of the series on the telly - I am just going to have to wait until the DVD set is out. I can't stand the adverts any longer, it spoilt the whole episode last night. Here north of the border, we don't have Aviva but an appalling thing advertising Jet2. I don't think I shall be missing much anyway - hrrrrumph - butlers in pyjamas buttoned up to the neck grin

Marjie Sun 25-Sept-11 23:19:29

Tonlght's scene where her young ladyship was given advice by the butler in bed in his pyjamas just took the biscuit. Mr Hudson must be spinning in his grave at the impropriety.

nannym Sun 25-Sept-11 07:15:50

Jacey that is a brilliant idea!! Please, please, please Gransnet will you ask him? Please???

Jacey Sat 24-Sept-11 20:20:15

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

JosieGransnet or CariGransnet ...are you out there?

nannym Sat 24-Sept-11 19:43:51

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.

Jacey Sat 24-Sept-11 19:42:12

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

Hattie64 Sat 24-Sept-11 18:14:57

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.

Jacey Sat 24-Sept-11 15:08:35

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.

SophiesMum Sat 24-Sept-11 14:08:22

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!

crimson Fri 23-Sept-11 14:26:02

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

absentgrana Fri 23-Sept-11 11:14:26

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. grin

susiecb Fri 23-Sept-11 09:39:59

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!

Gally Fri 23-Sept-11 08:58:57

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

greenmossgiel Thu 22-Sept-11 21:24:16

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

Gally Thu 22-Sept-11 21:06:46

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 sometimegrin). 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 wink

Hattie64 Thu 22-Sept-11 19:57:12

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.

lilybet Thu 22-Sept-11 19:44:34

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

Jacey Tue 20-Sept-11 17:45:10

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

supernana Tue 20-Sept-11 14:10:28

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

crimson Tue 20-Sept-11 13:37:37

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.