Downton Abbey - ITV1

I am being perfectly serious here when I say that I'm delighted to see that Dan Stevens gives hope to all of us who don't have the perfect jutting jawline. He definitely suits the period collar or a nice polo neck.
 
Yes. It was when the Republic was declared in 1923. This is 1912, so it would still have been known internationally as Constantinople.

Another litlle point they missed is that Turks generally didn't have surnames till the 30s. So he would have been known as Kemal Bey (ie Mr Kemal) or possibly Kemal Effendi. Looks like they borrowed the Pamuk surname from present-day Turkish author Orhan Pamuk.
 
I am not " easily pleased " I simply have a different taste to yours . Switch off by all means and watch what you enjoy , but dont tell the rest of us what should please us
I loved it and will carry on watching it .
 
I think the viewing figures will be pretty high. It's well done and a feast for the eyes and has potential. Tonight's episode was necessarily something of a scene setter and I think most people who watched it will want to see what happens next. Hope so, anyway.
 
I couldn't agree more with this. Earlier novels had Ladies speaking to their maiRAB like absolute dirt, and I doubt whether this really happened. A Lady and her maid would have an intimate relationship and would talk about everything. People don't change that much.

And many members of the upper class would be interested in the lives of their employees, and try to improve their lives. Not all LorRAB would be complete so and sos and this is reflected in the programme

It is a great show, and I don't care whether a song was not released until 1918
 
Ahh yes, hadn't thought of that but it does make sense, to make sure that he didn't tell on Thomas and Thomas does seem the type to do anything to protect his secret and his job.

Though the doctor said it was a heart attack, I suppose he could have given him something to induce a heart attack.
 
I don't mind Thomas, but ooh... that O'Brien one! :mad:

Edith is a bit of a drip, but I do feel sorry for her. Sybil is definitely my favourite out of the three sisters.
 
Wouldn't have thought so - the only toff in the show with potential to be cannon fodder went down with the Titanic!

JF gives some of his thoughts on the BBC website as to why he set the drama in 1912. This particularly intrigues me as my Gran went into service as a seamstress about this time, leaving to get married in 1914. Though she was a bolshy so-and-so, I always remember her having nothing but praise for that way of life and how wonderful the family were who paid her a pittance for skivvying. Presumably as one of 12 children in a miner's cottage, this would have seemed like heaven, but the mutual dependence was very real and with Carter and Mrs Brooks, they would be desperate that on retirement the family will look after them.
 
I really enjoyed that. Thank goodness my grandad bought the Saturday magazine that had it featured. If he didn't I may never have known about it.

What a great cast, and there's something about Elizabeth McGovern's voice that I love. Can't wait for next week.
 
I think it was the week before last, there was a street scene and there was a modern street sign with bold black lettering.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. But it hasn't really put me off!

Mind you I saw Glorious 39 recently and there were a couple of very modern expressions made which they most definitely wouldn't have used back then.
 
Elizabeth McGovern, for it was she, played Bonneville's wife in the short-lived Freezing in 2008, and also has previous playing a woman from the period as a companion in The House of Mirth. She wasn't bad, I thought, and looked rather good in the costume she wore on the first occasion when we saw her with Dame Maggie.

Overall I thought the production was very good - looked and sounded fantastic but.....

the device of the servant being our eyes and ears is rather hackneyed. Fellowes did the same thing in Gosford Park with Kelly Macdonald's character, Mary.

and Maggie Smith plays the same panto dame character in virtually everything she does these days - for Violet, Countess of Grantham read Constance, Countess of Trentham.

5/5 for the look of it. 3/5 for the script and cast
 
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