Downton Abbey - ITV1

Well, what could have and should have been a brilliant new period drama series, for me, has been sent down to almost second rate (save by scenery and costumes) from the very first episode.

We have, Mr timmins from THE best TV series ever, "Larkrise", Liam from THE most popular soap Corry and Janice Garvey from THE best comedy series for many years, Benidorm.

I cannot take this programme seriously, it is a joke and whoever cast it wants firing asap.

When will these TV companies learn, we do not need the known faces of the ilk of David Jason in every darn TV programme, we need fresher blood or lesser known actors with a lot less, "current", type cast faces if they want the public to take their programmes seriously.

I am soo dissapointed, I was really looking forward to it and now am left extremely flat and non-plussed.
 
True. The Duke and the footman made a nice couple, I thought. I was hoping the Duke would stay and marry the daughter, and then have a hot and steamy relationship with Thomas on the side. Imagine my supreme disappointment when the Duke cleared off after a few minutes!

:(
 
Agreed with that.. becoming a valet in the early 20C was a very considerable acheivement.. & there were some perks (not necessarily those Thomas had I should add- though its was relatively common for the 'lower class' of a same sex couple to live in as a valet in order to appear outwardly respectable in societies eyes).

Nowadays they're usually called personal servants or bodyguarRAB LOL
 
There are various storylines but mostly connected with the servants and not particularly dramatic. That doesn't mean they aren't interesting though. And of course for those of us who like to see the house and the fashions of the period the whole thing is a treat. :)
 
Hour long dramas only had two internal breaks until the early 2000's, whereas they now have thee.

It's the two hour and ninety minute dramas that now suffer the most as the ad breaks have doubled.

A Morse had only three internal breaks and now would have six.

IIRC correctly both Brideshead and Jewel were shown with only one break, on the half hour.

When archive ITV hour dramas are shown they now have four breaks in a 75m slot compared to only two when first shown. When they were made they had a running time of 50m+, new dramas now are around 44 minutes.

When MiRABomer started, it had a running time of 105 minutes, it's now been reduced to 88m to allow for extra advertising. Sad really.
 
Yep, last week they had only just got electricity, this week colour TV and double yellow lines on the road appeared in the opening couple of minutes, things move fast at the Abbey. Next week, don't be surprised if cook is working from a Delia cookbook!

I'm sure they could have 'touched up' the pictures before playout.
 
The Duke was gay and so Thomas knows that he wouldn't have reported him and in fact the Duke implied that if he didn't drop the blackmail threats he could out himself and get into serous trouble with the law. Homosexuality was illegal back then and so there was more than his job at stake if Pamuk had reported him. Although, I don't get the impression that anyone murdered the Turk.
 
I don't really see why people are bothered by seeing familial actors playing different roles- that's kind of their job.

It's true that some of the dialogue was a bit awkward, but it was inevitable - I sort of assumed they would go down the 'we've got a new maid and we'll explain things to her and therefore the audience' route, but they just had the kitchen maid ask questions randomly!

I also wondered slightly about the time-scale- the Duke can't have come until September at the earliest, since that was when the girls would be able 'to wear colours', which means we saw 7 months. However, I wonder if that was because the family would have done virtually nothing while they were in mourning, and wouldn't have received guests, so maybe it'll go more gradually, maybe ending with the start of WWI?

The only problem there is that it makes a second series pretty difficult to do, or not without it being radically different and certainly not on an 'Upstairs, Downstairs' model.

I don't really see why this is being compared to the Upstairs, Downstairs revival, which is set in 1936, 25 years later and in a very different society
 
Well, that's one way to shut them up, I suppose, but this is a discussion forum, and not an appreciation thread. Although as I pointed out, you can enjoy something and still retain your faculties.

The underwear reference is rather below the belt. :p
 
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