Downton Abbey is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired on ITV in the United Kingdom on 26 September 2010, and in the United States on PBS, which supported production of the series as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology, on 9 January 2011.
The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey between 1912 and 1926, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants in the post-Edwardian era—with the great events of the time having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy. Events depicted throughout the series include news of the sinking of the Titanic in the first series; the outbreak of the First World War, the Spanish influenza pandemic, and the Marconi scandal in the second series; the Irish War of Independence leading to the formation of the Irish Free State in the third series; the Teapot Dome scandal in the fourth series; the British general election of 1923 and the Beer Hall Putsch in the fifth series. The sixth and final series introduces the rise of the working class during the interwar period and hints at the eventual decline of the British aristocracy.
Downton Abbey has received acclaim from television critics and won numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. It was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed English-language television series of 2011. It earned the most nominations of any international television series in the history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, with twenty-seven in total (after the first two series). It was the most watched television series on both ITV and PBS, and subsequently became the most successful British costume drama series since the 1981 television serial of Brideshead Revisited.
On 26 March 2015, Carnival Films and ITV announced that the sixth series would be the last. It aired on ITV between 20 September 2015 and 8 November 2015. The final episode, serving as the annual Christmas special, was broadcast on 25 December 2015. A film adaptation, serving as a continuation of the series, was confirmed on 13 July 2018 and subsequently released in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2019, and in the United States on 20 September 2019. A second feature film, Downton Abbey: A New Era, was released in the United Kingdom on 29 April 2022 by Universal Pictures, and in the United States and Canada on 20 May 2022 by Focus Features.
Cast and characters[]
- Hugh Bonneville - Robert Crawley, The Earl of Grantham
- Jessica Brown Findlay - Lady Sybil Branson née Crawley
- Laura Carmichael - Edith Pelham, Marchioness of Hexham née Lady Edith Crawley
- Jim Carter - Charles "Charlie" Carson
- Brendan Coyle - John Bates
- Michelle Dockery - Lady Mary Talbot née Crawley
- Siobhan Finneran - Sarah O'Brien
- Joanne Froggatt - Anna Bates née Smith
- Phyllis Logan - Elsie Carson née Hughes
- Thomas Howes - William Mason
- Rob James-Collier - Thomas Barrow
- Rose Leslie - Gwen Harding née Dawson
- Elizabeth McGovern - Cora Crawley, The Countess of Grantham
- Sophie McShera - Daisy Mason née Robinson
- Lesley Nicol - Beryl Patmore
- Maggie Smith - Violet Crawley, The Dowager Countess of Grantham
- Dan Stevens - Matthew Crawley
- Penelope Wilton - Isobel Grey, Lady Merton formerly Crawley
- Amy Nuttall - Ethel Parks
- Kevin Doyle - Joseph Molesley
- Allen Leech - Tom Branson
- Matt Milne - Alfred Nugent
- Ed Speleers - James "Jimmy" Kent
- Lily James - Lady Rose Aldridge née MacClare
- David Robb - Dr Richard Clarkson
- Cara Theobold - Ivy Stuart
- Raquel Cassidy - Phyllis Baxter
- Tom Cullen - Anthony Foyle, Viscount Gillingham
- Julian Ovenden - Charles Blake
- Michael Fox - Andrew "Andy" Parker
- Matthew Goode - Henry Talbot
- Harry Hadden-Paton - Herbert "Bertie" Pelham, 7th Marquess of Hexham
- Imelda Staunton - Lady Maud Bagshaw
International broadcast[]
| Country | Channel(s) | Local title |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ITV, STV, UTV | Downton Abbey |
| United States | PBS | |
| Australia | Seven Network | |
| Belgium | RTL-TVI, Club RTL, VRT | |
| Brazil | Globosat HD, GNT, TV Cultura | |
| Bulgaria | Nova TV | |
| Canada | VisionTV, Ici Radio-Canada Télé | |
| Chile | TVN | |
| Croatia | HRT | |
| Denmark | DR | |
| Finland | Yle TV1 | |
| France | TMC, TV Breizh, HD1 | |
| Germany | Sky Cinema, ZDF, ZDFneo | |
| Greece | ERT, NERIT | |
| Hungary | Story4 | |
| Iceland | RÚV | |
| Ireland | TV3 | |
| Italy | Rete 4, La 5, LA7d | |
| Latin America | Film & Arts | |
| Malaysia | Sundance Channel | |
| Mexico | Once TV | |
| Netherlands | NPO 2 (NCRV) | |
| New Zealand | Prime | |
| Norway | NRK1 | |
| Panama | NEXtv | |
| Philippines | Lifestyle Network | |
| Poland | TVN Style, TVP1 | |
| Portugal | Fox Life, SIC | |
| Réunion | Antenne Réunion | |
| South Africa | BBC Entertainment | |
| Spain | Antena 3, Nova | |
| Sweden | SVT | |
| Switzerland | SRF 1, RTS Un | |
| Turkey | Sinema TV | |
| China | BesTV, CCTV-8 | 唐顿庄园 |
| Hong Kong | TVB Pearl | |
| Taiwan | PTS | |
| Czech Republic | ČT2 | Panství Downton |
| Iran | Manoto 1 | دانتون ابی |
| Israel | Channel 1, yes Oh | אחוזת דאונטון |
| Japan | Star Channel | ダウントン・アビー 〜貴族とメイドと相続人〜 |
| NHK General TV, AXN Mystery | ダウントン・アビー 華麗なる英国貴族の館 | |
| Latvia | LNT, Kanāls 2 | Dauntonas abatija |
| Lithuania | TV8 | Dauntono abatija |
| Russia | Domashny, Russia-K | Аббатство Даунтон |
| Saudi Arabia | MBC 4, MBC 1 | داونتون آبي |
| Serbia | RTS, RTV, Superstar TV, iQS.Life | Даунтонска опатија |
| Ukraine | Inter | Абатство Даунтон |