The Downton Abbey movie opens this weekend in the United States.
I must admit I’m a late arrival to the Downton hype, having discovered it only recently.
In fairness, during Downton’s 6 seasons I was caring for my dad and the TV was his in the evenings. I’m not a big TV watcher anyhow – probably the last thing I watched with any serious regularity was Hill Street Blues.
But a couple of months ago, I was searching for something to watch on Prime. I looked at Downton Abbey, didn’t want to get involved in it, but I love Dame Maggie Smith…so what the heck. I figured I could watch a couple of episodes.
Well, you guessed it. I was instantly hooked – and proceeded to binge-watch all 6 seasons in about two weeks. Forgoing meals and sleep, it was like reading a great book. I just had to know what was going to happen to the Crawley’s and their servants and friends next.
In anticipation of the film, I have watched all 6 seasons a second time – to pick up the bits I might have missed.
On a recent trip to Scotland, we visited Inverary Castle, which was the site used for Duneagle Castle, the Scottish home of Crawley cousins, The Marquess and Marchioness of Flintshire. The house was wonderful, with pictures of the cast members all about. I highly recommend it if you travel to Scotland.
Next year, we plan to visit Highclere itself, just to further immerse myself in the story. And also because Highclere is a beautiful castle/home worthy of a visit.
I have also subscribed to the blog written by Fiona Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon who lives at Highclere with her husband, the 8th Earl. If you love Downton, it’s a wonderful blog to follow – the stories of the actual house, and how the series and movie have influenced its real life.
We are going to see the film on Saturday. I haven’t seen a movie in a theatre for years, but I cannot wait for this to come to my small screen. And besides, there is something magical about the big screen. I can’t wait.
So it doesn’t matter that I discovered Downton Abbey later than most. I am just as crazy a fan as those who eagerly followed it week by week. I’ve watched the trailer and the interviews with the cast. I cannot wait to hear what pearls of wisdom the Dowager Countess delivers.
It’s so hard to pick a favourite character. Who is yours? Tell us which Downton Abbey character you love and why in the comments.