Which means that the show’s producers needed to pay particularly close attention to continuity. THE SERVANTS’ QUARTERS ARE IN LONDON.īecause the servants’ quarters at Highclere Castle have been modernized, the series' downstairs kitchen and attic living quarters were built at London’s Ealing Studios. In addition to its iconic exterior, the library, dining room, drawing room, and grand hallway seen in Downton Abbey belong to the real-life Highclere Castle. In addition to being open to the public, the home can be rented for weddings and parties and occasionally operates as a hotel.
Much of the series is filmed at Highclere Castle, an estate in Hampshire, England that is home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. ELIZABETH MCGOVERN AND HUGH BONNEVILLE HAVE BEEN MARRIED BEFORE.
While promoting her role in Masterpiece’s 2012 version of Great Expectations, The X-Files star Gillian Anderson expressed her hope that, “people will embrace with the same love that flowed toward Downton Abbey," then shared that she was offered the role of Cora Crawley. GILLIAN ANDERSON COULD HAVE BEEN THE COUNTESS OF GRANTHAM. When asked to sum up the series’ appeal at a party for Downton Abbey’s third season premiere, star Hugh Bonneville (Robert Crawley) joked that, “It’s Breaking Bad with tea instead of meth.” 3. HUGH BONNEVILLE THINKS IT’S MORE LIKE BREAKING BAD. There was something called Chicago Hope that I liked very much, and thirtysomething, with all these stories going at once.” 2. “Constructing Downton, I was consciously thinking in terms of those American structures,” Fellowes said in Rebecca Eaton’s book, Making Masterpiece: 25 Years Behind the Scenes at Sherlock, Downton Abbey, Prime Suspect, Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs, and Other Great Shows. In developing the structure for Downton Abbey, creator Julian Fellowes found inspiration in some unexpected places. Though fans will likely need to wait until 2019 to see the big-screen version, here are 15 fascinating facts about the lords and ladies of Downton Abbey to tide you over. "Julian’s script charms, thrills and entertains and in Brian Percival’s hands we aim to deliver everything that one would hope for as Downton comes to the big screen."
“When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie and now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production," producer Gareth Neame said of the upcoming film, which was written by original creator Julian Fellowes and will begin production this summer. Though the series ended its small-screen run in March 2016, it's still garnering a lot of buzz thanks to repeated viewings on PBS and today's official announcement that the Crawley family will be making its way back into viewer's lives via a new movie featuring the original cast.
Like Upstairs, Downstairs for the Twitter generation, Downton Abbey brought a bit of British history into the homes of millions of viewers for six seasons, and reinvigorated interest in 20th-century propriety.